just to preface this: i'm obsessed with my pets, i recognize that i am probably more involved with my animals than someone else might be, but i'm trying to see if this is me having a weakness for furry creatures, or if this is really as messed up as it seems to me & if so, how to handle it.

a couple years ago there were some kittens born in the space between the garage and our building, one of the families in the building kept one of them as a pet. the cat spends time outside as well as inside. it's COLD here, it was zero (with the windchill it felt much colder!) this morning when i left for work, the cat was outside he was crying to come in, so i let him in the building and knocked on their door, but they didn't open it. i left him in the hall hoping they'd open the door for him as he was crying at their door. this happens ALL. THE. TIME. we just got 3' of snow, it's very hard to see when you're driving and the streets as sooooo narrow now, it seems unsafe for him to be wandering around. there is a carport (garage with open bays instead of doors) he can hide in, but it's wide open on one side & i worry about him getting up in a car engine to keep warm & them getting killed when someone starts the car & drives off. he doesn't have long fur, does appear well fed & is friendly, he often waits for me in my parking spot at night, he has a desire to be inside, so it's not that he won't come in for them.

i've wanted to say something about my concern to his owners, but the adults don't speak english at all (i believe they're albanian), they have a middle schooler that does, but when the middle schooler is home she doesn't answer the door (which from a safety standpoint is great! but she doesn't even come to the door so you could speak to her through it). it's been pointed out to me that the cat was born outside & that there are feral cats that survive, but in new england i feel like most cats running loose are domestic cats that have been abandoned & probably won't live long. i've thought about calling animal control, but as an adult cat who's black (i've read cats & dogs with black fur are less adoptable), i don't think he has a great chance of being adopted & might just be put down. i mentioned to my mom that i was thinking of making a feral cat shelter for him, but she told me i'd attract other animals, like mice, so i didn't.

is this a normal thing? do people leave cats outside for extended periods (like overnight or all day) in freezing temps? any suggestions for how to help a kitty out?