Since you've already checked in with local shelters/law enforcement/animal control organizations for a lost cat, and there have been no responses, perhaps the next step, if you're so inclined, is to take it to the vet and if it checks out, bring it in?

Opinions here are by no means unanimous.

If you've checked the shelters, & you don't see "lost cat" signs, get the vet to check her out & bring her inside;
aside from the danger from predators, it's just way too cold out there.

Em will throw a hissy for a while & try to run the newbie off (& maybe you as well!), laying her ears back, making ugly cat faces, growling, hissing, screaming, but she'll get over it.

The newcomer sounds gorgeous.

Keep the new cat in a separate room for a couple of weeks so they can get used to each other's smell. I have brought three cats together and this has been immensely helpful. Also, amazon has some good books on multicat households and how to make them work. Your cat could also be a Maine Coon or Maine Coon Wannabe.

You should check with the local laws regarding stray animals. Here, you have to take them to the shelter to allow the owner the opportunity to get their pet back. If the owners don't claim it after whatever # of days, it goes up for adoption, at which point it could be yours. The shelter here lets me fill out paperwork to adopt the animals I have brought in if they do not get claimed. So far I haven't taken any home (don't really need another critter) and they all have been either reclaimed by the owner or adopted. I just didn't want the critters I brought to the shelter to be killed, as they were all nice critters.

Wow -- I am Michigan and today we had an incredible cold (5 degrees), severely windy day. I can't imagine a cat outside in this weather.

Cheryl, were you able to bring he/him inside?

I had the same situation this fall (in Michigan too),We took him in and I can't imagine my sweet little Ernie cat out in this weather. If the cat will let you handle it , bring the poor thing in to keep it warm and safe (of course away from your baby) and get it to the vet ASAP. Just ask yourself this, what would you do if EM were missing? Would you wait for somone to put up a "found" add or would you be plastering "lost" adds all over? The cat is cold and wants in, it has adopted YOU! If it were EM wouldn't you rather somone took her in than to just let her be miserable out there? If they want the cat bad enough they will find it if you have left information in the proper places. If it does not work out with your cat, you can find a forster group and let them know you will foster it untill a sutible home can be found. In either of these situations...the CAT gets a second chance at a good life.

What a time, these past few days! Thanks for the support you all extended. Here's the low down. I checked with local laws. Law according to our Humane Society is that finders must show good faith effort at finding a stray's owner and owners have 30 days to claim back an animal. So I've complied. Lisa, my girlfriend said the same exact thing - I WOULD be up and down every street in this town, door-to-door if need be, to find MY lost ones! I refuse to post too much info on any postings because sadly I live not too far from a major metro city, one in which a certain faction of our society lives that ... well, they have been known to adopt cats for dispicable reasons.

Here's the beautiful story: The little girl cat has come in from the cold (she's comfy in my back bedroom right now with all the food, water, and litter box she wants - I promised her she'll never be cold again.) We had predictions of -25 degrees or more with the wind chill on the coming Saturday night. So that morning I set out the carrier with food in it, she went right in. Sweetest personality I ever saw. I had planned on having her spayed at the same time I had the vet check her out on Sat. afternoon. She was not frantic in the least (as many cats can be when encaged or in the vet's office). In fact, she layed on the table like a well trained dog - so weird, I didn't even have to hold her. When the doctor rolled her over looking for a spaying scar and even shaved her to look, this little cat just layed there purring. The doctor even said, "you are such an angel"....hmmmmm. She's about 1 year old with a broken canine tooth. Leukemia and AIDs test came back negative, but the FIP (?) test was discouraged (keep her secluded from Em for 2-3 weeks, wash hands, etc.- which is scarey.) I booked boarding for her Sat/Sun nites for spaying early Mon. morning (yes, I know she wasn't really mine yet, but I believe in spaying so strongly and I figured she'd be easier to adopt out.) Well, after leaving her just minutes before the office closed, I starting reading between some of the lines the doctor and the tech had said and realized... Yikes! She's probably pregnant already! Whoa, stop the plan- some calls to friends revealed several responsible potential kitten "takers" if she should deliver some. Problem was there is no answering service for this vet hospital. So, there am I at 20 below zero on Sunday putting hand written notes on each of the clinic doors requesting no spaying, etc, etc. Goofy I guess, but they got the message. And now we'll just wait and see for another month or so, both for an owner and for babies. (She has nipples that are bigger than even Emma's who's 6 years old. Does this indicate anything? Tapeworms were seen and she was wormed while boarded but her tummy is still a little round as skinny as she is, although she does eat alot....)

Anyway, thanks for pleasant thoughts, imput, and advice. I know she'll have a great home, either here (if Em will tolerate) or with someone else I find for her. She'll charm everyone! Cheryl

Bless you for your kindness. I've heard a lot of pets have been left stranded in this mortgage default situation, some starving and isolated with no one looking out for them. My sister tried to help a rottweiler in her neighborhood that was left. He was so sweet, starving, older dog. They took the younger dogs and left this old dog behind. He had trouble with hip dysplasia and couldn't even get up. He was so sweet and loving and it broke her heart to have to call animal control because he would need lots of vet care and she's on a limited income. She figured, he would probably be euthanized, he had to be carried to the truck. How can people be so cruel to their own pets? You at least owe them some compassion.

Oh I am sooo glad she's safe and warm in your home! I've been checking back here a few times a day because I had to know!

Her nipples could be big if she'd given birth or had been nursing kittens anytime recently, too (I know some of the cats at the shelter where I volunteer still have distended nipples for quite awhile after their kittens have been weaned).

RE: FIP; the tests for it are so inconclusive, it's pretty much a waste of time to test for it. It's pretty much passed through feces and saliva (?) so it's not an airborne disease which means it's not very likely that Em could contract it during the 2-3 weeks of "quarantine" if this little one should have it. Also, if Em is up-to-date on her shots (distemper and rabies) you should be in good shape.

One other thing I would recommend, is to check with the vet about ringworm, because that is something that can get around, to you as well. It's not life-threatening, but a PITA to deal with so catching it early if it exists is wise.

I do so hope it works out that you are able to keep her. She sounds like a real sweetheart, and avery lucky one at that! Please post some pics soon!