You’ve noticed that many stray dogs and cats have been taking shelter underneath cars and other canopies lately during this monsoon season. It will be likely that a stray animal, which we call “pusakal” (for ‘pusang kalsada) or “askal” (for “asong kalye”) will take shelter under your parked vehicle sooner rather than later.
While dogs and bigger cats will tend to stay directly under your car, smaller cats and kittens may perch themselves on top of tires. Kittens and juveniles, however, can even manage to squeeze into the engine bay, and these are the most problematic ones when it’s time for you to go.
While cats resting under your car or on your tires can be easily spotted, not so with kittens sleeping under the hood. Needless to say, there are horrific consequences for kittens trapped in running engines. We’re sure you’d also not want such a terrible fate to befall such innocent creatures.
Here are some tips on how to safely and humanely get cats and kittens to move out of the engine, and out of the way, when you need to use your car.
1. Make it a habit to check around and inside your car before you start the engine
This may be a difficult habit to form, especially if you’re frequently in a hurry and you’re being drenched in a heavy downpour. But it will only take less than a minute of your time to make sure no cats are under or inside your car. Be on the lookout, especially, for cats directly in the path of the tires. Pop the hood and peer inside the engine bay to make sure no kittens are sleeping there. Use a flashlight if necessary.
2. Before starting the engine, honk your car horn
Whether you see a cat or not in and around your car, briefly honk your car horn to make sure no cats approach the car as you start your engine. Loud sounds deter cats, and honking your horn may also startle kittens hiding inside the engine bay, enough to make them jump out and away from the car.
3. Tap your hood, too
Another way to make cats and kittens move away from the car is to tap firmly and loudly on your car’s hood. You can do the same on specific points around your car’s body, like above the wheel well, beside the trunk, etc.
4. Use food to lure them out
When you do spot a kitty inside your engine area, you can use cat food to lure them out. Sardines can usually do the trick. Place the food near the kitty, so it can smell it more quickly.
5. Use water, but don’t spray
If food doesn’t work, then get some clean water and gently pour it on the area where the kitten is hiding. Never use powerful water sprays or hoses, as the volume and force of the water spewing out may harm the kitten’s frail body, and may force the poor thing to stay put.
6. When all else fails, you will have to actually reach in and pull the kitten out
It’s a hassle, indeed, but the alternative—leaving the cat in to die there—is just unthinkable. So, just make sure you’re also in protective gear during the extraction. Wear gloves impenetrable to clawing and biting, especially when handling feral cats or stray kittens.
7. Try spraying areas off limits to cats with a simple homemade mix of white vinegar, lemon juice, and fresh rosemary
Cats are known to despise the scent of white vinegar, citrus, and rosemary leaves. Also, these three substances are safe to use. You can spray this on cloth or rags, and place them in the crawl spaces kittens would most likely use to get into your car’s engine bay.