Look twice for kittens

[wakemewhenitsover]

We have a few feral cats and kittens in our neighborhood. The other day, I started my car, drove to the end of the block, and heard the following: "Meow. Meow." I stopped the car, opened the hood, and found a kitten staring at me and meowing from a small space behind the engine. I started to reach out for the kitten, but he or she made a run for it. Now, checking under the hood is part of my morning routine.

So here's a heads-up (or hoods-up) for you, especially since the weather is getting colder, in case you, too, have cats hanging around your place.

O8)

(edited to add bad pun)

[no_hypocrisy]

1. That happened ca 40 years ago when I was a child, with tragic results for the kitten.

K & R

[wakemewhenitsover]

2. How sad.

I live in dread that I'll miss some hidden corner of the engine compartment.

[leftynyc]

8. Beep your horn

We learned early that our cats would curl up next the car engine (they could have been inside but whatever) when temperatures dropped. Just a short toot of the horn was enough to get them out of there.

[joeybee12]

4. Happened to me, too, fortunately with better results...cat took off as

the car started going, unharmed.

[WCGreen]

3. honk the horn...

[FSogol]

6. Glad I am not your neighbor. Why not knock on the hood instead?

:shrug:

[Sal Minella]

5. Banging on the hood with your fist works too, and then

get in the car.

Outside kitties do seek the warmth of a cooling engine, and shelter from the wind.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. That's what experienced garbage pickers do in our alley before opening...

... dumpster lids. Scares away rats.

[OneGrassRoot]

10. I've made that a habit for years. :) n/t

[Matariki]

9. Please check under wheel wells too

sleeping on top of tires is a favorite spot for kittens

[Kennah]

11. Former coworker who had lived in Texas checked the tires for rattlers curled around them

[wakemewhenitsover]

18. Will do!

[Ian David]

12. My car makes a loud double-beep when I use the remote unlock.

I'm hoping that would be enough to startle little critters.

[wakemewhenitsover]

19. So does mine, but the little guy was still there...

I'm too nervous to do anything but pop the hood at this point.

[Ian David]

21. I'll have to be more careful then. Thanks! n/t

[tblue]

13. It happened to someone at the company I used to work for.

He heard screams and then opened the hood and it wasn't pretty. Ugh. Good tip, especially if you park outdoors. Poor kitty you found. That probably took a couple years off his life. But he's very lucky, too.

[w0nderer]

14. feral cat shelter

http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/HOW_TO_FERAL_CAT_WINTER_SHELTER

[jdadd]

15. The little buggers will climb into anything for shelter....

I once took a feral half grown (Teenage) cat, on a round trip airplane ride. I'm just glad he didn't freak out in the air. I'd left the rear door ajar, because the back seat and floor had gotten wet, (leaky seam in roof), unknown to me, this Teenage cat stowed away in the baggage compartment. He just kind of stayed still, through the whole flight. I discovered him when I got back. I was checking the carpet to see if it had dried out, I must have bothered him at that point, he quickly escaped....Never saw him again, around the hangers or airfield....

[EFerrari]

17. I had 3 very young rescue kits for a month recently.

They were quarantined in the bathroom. One day I went in and they were gone. They'd opened a drawer and climbed in.

So, I put a stick through all the door handles to keep those closed. Went back later, they were gone again. They figured out how to open the big cabinet door and squeeze through. Tied that shut. Went back later, they'd learned how to wiggle the drawers open even with the stick blocking the handles from moving and they eventually learned how to loosen the cabinet ties. ARGH. I was lucky they didn't find a way into the wall because these three were part termite!

[hamsterjill]

16. I'm glad you realized what was happening!

Thanks for being a caring person who looks out for these guys!!!

Are there any TNR groups in your area?

[wakemewhenitsover]

23. I had to google TNR...

...first result was "The New Republic" :)

I didn't know such groups existed, but I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the idea!

[GentryDixon]

20. My Rowdy Cat had his back

laid open from the fan of my husbands truck when he was about two years old. He survived the accident, but because it happened at dusk, when dark settled he would be at the back door demanding to be let in. He never got over fear of the night, and he lived to be 14.

[wakemewhenitsover]

24. It must be traumatic for cats.

One minute, they have a secluded sanctum; the next minute, a violent battlefield.

[applegrove]

22. That happened to my mom with the family cat. Thankfully she hear Gerry before

she turned the engine on.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. kick for the kitties

[Arugula Latte]

26. One of my mom's kitties was found in a truck engine as a tiny kitten.

Thankfully he was found, taken to a vet, and eventually adopted into the paradise of my mother's cat haven house. :loveya: