Hello all,

I've got a woodworking question, only it's not really about the
technical aspects of making something as much as it is a dilemma in
deciding whether or not I *should* do a project.

A couple of days ago, I came home after work to see a cat that has
been prowling the neighborhood since I bought the place huddling on my
front steps (it was about -10*, and the steps have outdoor carpet on
them, so I figure it must have been more appealing than concrete or
snow)

Now, I don't need another pet, and I don't care to try and tame a wild
tomcat at any rate- but I do hate to see an animal suffer like that
and I figure he probably earns his keep eating rodents before they get
near my house.

So I was contemplating building a little stray cat house with some
insulation in the backyard to give the occasional semi-domestic
passerby a place to get out of the weather on particularly cold or
rainy nights, just as a little act of kindness to them. It'll be
about 50 yards from the house if I do this, and I don't have any
interest in really interacting with the animal(s) at all, aside from
maybe peeking out the window every once in a while to see if anything
is in residence.

But, I'm a little concerned that my good intentions may go awry in
this case. I don't much care if the thing gets peed in or whatever
else might happen to it, but I don't want to have to listen to
alleycats fighting over the place in the middle of the night.

Anyone else ever done this? If so, did it end up causing problems of
any sort, or is it as simple as I'd hope it would be? Won't cost
anything to do, and be easy enough to maintain with a coat of paint
every couple of years. Seems like it's so simple and cheap, that
there must be some kind of catch involved- and that's why I've never
seen or heard of one before. Can't just be me that doesn't like the
idea of animals (well- cats and dogs, anyhow) losing ears and tails to
frostbite needlessly.