San Francisco Veterinarian Clinic

Cats and Car Engines: Dangers and Precautions

We all love to find a warm place to sleep when it's cold outside. As humans, most of us choose our own homes, but there are many animals that don't have warm homes to sleep in. Outside pets and stray animals are notorious for climbing into car engines. These are warm areas where cats can cuddle up and pass out for the night. However, disaster can follow if the cat overstays its welcome.

On cold San Francisco mornings, drivers are prone to rush out to their car end start it up and begin the “Warming up” process. We all want to drive to work in a warm car, and letting the engine run for a few minutes is just the way to do it. But if an animal such as a cat is sleeping under the hood, there could be a big problem. The fan blades, belts, and heat from the car engine can immediately maim and even kill cats that are asleep under the hood. We need to let these animals know of our presence in order to avoid these unfortunate situations.

The best way to find out if an animal is sleeping under your car hood is to simply bang on the hood before starting the car. This should wake up the animal and scare it out of the car engine.

If an animal has been injured under your car hood, contact our San Francisco veterinarian clinic today for immediate help.