Stray Cat questions

[Aeress]

Good Morning! About 5 months ago a black cat showed up in our yard. At first it was shy but it very quickly warmed up and has adopted our family. Because this happened in the spring, we decided that yes, we would feed her. So we provide food/water for her.
As winter approaches, we aren't sure what to do for her. We already have 3 cats, one of which doesn't care for other cats, so we really don't want to bring her in but how do we keep her safe and warm during the winter? Should we build her a house of some sort? How well would she survive when it gets really cold? We believe she was in the area all last winter, as we would occasionally see her.

(We need to get her into the vet for shots/checkup etc she is "fixed". We think she may have either wandered away from her family or been "dropped" in the area)

Other question- There is a tom cat that has been prowling the area. What to do to discourage him?

[Breathless Wonder]

You might find this link helpful. It is specifically for dealing with feral cat colonies, but applies to strays and outdoor cats as well. Your cat is not feral, because it is socialized to human beings.

http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=431

[Aeress]

Thanks! We are still considering bringing into the home but with already having 3 indoor cats and a dog, it can get overwhelming.

[stardogs]

If you do bring her inside, I'd recommend getting Feliway spray or diffusers to help minimize tension in the household.

Anything you do to discourage the tom will discourage her, so you're kind of stuck unless you decide to bring her in. Cats generally do not like citrus odors, so that may be a helpful way to get unwanted kitties to move along, as would motion activated sprayers.

[mattemma04]

I would set a live trap to get the tom cat and have AC come and get him.He will spray your house and maybe attack your stray. I would set up something for the stray. I had a cage that I covered up,and put blankets in for a cat I was trying to catch.Eventually I tricked him by replace the cage with a trap.Took me 6 months to tame him,lol.

You can see if any local no kill shelter will take the stray otherwise just set up the warm home for it outside in a sheltered area.Your cats will stress when they see the stray/tom outside so be sure to calm and play with them.