So, there are these cats...

...that were born and raised in our back yard.

We found them as itty bitty kitty's in March of this year. And I took pity on them (and still do) and fed them. Twice a day. Better food than most beloved house pets would get.

We still call them wild cats even though they pretty much live on our back porch. We don't pet them. We don't let them in. We do, however, call them by their names (Sam and Sophie) and may or may not have made a bed for them so they won't get cold in the cold windy winters we have in these parts.

Sophie (whom I now think is a boy) hisses as us every time we go outside. S/he no longer runs across the yard from us, but keeps our distance. I think the hissing is her/his way of letting us know he is owned by no man.

Sam (whom appears to be a girl) is actually quite friendly (as all the Sam's in our life are). He (she) has let me pet him (her) a few times and will eat out of our hand. He (she) has gotten in the house twice when I am taking food out, but both us panicked immediately and the cat ran out. Overall, Sam is a great backyard adopted stray wild cat to have around.

Here's the problem. Sam is brave. Sam might possibly want to be an inside loved and cuddled house cat, which ain't gonna happen for many reasons. In his (her) bravery, he (she) runs in our garage as soon as the door opens. Very stealthfully (huh-that isn't a word). Twice now, Sam has spent the night in the garage. This is bad. Really, really bad. 1) I don't know how to and won't potty train a stray cat. 2) Sam is a stray cat that doesn't live in our house in any way. 3) Josh is allergic and I'd sure hate for him to have to give up lawn mowing and garage cleaning because of cat hair in the garage. Plus it makes Sophie even more cranky in the morning because s/he is even colder alone and misses her brother/sister.

So, all this to say, I need your help. I need some suggestions on how to keep the cat out of the garage. Most of the time he runs out scared when the door is going down, but twice now, he has not. And he is really sneaky about getting in. Do you know how may hiding places there are in our garage? Well, not enough room for a vehicle to hide, but plenty for a cold stray cat.

I welcome any suggestion that isn't telling me how to get dispose of cats or recipes for cats. I just wanna keep them out of my garage. I appreciate your help in this matter.

~Sarah

PS: I could also either a spay/neuter fund set up for us or the name of a really generous vet clinic who might help us keep from having lots of itty bitty kittys this spring.