A parked car that was driven recently stays warm long after the engine stops, and in freezing weather that warmth draws cats into two dangerous sleeping places: against the warm engine under the bonnet, and curled on top of a tyre inside the wheel arch. Neither spot is visible from the driver's seat, and starting the engine or driving away can injure a cat before it can escape. The protection is a short routine, done properly, on every cold morning.
The Three Checks, in Order
Build the habit set in this order: tap the bonnet firmly before starting, look around and on top of the wheels, and check underneath the car. The tap comes first because it is the wake-up call. Several firm taps with the flat of your hand, or a knock on the bonnet and a brief sound of the horn before you turn the key, will usually rouse a cat sleeping in the engine bay and give it time to climb down and leave. Pause after tapping and listen; movement or a startled miaow tells you to wait longer and look again.
Next, walk around the car and look at each wheel. A cat on top of a tyre sits hidden inside the arch, so crouch enough to see the top of every tyre rather than glancing at the tread. Then check underneath the car along its length, because cats also shelter behind wheels and under the chassis where residual warmth lingers. Only when all three checks are clear should you start the engine.
Why Every Cold Morning, Not Once
The routine fails when it becomes occasional. A cat's choice of sleeping place changes nightly with the temperature, the wind and which cars on the street are warm. The neighbour's cat that slept at home all week may pick your engine bay on the coldest night of the month, precisely when the risk is highest. Treat the checks the way you treat scraping ice: part of using the car in winter, not an extra. The whole sequence takes well under a minute.
Households with several drivers need the habit shared, not assumed. The person who checks at dawn may not be the person who moves the car at midday after a school run has warmed the engine again. A car that has stood for an hour after a journey is attractive all over again, so a second departure on a cold day deserves the same three checks as the first.
Make Your Own Driveway Less Tempting
You can reduce how inviting your parking spot is. Where you can, keep your own cat indoors on the coldest nights so you know she is not the one under a bonnet. Leave a sheltered alternative in the garden, such as a dry box with bedding in a quiet corner, so outdoor and visiting cats have somewhere warm that is not a vehicle. If you find a cat sheltering under your car and it will not move, do not start the engine and hope; wait, tap again, and let it leave in its own time.
Should the worst happen on a frosty morning, Lost Pet Alert System through KinsLe puts an alert in front of owners living close by, and a finder who spots her can contact the owner without delay.