Our cat Hobbes barely survived an encounter with a fanbelt inside a
car engine, or so the vet said that's what it was. She surmised this
by noting the interesting spiral of slightly missing fur that starts
at his ribs and goes right down to the tip of his tail, as well as
other injuries he incurred.  I recently heard of another year old
kitten (Hobbes was a year old too when it happened) who met the same
fate and wasn't so lucky.  I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to
deter a small cat from crawling into a warm engine on a cold winter
day, or a way to block where they go in.  Not having ever looked
closely at the underbelly of a car, I don't know what the terrain is
like in there.

This is a very interesting problem ...

I can't think of any way but I shall give it some thought.

Tie your Rottwieler to your front bumper bar.

TS --

No way to avoid it: cats have been suffering from this problem for
decades (my sister lost her cat this way circa 1964).

Solution: beep the horn every time you get in the car.

Airplanes have the same kind of problem: birds like to build nests on
the engine or in the tails of light planes like the Cessna 172.  How
can you ever get a small bird out of the tail of a Cessna?  Walk down
the tail banging on the aluminum and those birds will be gone in an
instant!

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

How effective is cat repellant?

Maybe spraying something on the place where the car stands could
persuade a cat to seek more attractive places.

Right, I've got the solution!

Electronic tagging.

Whenever puss comes near the car, a warning light is lit within the car;

And whenever puss removes itself to a safe distance the light goes out.

Perfect!

Why do I always have to think up these great ideas myself?

Sorry ... I should have written

Purrfect!

The most effective way to prevent your cat from crawling into your car
engine is to keep him indoors!!!

I don't understand cat owners that let their beloved kitties run loose
outside. The reason cats crawl under car engines is to get warm. If
cat owners prevented their cats from going outside in the cold
temperatures, these things would never happen.

If you truly love your cat/kitten, do NOT let them outside alone!!!

My humble 2 cents,

Steph53

Oh dear, Steph ...

I had you pencilled in to acquire the Purrfect franchise for Alaska.

Now, please try again ...

This time PROMOTING this great new idea which will now ALLOW all
pussies of the world to live glorious lives of rampant love and
unlimited adventure.

Please put yourself in Puss's Boots ...

Supposing you were to be reincarnated as a puss ...

Would you want to be stuck inside for ever and ever?

Bryan the True Animal Lover 
& Inventor of the Purrfect Cat Protector

> Electronic tagging.<

Bryan --

It's not such a silly idea, so you'd best get down to the solicitor's
office and get your patent applications going.  RFID tags would permit
the identification of warnings to toddlers, cats, dogs.  The uses are
enormous: invisible fences to keep them in the yard; warnings to keep
them away from the swimming pool or electric sockets.

Myself, I'm going to claim the patent on the device to be sold to
billions of women that produces an audible warning: "Not tonight dear.
 I have a headache."

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

hmmm . . . 
you see, we live in a village that has an over abundance of cat
lovers, and an overabundance of cats . . .
Hobbes wasn't in our own car when he had his accident; even if I kept
Hobbes indoors I think it's highly unlikely a local ordinance will be
approved to keep all cats indoors. Outdoor cats are a problem, in my
opinion, for the impact they have on the ecology more than anything
else... either way, that solution, and the high tech tagging, seem
untenable . . . sorry!
We do have a Rotweiler neighbor but our former cat had the upper claw
on him once and he hasn't set paw in our driveway since; tying him to
our bumper would be tantamount to animal torture  ... for him!  In my
experience Rotweilers are just big pussycats in disguise!
Repellant is, well, near 'purrfect' . . . but . . . have you ever
smelled that stuff? Maybe worth a try.
I think Omni's idea of beeping the horn is the obvious solution,
though it might wreck the rural quietude. The only challenge here is
training neighbors to do too ... training people is about as difficult
as training cats . . .

PB ... wouldn't all those beepers on all those cats, coupled with the
fact that there's at least one car in each driveway, assuming each car
would constitute a 'hot zone' . . . can you imagine?  It would be like
sitting in a movie theatre full of people with pagers and cellphones!

Maybe the problem is the abundance of cars not the abundance of cats. 
I've never had this problem on my bicycle, and I've never even needed
to beep.

Hi timespacette-ga 

Thank you for your interest in our Purrfect Cat Protection System ...

I can confirm that our Purrfect Electronic Tags are pussy cat specific
and these enable you to track your own puss wherever he/she goes.

Regretfully, our technology does not allow you to identify other
pusses who may seek warmth and comfort within the engine compartment
of your automobile.

However, after a few write-ups in the press, tv, etc., we are sure
that public awareness will soon be raised.

May I thank you for bringing these matters to our notice?

I am sure that our Chief Researcher, Omnivorous-ga, will be prepared
to answer any further questions for an appropriate fee.

Bryan
Inventor Extraordinary

but . . . but  .. . . . but . . ..  what about the rural quietude?!?

A friend of mine heard squeaking sounds coming from under the hood of
his car. Upon examining the situation, he discovered a nest of baby
squirrels.

Maybe the cats are going up there because they're looking for squirrels. ;-)

wow, now there's a thought.

 I always thought the squirrels were the ones that make the car go . . .   ?

Don't they run on little hamster wheels?

Hi, Timely One

Our Purrfect Cat Protector System has several alternative Alarm Mechanisms. 

The one we recommend for you is a purely Visual Alarm where a light
comes on if your furry creature has entered the FOA (fenced off area).

This will not disturb the quietude of your little Hamlet even if
Ophelia is having a steamy session with him in the back of your car.

Rest assured we care for both cats and humans in all our
environmentally friendly products.

Poor Hobbes, who has already suffered the slings and arrows of
outrageous fortune, has this to say about that: "there is special
providence in the fall of a sparrow (or cat, or squirrel) If it be
now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be
not now, yet it will come.
The readiness is all." 

thanks to the Purrfect Cat Protection System (tm)  we feel as ready as
we'll ever be.

Hobbes sends his best, and so do I

ts-ga