Phoenix Veterinarian Clinic
Cats and Car Engines
Residents of Phoenix, Arizona know that it can get quite cold at night, leaving vehicles cold to the touch for the morning commute. Drivers often run outside and fire up their car engine without any thought to what might be under the hood, and pets like cats are commonly maimed and even killed because of this.
Everyone wants to find a warm place to sleep when it's cold outside, and our cats are no different. They often enjoy crawling up against a warm car engine and falling asleep for the night. This is a great place for their to find warmth, but it isn't the safest place to sleep. When a car engine is started up with a cat snuggled up against it, the heat of the engine and the fan blades and belts can wreak havoc on the animal. Many cats do not survive these incidences.
The best way to find out if there is a cat or other animal hiding under your car hood is to simply bang on it. It is important that you don't actually dent your car hood of course, but you want to bang loud enough to scare off any animals that may be sleeping. This will save their life and keep you from cleaning up a mess and possibly explaining this unfortunate event to the children of the home.
If an animal has been injured while sleeping under your car hood, contact our Phoenix veterinarian clinic immediately. We'll do our best to save the pet's life.