How to Get a Cat Out of a Car
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| There seems to be a kitten in the engine of my car. We've seen him/her but the little guy won't come out. We've tried various forms of coaxing to no avail. Gave up for the evening and left some food and water out and hopefully he comes out in the garage. Luckily I can ride to work with my so tomorrow if he hasn't come out but this can't go in forever. Any ideas? | |
| Last edited by Crolis on Fri May 30, 2014 8:04 am |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Registered: Jun 2, 1999 Posts: 17801 | |
| Assuming it's a new-ish car, hit the panic button on the remote. I'd expect the horn to frighten it out. |
| "Undocumented Feature" Tribus: Spartanburg, SC Registered: Nov 5, 2009 Posts: 5220 | |
| Invent a new engine type that runs on catnip and laser pointers. Exhaust may be problematic, but if we can make a B-17 fly, we can do this. The panic button trick might work, but it might scare the little guy into deeper recesses. So long as he doesn't get himself into a position that he can't get out of easily, he'll come out when he gets hungry enough. |
| Ars Praetorian Registered: Jan 5, 2000 Posts: 564 | |
| Got any cans of tuna handy? Open a can and place it near, I doubt the furball can resist that. |
| Ars Praefectus Tribus: From downtown to anywhere but here Registered: Feb 21, 2003 Posts: 3064 | |
| Assuming it's a new-ish car, hit the panic button on the remote. I'd expect the horn to frighten it out. I wonder how a guy could make noise with his car horn if he didn't have a new-ish car with a remote controlled panic button... |
| Ars Scholae Palatinae Registered: Feb 18, 2002 Posts: 1423 | |
| If nice options don't work, get the hose. Wet and pissed off is a whole lot better than being chopped up by the cooling fan. How do I know? Imagine your father starting the car one morning and hearing a chorus of noises that weren't mechanical. Cleanup was... unpleasant. I'm curious, by the way, how you knew there was a cat in your engine compartment? In my experience, most vehicles with visible engines are not cars |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| So we've tried nudging him with a broom handle, poking him gently with a coat hanger. Dumping water on him. Honking the horn. I've even started the car when I thought he was in a reasonably safe location. All he does is meow. So this morning I went into the garage, got him to meow and noticed he wasn't in the engine area so I raised the garage door and backed out only for the sound of his meows to travel with me. Turns out he has now placed himself near the back axle up in the undercarriage. I can see the little bastard through my wheel staring at me and meowing really loud. No way for me to grab him though. He also ate all the food we left for him and then got back inside the car. I grabbed my adult male cat and brought him into the garage and he meowed a few times which caused the kitten to start loudly and constantly meowing and they "talked" for a little but but he never moved. So I went to work in my SO's car and hopefully he gets out while at work and stays out when we get home today so I can move my car out of the garage and then it will be easy to catch him. The current theories on how this all went down was either he got in my car when we were at dinner on Tuesday and brought him home that way or he sneaked in when the garage door was up at some point and then hid in the car. On Tuesday night one of our dogs was barking at the front door near the inside garage door but we just thought she was mental when we looked outside and didn't see anyone. Turns out she must've been able to hear the kitten meowing. I was working from home yesterday and she started doing it again and when I went to investigate, I heard the meowing. I don't want to hurt the kitten but if we can't get him out tonight he might just have to take his chances on the open road tomorrow. |
| "so alone and terrified" Tribus: Austin, TX Registered: Sep 1, 2004 Posts: 15142 | |
| This sounds like a problem that will solve itself, just start the engine |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| This sounds like a problem that will solve itself, just start the engine I'd vastly prefer to not have kitty parts either inside my car or inside my garage, not to mention traumatizing myself and my SO and killing the kitten. |
| "Flaran Cha'menthi" Tribus: Right Behind You! Registered: Jun 11, 2010 Posts: 2699 | |
| Puts an entirely new spin on "purrs like a kitten" |
| "Eclectic & Indefensible" Tribus: Hoos' posting is like Hoos' love: hard and fast. Registered: Aug 30, 2007 Posts: 46108 | |
| Maybe someone has misunderstood an old advert? |
| "I require dumplings" Tribus: Dippin dots is NOT the ice cream of the future Registered: Sep 7, 2000 Posts: 18157 | |
| Got any cans of tuna handy? Open a can and place it near, I doubt the furball can resist that. Fun fact: not all cats like fish. Cheese, on the other hand, seems like it has some magical properties. |
| "Dance, Mehitabel, dance." Tribus: Vermont Registered: Apr 28, 2006 Posts: 22474 | |
| If the kitten came out for food, then borrow or find a havahart trap. Put food in trap. Trap kitten. Give kitten to Ars for adoption, because "awwwww!" |
| Registered: Aug 12, 2000 Posts: 31014 | |
| Quote: I don't want to hurt the kitten but if we can't get him out tonight he might just have to take his chances on the open road tomorrow. Don't you dare. |
| "Lykaion Pontiff" Tribus: Globalist Registered: May 26, 2000 Posts: 85275 | |
| Growing up, there was a crazy cat lady on our street that fed every stray she could find. The net result was kittens all over the damn place. One did crawl into our car's engine bay to get warm in winter. When my mom started the car, it wasn't pretty... |
| "Rational Agent of Man" Tribus: Seattle, WA Registered: May 15, 2006 Posts: 17301 | |
| This sounds like a problem that will solve itself, just start the engine Don't do this unless you want to buy a new radiator fan, and possibly new radiator along with it. Also be very careful with spraying water. There are many things under your hood that are not made to be drenched. Electronics and your air filter specifically, but other stuff, too. Honestly, I'd say go with a few pesticide foggers, but then again I view cats as vermin. |
| "I require dumplings" Tribus: Dippin dots is NOT the ice cream of the future Registered: Sep 7, 2000 Posts: 18157 | |
| Have you considered buying a dog and a large funnel? |
| "Deeply Ambivalent." Tribus: entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem Registered: May 16, 2001 Posts: 83669 | |
| Do you have an electric can opener? |
| "Brain Damaged" Tribus: DFW, TX Registered: Jan 22, 2004 Posts: 52631 | |
| Easy way to remove a kitten from your car: 1. Get a box. Cut a kitten-sized hole in the side. Eventually you'll end up with a full, happy, napping kitten in a box. |
| Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius Tribus: Pittsburgh, PA Registered: Aug 29, 2005 Posts: 6670 | |
| He also ate all the food we left for him and then got back inside the car. This makes it easy. Just buy a trap meant for feral cats and put the food inside it. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Registered: Feb 5, 2002 Posts: 34291 | |
| Got any cans of tuna handy? Open a can and place it near, I doubt the furball can resist that. Fun fact: not all cats like fish. Cheese, on the other hand, seems like it has some magical properties. My cat turns her nose up at canned tuna but will tear through fresh salmon. Cheese is a curiosity and a toy but not something that she's willingly eaten. |
| "Eclectic & Indefensible" Tribus: Hoos' posting is like Hoos' love: hard and fast. Registered: Aug 30, 2007 Posts: 46108 | |
| Well, you put out cat food you know he/she likes. Why not just put down a trail of cat food from near the car to outside the garage. Then just sit and wait for the cat to emerge. |
| "The Perpetual Mind Spike" Tribus: Twin Cities, MN Registered: Oct 27, 2003 Posts: 27127 | |
| Or just call animal control and be done with it. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| Well, you put out cat food you know he/she likes. Why not just put down a trail of cat food from near the car to outside the garage. Then just sit and wait for the cat to emerge. The problem with this was that he might only come out at like 3 AM or when we aren't around. I got work! I will look into the trap idea. |
| "I had one job....." Tribus: ¦̵̱ ̵̱ ̵̱ ̵̱ ̵̱(̢ ̡͇̅└͇̅┘͇̅ (▤8כ−◦ Registered: Jun 7, 2010 Posts: 13215 | |
| I vote attach a railcar shaker to you vehicle. If you've never had the pleasure of watching the equivalent of an industrial vibrator in action, you're missing something. The kitten will come out of the car. As will change, all of it, and anything loose or just barely holding on. Longer applications will shake things out such as steering wheels, seats, and engine parts. Do it, you won't regret it. |
| "Beard Fightmaster" Registered: Apr 27, 1999 Posts: 20194 | |
| First thing you do is yell at the cat. Make it feel bad. I suggest, "WHY ARE YOU HOMELESS, CAT? HUH? STUPID CAT WITH NO HOME!" and "NO CAT LIVES IN THIS CAR FOR FREE! GET A JOB, CAT!" After that, I'm not sure. Never gotten past that part. |
| Registered: Jul 1, 1999 Posts: 90519 | |
| Get a dog. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| First thing you do is yell at the cat. Make it feel bad. I suggest, "WHY ARE YOU HOMELESS, CAT? HUH? STUPID CAT WITH NO HOME!" and "NO CAT LIVES IN THIS CAR FOR FREE! GET A JOB, CAT!" After that, I'm not sure. Never gotten past that part. Already did that part last night after I was covered in dirt, oil and sweat. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| Get a dog. We have two dogs, they just sniff around the car and occasionally bark at it. |
| "Quando omni flunkus, moritati" Tribus: Vancouver Registered: May 25, 2011 Posts: 13165 | |
| Reminds me of this On a more serious note, I ditto the idea of calling animal control. Might be a local neighbourhood cat that's been missing for a week. While shredding a kitten on the cooling fan might sound fun, little Sally down the street might not appreciate it. Also, AC would have better tools to pull it out from under the car, versus you spending another 2-3 weeks waiting out the fur ball. |
| "Foreskin Fanatic" Registered: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 10399 | |
| Park both cars in the garage. Close the garage door. Leave the other car running. Exit garage, close door to your house. Seal door to your house. Only enter garage through garage door with giant fans blowing, the next day. |
| "I require dumplings" Tribus: Dippin dots is NOT the ice cream of the future Registered: Sep 7, 2000 Posts: 18157 | |
| Get a dog. We have two dogs, they just sniff around the car and occasionally bark at it. Mission accomplished. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: San Jose, CA Registered: Aug 19, 2000 Posts: 24818 | |
| Get a coat hanger and straighten it out appropriately to reach the cat. Wrap tape around the end, preferably with the sticky side facing outward. Poke the cat with it, very gently. Not repeatedly as in *poke* *poke* *poke*. Just place it against the cat's body (hind leg is most effective). It will annoy the cat. The cat will eventually relocate to avoid the annoyance. You should probably have a nice deep box on its side with a blanket in it to give the cat a more attractive alternative cave. If it relocates to somewhere else in the car, keep annoying it with the nerfed coat hanger. It will eventually choose the box... or some other hard to reach place in your garage. |
| Ars Praefectus Tribus: Saint Paul, MN Registered: May 1, 2001 Posts: 5923 | |
| Found this in my engine one day after I lost cylinder #7: |
| Ars Scholae Palatinae Tribus: Chicago Registered: Jun 16, 2002 Posts: 1190 | |
| If the weather is warm enough just put your pet Burmese python in the garage for a while. |
| Ars Scholae Palatinae Tribus: Orlando, FL Registered: Feb 21, 2011 Posts: 786 | |
| This happened to my sister-in-law. They wound up taking the bumper off her car to get the cat out. |
| "Undocumented Feature" Tribus: Spartanburg, SC Registered: Nov 5, 2009 Posts: 5220 | |
| Easy way to remove a kitten from your car: 1. Get a box. Cut a kitten-sized hole in the side. Eventually you'll end up with a full, happy, napping kitten in a box. I fully back this, except for the tuna (get a can of wet kitten food, too much canned tuna is bad for them). Cats look for confined spaces when they feel threatened. What struck me about this solution is that the shelter I volunteer at keeps cardboard boxes with clean blankets in each kitty cage, and that box moves with them whenever they move the cat, so that there's always something familiar. The box even goes home with the cat when they're adopted. So, if you do wind up taking this one to the shelter, bring the box along. |
| "Frowsy ne'er-do-well" Tribus: Scherzo capriccioso Registered: Oct 26, 2004 Posts: 7469 | |
| Not in an engine, but my sister "lost" her cat in her apartment. I sat quietly and made a soft scratching noise with my fingernails and after about a minute her cat's curiosity got the better of her and she came out from her hiding spot. |
| Ars Legatus Legionis Tribus: Castle Rock, CO Registered: Oct 25, 1999 Posts: 19087 | |
| Well got home and the cat had relocated to the rear wheel well inside. I reached fingers inside a hole near the shocks and the kitten took a swipe at me. We got some tuna and put it in an overturned box with a hole cut into it. If this doesn't work I might have to go buy/loan a cat trap. I went back in there 15 minutes later and he had relocated back into the engine. HES TREATING MY CAR LIKE HIS PERSONAL AMUSEMENT PARK!!!!!!! |
| "Undocumented Feature" Tribus: Spartanburg, SC Registered: Nov 5, 2009 Posts: 5220 | |
| See if there's a TNR team that operates in the area, and they'll bring their own trap. If they determine that it isn't feral, they'll coordinate with local shelters. |
Source: https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?t=1245205
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