Before we decided to bring the feral kittens inside we fed them on the screen porch. Each end of the porch had a door, and we propped them open about one foot with a rock. We learned from a Feral Friends group that they dislike going into a space with only one way in and out; they fear being trapped.
As it got colder in the year, we bought a large dog house at the farmer’s co-op and set it up inside the porch. There’s a plastic heating pad for pets at Amazon and we put it inside. We plugged in into an electric cube that automatically turns on when the temp goes down to a certain temperature.
They wouldn’t use it at first. Then we remembered that there was only one way in, so DH cut a second opening in the opposite wall. They started using it immediately. In the morning we’d find them all cuddled together, warm and cozy.
Then we found big raccoons skulking around and decided to bring in the babies.
Fascinating. I live in apartment, so have limited space on deck. Looked at warm mats, but I don’t have an outlet outside. Do have a crate I could cut open on one side, or some nice man in the ‘hood could.
One of those nice men wants to adopt her. He’d done me a few favors when I was in bed with corneal transplant, so I invited him for late afternoon Thanksgiving din yesterday. My Daisy woke up from her nap in bedroom,, came out, walked right. up to him to get petted. Big WOW. First man she wasn’t afraid of. Louise will or could be happy with him, warm and well fed.