Feeling bad for my Squeak

 This is about the third cold day and we have about 3 inches of snow on the ground and extremely frigid temperatures outside.  It was 9 degrees F. outside last night.  My sweet Squeak has a heated cat house with many blankets inside for her to bundle up with, but I still worry about her being alone outside in these temps without Jybow snuggling up to her anymore.  Jybow was around last winter, but was killed by a pit bull early last year, so Squeak is alone to brave the elements.  If it gets too cold I won't hesitate to bring her inside, but I still worry about these cold temps.  Today the high is only around 12 degrees, and she hasn't come out of her heated house.  She has stayed in all snuggled in her blankets and heated floor.  I really don't blame her.

We let a little Spring female kitten stay here last Spring and finally in the Fall, the kitten and Squeak had become friends.  We had hoped that the kitten and Squeak would nuzzle together in the heated cat house for this winter, but right before winter the kitten got run over and we found her dead on the road one morning.  That was kind of a blow to us because now we realized that Squeak would bed down alone in the cold winter nights.

As I previously said, I worry about Squeak, but I don't have a litter box or litter to put in the house and right now I'm still not over whatever sickness I am just getting over with.  In early December 2023 both Rick and I got sick.  Rick was tested and had Covid.  He was very sick and a week later I was tested and did not have Covid, nor the flu, nor RSV, but I did have an infection in my left lung.  We both were treated with prescription medications and are slowly getting better, but not well enough to go out and buy litter or a litter box.  Whether Squeak would use it is another matter.  But if the temps fall below zero I won't hesitate to bring her inside for the rest of the winter.  I do realize that once I bring her in I cannot put her back out again.  That would be cruel.  Squeak never volunteers to come inside the house even when the door is propped open, as when we are carrying in groceries, so I know she doesn't want to come in, but for her own safety I will bring her in if necessary.