wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:23 AM
Original message |
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Edited on Fri Oct-28-11 11:23 AM by 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)
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no_hypocrisy
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:25 AM
Response to Original message |
1. That happened ca 40 years ago when I was a child, with tragic results for the kitten. |
wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:26 AM
Response to Reply #1 |
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I live in dread that I'll miss some hidden corner of the engine compartment.
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leftynyc
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:40 AM
Response to Reply #2 |
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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.
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joeybee12
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:31 AM
Response to Reply #1 |
4. Happened to me, too, fortunately with better results...cat took off as |
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the car started going, unharmed.
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WCGreen
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:30 AM
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FSogol
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:34 AM
Response to Reply #3 |
6. Glad I am not your neighbor. Why not knock on the hood instead? |
Sal Minella
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:33 AM
Response to Original message |
5. Banging on the hood with your fist works too, and then |
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get in the car.
Outside kitties do seek the warmth of a cooling engine, and shelter from the wind.
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Hassin Bin Sober
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:36 AM
Response to Reply #5 |
7. That's what experienced garbage pickers do in our alley before opening... |
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... dumpster lids. Scares away rats.
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OneGrassRoot
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:44 AM
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10. I've made that a habit for years. :) n/t |
Matariki
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:41 AM
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9. Please check under wheel wells too |
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sleeping on top of tires is a favorite spot for kittens
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Kennah
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:45 AM
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11. Former coworker who had lived in Texas checked the tires for rattlers curled around them |
wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 07:24 PM
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Ian David
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:50 AM
Response to Original message |
12. My car makes a loud double-beep when I use the remote unlock. |
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I'm hoping that would be enough to startle little critters.
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wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 07:26 PM
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19. So does mine, but the little guy was still there... |
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I'm too nervous to do anything but pop the hood at this point.
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Ian David
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Fri Oct-28-11 08:40 PM
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21. I'll have to be more careful then. Thanks! n/t |
tblue
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Fri Oct-28-11 12:12 PM
Response to Original message |
13. It happened to someone at the company I used to work for. |
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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.
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w0nderer
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Fri Oct-28-11 12:25 PM
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jdadd
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Fri Oct-28-11 01:10 PM
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15. The little buggers will climb into anything for shelter.... |
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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....
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EFerrari
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Fri Oct-28-11 01:23 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
17. I had 3 very young rescue kits for a month recently. |
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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!
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hamsterjill
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Fri Oct-28-11 01:18 PM
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16. I'm glad you realized what was happening! |
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Thanks for being a caring person who looks out for these guys!!!
Are there any TNR groups in your area?
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wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 10:06 PM
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23. I had to google TNR... |
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...first result was "The New Republic" :)
I didn't know such groups existed, but I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the idea!
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GentryDixon
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Fri Oct-28-11 07:40 PM
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20. My Rowdy Cat had his back |
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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.
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wakemewhenitsover
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Fri Oct-28-11 10:09 PM
Response to Reply #20 |
24. It must be traumatic for cats. |
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One minute, they have a secluded sanctum; the next minute, a violent battlefield.
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applegrove
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Fri Oct-28-11 09:23 PM
Response to Original message |
22. That happened to my mom with the family cat. Thankfully she hear Gerry before |
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she turned the engine on.
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Liberal_in_LA
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:04 PM
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Arugula Latte
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Fri Oct-28-11 11:13 PM
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26. One of my mom's kitties was found in a truck engine as a tiny kitten. |
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Thankfully he was found, taken to a vet, and eventually adopted into the paradise of my mother's cat haven house. :loveya:
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