I posted on asklemmy the other day asking for advice on how to catch a stray cat, and I am now posting the fruits of my labour. Huge thanks to everyone in that post for taking the time to give me step-by-step instructions, telling me their own experiences with strays, and just being concerned about both mine and the stray's wellbeing!
Here he is at the vet for a check up after I caught him. Honestly, he seemed so happy to be indoors and somewhere warm and safe that I teared up a bit! He is currently in my garage sleeping on a heated cat bed and couldn't be more content as I try to figure out next steps.
He has a microchip, but the vet had no luck getting in contact with the owner yet, sadly. They're hoping to at least find a vaccine record associated with it so they can clear the FIV/FeLV faster.
A reminder to everyone to make sure your cat's chip ID is registered to you in relevant databases, as this is not necessarily done automatically. And to make sure your contact information there is kept up to date.
Hope you find the owner, and great that you took in the little guy :)