Cats will eat dry dog food, but it's not very good for them--not enough protein, for one thing. Do you have a tin of tuna or salmon that you can sacrifice? Again, not great as a steady diet, but okay for one night. Not sure what to suggest for a temporary litterbox. Maybe a shallow/cut down box lined with a garbage bag, with dirt in it?

I tried some dog food and the cat did munch away at it. I've got some tuna as well.

Rather worried about the litter situation though... Maybe I could do a carboard box lined with plastic and put some shredded newspaper in it.

Scrambled eggs or cooked chicken make for good eats, too. The kitty might bat it around awhile till it cools off, but then, look out. And a nice, clean bowl of water, too, of course.

Any ol' shoe'll work for a potty. ; )

(That's very sweet of you to take the kitty in. Our eighty-year-old landlady who doesn't cook for her son anymore cooks for the neighborhood cats.)

Diced raw beef or chicken is good too.

It just killed and ate a bug of some kind. Bravo!

Are you sure it is a stray? Most of my neighbourhood cats try to get into my house too, I just happened to know they live down the street or behind me.

If it is a stray maybe he will help with the meese at Swan's End!

It's definitely not a stray. It has a collar with tags on it bearing the dates of its last shots. I just don't know who really owns it. Maybe my neighbour knows. But last night it was mewing at my neighbour's house, and he didn't seem to be home, so it came over to my place and mewed at my door. I was worried that its owners might be away as well and it really didn't have a place to stay for the night, so I took it in.

Real strays stay away from people. I think you've just taken in an expert mooch.

I'm sure that's exactly what she is. I don't like cats, but this one is really likeable - quiet, well-behaved, companionable and affectionate without being clingy.

There used to be an expert mooch cat that lived next door to me. Would cry at our living room window in the snow at 2am, so we'd let him. After awhile, he assumed our house was a part of his territory too, so he'd come in every month or so to look around and make sure everything was okay. The neighbours knew and didn't mind. All the time, the daughter of the next-door-family (the mooch cat-owner) finished college, got married, got pregnant all in the space of a year. (Maybe in that order, I can't remember.) Her husband had two cats and two dogs, so the mooch cat couldn't go with her to her new house in the 'burbs. The mooch cat was desperately unhappy because he got far less attention now that the daughter moved out PLUS the mother developed allergies as she was undergoing some other health problems. They were considering giving him up to the shelter. My sister knocked on their door and asked if we could have him. They said yes. The daughter still gets to see her cat ( the cat always asks to be let out when he hears her voice on the porch), the cat gets loads of affection, and we got the mooch-cat!!! Everybody's happy!

The dog food will do in a pinch, but as elizard said it's not good as a regular diet. Mingo (one of our newer kittens, huge orange beast) loves to munch a bit of Kaylee's dry dog food when it's put out fresh.

As for a litter pan - I'd venture to guess that since it's an indoor-outdoor cat that it will ask to go out when it needs to go potty. The cardboard box with shredded newspaper should work unless she's really finicky.

She seems to have really impressive bladder control. I took her in at nine p.m. and let her go at noon the next day. She doesn't seem to have used to the litter box I set up, nor have left me any little prezzies anywhere in the house.

She did poke me repeatedly with her paw in the middle of the night, but when I put my arm around her and stroked her, she cuddled up to me and purred happily, so she probably just wanted attention. She just LOVES being held and petted. I've never heard a cat purr so loud.

We once had a cat who purred so loud that we named her Chainsaw.