We ran over our cat this morning. He had climbed up under the front wheel well or somewhere in the front and was probably sleeping. We drove about a half mile when he fell or jumped out and under the rear wheel. Just wanted to alert owners of a potential problem with a silent car.
Cat owner alert
- Thread starter TomB
- Start date
Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:
My sincere condolences. This is something that has been on my mind with our cats for years, especially since we have one cat who is just as dumb as a rock. I've even gotten to the point where, on days I know they're out and about in the front yard, giving the underneath of the car a quick once over, and then I still drive very slowly out of the driveway to give them a chance to scurry out from underneath.
My wife routinely sounds the chirp horn in her Volt before she pulls out of the driveway.
That said, provided the animal is up inside the motor compartment they actually have a better chance of surviving than in a traditional ICE, due to the lack of moving parts - I drove a couple of miles to Home Depot and back with a possum inside my motor compartment and practically had to dismantle the car to get him out.
The worst loss we've had until now is one cat who used to (apparently) love scurrying under the garage door as it was closing. Until the one day he didn't make it and my wife didn't notice he'd gotten trapped. While a garage door may well reverse with a child trapped under it, it won't with something as squishy as a cat.
My wife routinely sounds the chirp horn in her Volt before she pulls out of the driveway.
That said, provided the animal is up inside the motor compartment they actually have a better chance of surviving than in a traditional ICE, due to the lack of moving parts - I drove a couple of miles to Home Depot and back with a possum inside my motor compartment and practically had to dismantle the car to get him out.
The worst loss we've had until now is one cat who used to (apparently) love scurrying under the garage door as it was closing. Until the one day he didn't make it and my wife didn't notice he'd gotten trapped. While a garage door may well reverse with a child trapped under it, it won't with something as squishy as a cat.
GRA
Well-known member
My condolences to the OP. It's not a rare issue -
XeonPony
Well-known member
this is a super common issue in the logging camp, the camp cat/kittens would like to sleep in the void between the fan and rad, so when you turned it over all you heard was loud thumping.
good habbit when you have cats and vehicles get in the habbit of slapping the hood a couple times, as in winter they will crawel into any place that has a source of warmth.
good habbit when you have cats and vehicles get in the habbit of slapping the hood a couple times, as in winter they will crawel into any place that has a source of warmth.
aarond12
Well-known member
My condolences as well. 
I was fortunate -- my cat climbed into the engine bay of my LEAF (also through the front wheel well) and stayed there while we drove away. Fortunately the car is so quiet, I heard her meowing and stopped the car about 1000 feet from our house. She stayed in the engine bay on the short drive back (I couldn't get her to come out), and I had to forcibly pull her out because she was frozen in fear.
If she did that with my old Mazda 3, it wouldn't have been a happy ending.
I was fortunate -- my cat climbed into the engine bay of my LEAF (also through the front wheel well) and stayed there while we drove away. Fortunately the car is so quiet, I heard her meowing and stopped the car about 1000 feet from our house. She stayed in the engine bay on the short drive back (I couldn't get her to come out), and I had to forcibly pull her out because she was frozen in fear.
If she did that with my old Mazda 3, it wouldn't have been a happy ending.
DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
Sorry for your loss.
I've had cats in ICEvs before. Pulled one out when we heard it meowing at a redlight. Another fell out on the road, but survived. Haven't had it on a Leaf, they can't get to it in the garage.
I've had cats in ICEvs before. Pulled one out when we heard it meowing at a redlight. Another fell out on the road, but survived. Haven't had it on a Leaf, they can't get to it in the garage.
sub3marathonman
Well-known member
Very sorry too for the loss. We had our cat for 16 years, I never knew how silent the house is without him.
A true story, one day I'm riding to my mom's house on my motorcycle. I see one of the people from her neighborhood start driving away from their house. I happened to glance, and on the roof, there's a cat just sitting and watching everything like its a movie. I start waving my hand frantically for her to stop, she's worried when she rolls the window down because I've got a full-face helmet on, and I tell her "You've got a cat on your roof." Now that was a surprise for her, luckily she hadn't gotten more than a few feet and the cat just walked down the car and back to the house, I think I heard him muttering "humans". :shock:
A true story, one day I'm riding to my mom's house on my motorcycle. I see one of the people from her neighborhood start driving away from their house. I happened to glance, and on the roof, there's a cat just sitting and watching everything like its a movie. I start waving my hand frantically for her to stop, she's worried when she rolls the window down because I've got a full-face helmet on, and I tell her "You've got a cat on your roof." Now that was a surprise for her, luckily she hadn't gotten more than a few feet and the cat just walked down the car and back to the house, I think I heard him muttering "humans". :shock:
lpickup
Well-known member
lpickup said:
Nice. Well done Nissan! meow!
finman100
Well-known member
Problem is solved with indoor cats. And songbirds would fare much better too. Lots of other reasons too. Lots of info on the Googles. You choose, you take the risks.
I worked for some years, some years ago, as an ER veterinarian.
We saw 'fan belt cats' fairly regularly and they tended to be pretty horribly injured.
One, 'Fred,' that the owner didn't want to pay to have treated got adopted as our blood donor cat.
He lasted quite a few years. Though he probably had pains, he didn't show it.
He'd had several open fractures and luxations that made him less than graceful even when mostly repaired.
I'm embarrassed to say we found the way he thumped around amusing.
My experience shows that indoor cats live roughly 5 times as long as outdoor cats.
People who let their cats out just can't handle the smug superiority of an inside cat.
It's easier on the songbird population too.
We saw 'fan belt cats' fairly regularly and they tended to be pretty horribly injured.
One, 'Fred,' that the owner didn't want to pay to have treated got adopted as our blood donor cat.
He lasted quite a few years. Though he probably had pains, he didn't show it.
He'd had several open fractures and luxations that made him less than graceful even when mostly repaired.
I'm embarrassed to say we found the way he thumped around amusing.
My experience shows that indoor cats live roughly 5 times as long as outdoor cats.
People who let their cats out just can't handle the smug superiority of an inside cat.
It's easier on the songbird population too.
Similar threads
Vehicle For Sale
1 owner 39,000 mile 2012 SV in Cayenne Red. Can deliver.
Latest posts
-
-
-
The battery replacement/buyback thread.
- Latest: ElectricToolbox
-
