Cats sleeping on cars

emmie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
50
Purraise
2
Location
UK
How can I stop my cat from climbing on top of everyones cars and sleeping.. Whenever i see her I go out and get her striaght down but I am a bit worried that someone is not gonna notice her one time and will drive away with her on top


We live in a very small close with farm land all out the back. why she cant just go out there and lay in the warm fields i dont know
 

cococat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Messages
4,953
Purraise
12
Location
USA
Keep kitty inside or build cat safe fence. Or put kitty on a harness and walk with kitty, or only let kitty out when you can keep an eye on the cat at all times. Cats will do as they please, you can't train them like you could say a dog.
I know a cat that lost their life over a situation like this, it can be serious.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Might try a "scat mat" that can be put on the car hood, but short of confining her to inside or a cat enclosure in the backyard, not much you can do about them sitting on the cars!
 

clumsy kitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
81
Purraise
0
Location
North West
lol I wondered how long it'd take for someone to rush in and tell you to keep him indoors.

Try spraying the car with a mild vinegar or citrus solution. Not so strong to corrode the metal but strong enough to deter the puss. They don't like the smell of the acid.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

emmie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
50
Purraise
2
Location
UK
lol thats ok, i was expecting it


Im sure there are lots of people on here that keep their cats inside and people who also let their cats outside. I respect everyones opinion on the matter and i guess this is always gonna be a touchy subject..

I live in the country in a small street . If i lived in a busy town then maybe i would feel different about the situation.

Ive never heard of scat mats but just looked it up.. Ouch do they hurt a little? I hate getting static shocks


Thank you for your ideas and I will be sure to try some of them
 

clumsy kitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
81
Purraise
0
Location
North West
I noticed you're from the UK - it's a lot more acceptable over here to let them out. I think many of the strong opinions against letting them out are from our friends across the pond - vets actively discourage it over there so they're just being responsible pet owners
 

larke

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Messages
2,278
Purraise
6
Location
SE Canada
Emmie - do you realize that on occasion a cat will curl up inside a car's engine in winter because it's warm? Can you imagine what happens when the driver starts up without remembering to pound the hood to check for animals inside? It's happened more than once!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

emmie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
50
Purraise
2
Location
UK
Yes of course I realize the dangers of letting a cat outside. We are all doing what we think is the best for our cats..

Can we not just agree to disagree?
 

emmylou

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
960
Purraise
10
I don't see how a cat is going to get into the engine of a modern-day car. The undercarriages are sealed. And I'm assuming cats can't pop the hood.

I think the behavioral approach is going to be your best bet, since the cars don't belong to you and it'd be dicey to try to put things on them. Just work to train the cat the same way you would to train him not to go on counters or tables. For a few months, keep a close eye, and every time you see the cat on a car, lift him off while loudly and calmly saying "no." After a lot of repetition, you'll see this behavior diminish.

You could also try giving him some more attractive sleeping place in that area. Like maybe a high perch or a box.
 

mom of 4

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 22, 2006
Messages
1,282
Purraise
12
Location
BajaOklahoma, should be 200 miles north
Originally Posted by clumsy kitty

Try spraying the car with a mild vinegar or citrus solution. Not so strong to corrode the metal but strong enough to deter the puss. They don't like the smell of the acid.
Only if it's an old heap that nobody cares about. Those solutions will mess up the wax job and possibly the finish of the car.
I would be very unhappy if this was done to my car.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Some of the pet catalogs have those mats. I've never used them but you can put them on your couch/chair or other places you don't want them to be on and its supposed to keep them away (works for dogs too). I guess its a mild shock but these don't plug in, so not sure how they really work.

Maybe do a Google search and see what you find. I'd really consider a cat enclosure or harness/leash and supervision for your best bets.
 

spratt74

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Messages
11
Purraise
0
Location
Missouri
I have a funny story to tell. We had some outside cats growing up. And one of them happened to jump on my mom's car when she opened up the garage to go to work one morning. I guess she didn't know that cats did that, and/or didn't pay attention to the cat at all, when she started to drive with her on the top of the car. Thankfully she was going slow, so my dad managed to yell and catch up to my mom to get her to stop. The poor kitty was beside itself I think, but ok in the end lol. My mom of course felt horrible at the time, but laughs about it now lol. It was a site to see, and one that I won't ever forget lol.
 

plar

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
43
Purraise
1
Originally Posted by Emmie

Yes of course I realize the dangers of letting a cat outside. We are all doing what we think is the best for our cats..

Can we not just agree to disagree?
Nothing in life is risk free. Let the cat outside and let them live a little.
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
I keep my cats inside because the second day we had our first cat, I didn't see him when I looked out the door and called him. I figured he'd just run off, since he was a stray the day before. But in a few moments he appeared from under a car (not ours...it was in the shop). He had a few grease spots on him, and a few burned pads on his paws. I knew immediately what that meant; he was getting up on the engine to keep warm.

He never spent another minute outdoors in his life.
 

cococat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Messages
4,953
Purraise
12
Location
USA
Originally Posted by clumsy kitty

lol I wondered how long it'd take for someone to rush in and tell you to keep him indoors.

.
Excuse me for being concerned for the welfare of the cat
I wasn't rude and understand it is a choice. When asked for advice I gave my opinion out of concern for the kitty and it makes sense. It is a fact it is safer indoors, and when you let the cat outdoors you are putting your cat at risk for all sorts of things that aren't a factor when keeping cats indoors, that is a choice people make for their cats and everyone has to make for themselves weighing the pros and cons for their cats, location, neighbors, etc.
The car problem can be quite serious.
 

zoethor2

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
219
Purraise
1
Location
DC area, USA
While there is certainly a risk with cats sleeping inside the car engine, no doubt, I wonder how often serious injury or death from such an activity really occurs. Growing up, we probably had, in the 18 years I was at my parents' house, around 40 cats go through our place for some period of time or other. All of them loved sleeping on cars, and we didn't discourage it, and none of them ever were injured inside the car engine.

I tried google but I'm not getting anything on actual statistics.
 

joyzerelly

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
109
Purraise
1
Location
Bogor, Indonesia
In England, nearly everyone, though there are exceptions, lets their cats go in or out as they please, it is the way it has always been and one of the benefits of keeping a cat over any other pet, I think is that they get to be free and independent, you know that they come back because they want to, and they do come back. There are dangers everywhere, including in the home and I would rather my cat had an interesting, mentally stimulating and pleasurable life, albeit with a little risk that I would keep her cooped up indoors. I am not criticising those of you who do keep their cats inside, it is different in America. Remember that in England we do not have the threat of rabies so it is different here.

I definitely wouldn't suggest that someone should keep a cat indoors for life just because she sleeps on cars. This is totally normal behaviour, and probably done because the car is warm, either after a drive or because the sun has been on it. Yes, it is very slightly risky, but who ever had a fun life with no risk? Plus, if someone did drive away with the cat still up there, it would almost certainly wake up and jump off. I think it's really important that we remember that cats are independent animals and not babies (despite what we may call them) or teddy bears. They need their independence and I don't see why we in England should take choice away from them unnecessarily.

Sorry if I have tread on anyone's toes, though I don't doubt that I have.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
I agree, I know in England and Australia they do let them out. But Australia does use more of the cat enclosures which is fine with me. Eventually we will have a screened in porch (same thing) and the cats and dog can sit out there with us.

My main objection is UNSUPERVISED outside time. If those in England choose to let the cats outside, it would be a lot better to do in a supervised setting rather then risk injury and death to roaming cats.
 

joyzerelly

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
109
Purraise
1
Location
Bogor, Indonesia
It would be impossible to supervise your cat every time she went outside, well, entirely impractical. They go out in the morning, stroll and hunt all day, come back for food and sleep, then off they go again. A lot of people have cat flaps. this is totally normal, the only time my cat has been nastily injured was when she walked across the hot cooker (INDOORS) and burnt her paws. I like to think that I don't own my cat, but that she chooses to live with me. I like this.

As I said before, I think it is better to have a little risk in your life and therefore stimulation than be too bored and mollycoddled. Lily would be miserable if she was kept indoors. (Though we do keep her in at night, most people don't give their cats a curfew, they are adults after all (apart from the kittens, obviously))
 

yosemite

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
23,313
Purraise
81
Location
Ingersoll, ON
Originally Posted by plar

Nothing in life is risk free. Let the cat outside and let them live a little.
Compared to indoor cats here in North America, they do literally "live a little". Having said that, folks overseas have been allowing their cats to be indoor/outdoor for a long time and their circumstances are obviously different than ours so live and let live as they say.

Originally Posted by cococat

Excuse me for being concerned for the welfare of the cat
I wasn't rude and understand it is a choice. When asked for advice I gave my opinion out of concern for the kitty and it makes sense. It is a fact it is safer indoors, and when you let the cat outdoors you are putting your cat at risk for all sorts of things that aren't a factor when keeping cats indoors, that is a choice people make for their cats and everyone has to make for themselves weighing the pros and cons for their cats, location, neighbors, etc.
The car problem can be quite serious.
I think when we see a poster is from the UK we should all know by now that telling them to keep their cats indoors is not advice they are looking for even if we believe it to be good advice.

As to the car issue, to get back on track, I think the one poster summed it up - just keep taking her down whenever you see her on someone's car. You shouldn't be putting vinegar solution on anyone's car nor should you be putting any type of mat that may leave a mark.

ETA: Our neighbour has a cat that is missing it's tail from being up in the car engine when someone started the car. It was touch and go saving it's life but I love him with his stub. I don't know about modern cars, but it has happened fairly frequently so is a very real concern.
 
Top