Ha, I accidentally acquired my colony in late fall so I had to throw my winter setup together real fast and learned as I went. I've been through three winters with them now, and everything is still holding up surprisingly well though! Planning ahead is definitely a good move, and it'll give your cat time to get used to your shelter and check things out before she really needs it.

If it helps, I use this 32oz bowl for water. I line it with a disposable pie tin to keep it easy to clean, otherwise the plastic gets slimy. I also have their Thermo-Kitty Cafe (link) which works really well for wet food since the steel bowls are removable, makes cleanup super easy.