A cat abandoned outside a Fairfield veterinarian's office in last week's below-freezing temperatures is recovering from the severe cold.

Dr. Geri Katz, the vet at AristoKatz Veterinary Care for Cats says the cat, named Simon, was so cold it took six hours before his temperature even registered on a thermometer.

The practice manager Emilee Bernstein says she arrived for work last Wednesday and found a box duct-taped shut in front of the door. She opened it and found an older, underweight cat freezing inside.

Katz says her staff put Simon on a heating pad but weren't sure he would make it. A day later, his temperature was back up to normal.

He has kidney problems, and Katz isn't sure about his long-term prognosis, she says. But for the time being he's doing well.

Katz says she hopes Simon was a stray who someone found and left at her office -- and not a pet whose owner up and abandoned him.

"But certainly leaving a cat in a box in -3 degree weather is pretty hard on the cat," she says. If he had been outside in the cold for much longer, Simon would likely have died, Katz says.

Katz says that if you come across a stray in need of help, you should think about your own safety first and not put yourself in danger. But if the animal is friendly, you can try to get it to an animal hospital. If you can't, moving the animal into a garage with blankets is safer for it than being outside.