phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (03/20/86)
My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a
pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything
like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint.
Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or
his feelings?
--
"We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will become the
present, and respect the past, knowing that once it was all that was
humanly possible."
Phil Ngai +1 408 749 5720
UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil
ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.dec.comliz@unirot.UUCP (Mamaliz ) (03/20/86)
In article <10877@amdcad.UUCP> phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes: >My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a >pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything >like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. >Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or >his feelings? My 3 cats (and now there are 4 new beautiful 4 day old kittens!!!!) sit on our cars, under our cars, and (when they can get in) in our cars. I don't think they have ever scratched the paint. Cat's claws are usually kept in, especially when they are doing something relaxing like lying in the sun on a warm car. I don't think you should worry. I know of no way of getting rid of a cat who really *wants* to be someplace. My husband swears by firecrackers when the cats act up (now none of our cats will go *NEAR* a cable), and other people seem to have luck with squirt guns. I think either of these methods would guarantee scratches in your car. liz
sasaki@harvard.UUCP (Marty Sasaki) (03/21/86)
This reminds me of a warning that may have save a cat's life. If you have a car with lots of space under the hood, then you should tap your horn before you start your car up during the winter. If there is room, cats will sometimes crawl up into the motor compartment to get a little warmth. I don't know whether any of the above is true, but I heard it on "All Things Considered" or some other radio show. -- ---------------- Marty Sasaki uucp: harvard!sasaki Harvard University Science Center arpa: sasaki@harvard.harvard.edu One Oxford Street phone: 617-495-1270 Cambridge, MA 02138
booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) (03/21/86)
In article <10877@amdcad.UUCP> phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes: >My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a >pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything >like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. >Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or >his feelings? Garden Hose. Offer cat bribes (make your porch more desirable-do you have one?) Cats like to perch and be up high. Try a car cover (leatherette or vinyl) Actually, you better read the paper, your car is being recalled! (I'll send you a note as this topic belongs on net.auto) E *****
wiebe@ut-ngp.UUCP (Anne Hill Wiebe) (03/21/86)
Oh, yes, it's true, cats can easily be killed by crawling up inside your motor area of the car. My cousin once killed her kitten this way, and a neighbor says she's helped too many other neighbors clean up the awful awful remains of cats killed in this way. My cat liked to crawl up there; so I formed a habit of slapping the hood as I came around to the driver's side. She'd run for the hills! (The sound reverberates in there.) Anne Hill Wiebe (wiebe@ngp.UTEXAS.EDU, or !ihnp4!ut-ngp!wiebe, or !allegra!ut-ngp!wiebe)
dave@andromeda.RUTGERS.EDU (Dave Bloom) (03/21/86)
In article <10877@amdcad.UUCP> writes: >My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a >pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything >like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. >Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or >his feelings? Shave all his hair off. I got rid of one of my roommates that way. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- allegra\ Dave Bloom harvard \ pyramid\ seismo \ pyrnj \ Home: (201) 861-7437 ut-sally >!topaz >!andromeda!dave Office: (201) 648-5083 sri-iu / caip / ihnp4!packard / yogi/ "You're never alone with a schizophrenic...."
chrise@ihlpl.UUCP (Chris Edmonds) (03/21/86)
> My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. > I am concerned about him scratching the paint. I have 3 cats and 2 cars (semi-new) they have always loved to sit on the cars. This is for at least 2 reasons, 1. its a nice high vantage point from which to pounce on unwary leaves blowing by (or mice or whatever) and 2. they are frequently warm (sun or engine heat). Soooo.. the solution is to make you car low and cold! I suggest parking it underground in a drive-in refrigerator. BUT SERIOUSLY! you can see the problem of preventing unwanted cat perching... Well, a better question is whether a cat's claws can scratch a car or not. I never actually experimented with a cat, but I know MY claws (same basic chemistry) can't damage factory paint. I've had cats and cars for years and never had an idetifiable cat claw mark in my paint. This included specifically checking several times when a cat jumped onto the car covered with ice and slid off leaving deep gouges in the ice/snow. BUT, you've got to learn to ignore muddy tracks on your windshield.... Chris Edmonds @ AT&T Something-or-Other, Naperville, IL ...!ihnp4!ihlpl!chrise
res@ihlpl.UUCP (Rich Strebendt @ AT&T Information Systems - Indian Hill West; formerly) (03/22/86)
> My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a > pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything > like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. > Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or > his feelings? I doubt that you have anything to worry about, unless the cat's claws are tipped with diamonds. A factory paint job is plenty hard! A more serious problem is having a cat cuddle up to your nice warm engine -- UNDER the hood. The sound of a cat going around the alternator pulley is rather disconcerting to a driver. It is a somewhat more serious problem from the cat's point of view! Rich Strebendt ...!ihnp4!iwsl6!res
mbr@aoa.UUCP (Mark Rosenthal) (03/22/86)
In article <796@harvard.UUCP> sasaki@harvard.UUCP (Marty sasaki) writes: >This reminds me of a warning that may have save a cat's life. If you >have a car with lots of space under the hood, then you should tap your >horn before you start your car up during the winter. If there is room, >cats will sometimes crawl up into the motor compartment to get a >little warmth. > >I don't know whether any of the above is true, but I heard it on "All >Things Considered" or some other radio show. I didn't hear the radio show, but I can vouch for the fact that this does happen. We lost a cat that way several years ago. The car was hard to start but finally did. Well, in fifteen degree weather, you don't expect the engine to catch right away. We went about our business that evening. Katia never came home that night. The next day we saw a dog carrying something that didn't look right. It turned out to be part of Katia's remains. We were absouluely sick about it, and pissed as hell at the dog for killing her. It wasn't until the next time we had reason to open the hood of the car that we found it was full of fur and blood, and figured out what had happened. So yes, if you care about cats (or about your engine - it was quite a chore to clean it up), it is definitely a good idea to honk the horn and wait a bit before starting your car. -- Mark of the Valley of Roses ...!{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!aoa!mbr ...!{wjh12,mit-vax}!biomed!aoa!mbr
aptr@ur-tut.UUCP (The Wumpus) (03/22/86)
> My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a > pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything > like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. > Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or > his feelings? > -- I also know about the problem, except the car is a mint condition 72 Mercedes 300SEL4.5, and yes the cat (really cats) do scratch the finish. The way we deal with it is to not let the cats near the car. It is easy for us to do this because the car only comes out of the garage when it is driven (incidently the reason it is still in mint condition is that it has never seen the winter because it stays in the garage all winter.) If you can't put the car someplace where the cat won't sit on it, I would suggest one of two things: 1) Get a large dog 2) get a car cover The Wumpus UUCP: allegra!rochester!ur-tut!aptr BITNET: APTRCCSS@UORVM
booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) (03/22/86)
In article <3088@ut-ngp.UUCP> wiebe@ut-ngp.UUCP (Anne Hill Wiebe) writes: > >Oh, yes, it's true, cats can easily be killed by crawling up inside >your motor area of the car. My cousin once killed her kitten this way, >and a neighbor says she's helped too many other neighbors clean up the >awful awful remains of cats killed in this way. Ms Weibe then noted that she now has a habit of thumping her car before she revs it up. My uncle was a fireman and they had BIG engines in those trucks. The firemen were real softies and adopted everything in sight. They learned to pound the sides of the engines with baseball bats on a regular basis to chase the kitties away. (Didn't stop the parrots who moved in from defecating on the vehicles though) E ***** PS I have the best way. A beetle is sealed so cats cannot crawl inside.
ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) (03/22/86)
> A more serious problem is having a cat cuddle up to your nice warm > engine -- UNDER the hood. The sound of a cat going around the > alternator pulley is rather disconcerting to a driver. It is a > somewhat more serious problem from the cat's point of view! I once knew someone who pulled into a gas station after 200 miles on the road for a fillup, oil check, and so on. The guy opened the hood and said "Do you know you've got a cat in here?" And so he did -- a tiny, filthy, terrified, but utterly unharmed kitten who had crawled up into the engine compartment and curled up in a corner that was fortunately remote from the fan belts when the driver started the car.
jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (03/22/86)
> This reminds me of a warning that may have save a cat's life. If you > have a car with lots of space under the hood, then you should tap your > horn before you start your car up during the winter. If there is room, > cats will sometimes crawl up into the motor compartment to get a > little warmth. > > I don't know whether any of the above is true, but I heard it on "All > Things Considered" or some other radio show. It is QUITE true ! I personally know a kitty with a foreshortened tail., who was very lucky that that was the only part the fan got before the onwer of the car stopped it and ran out to check under the hood (horrified). (Now my Honda, you couldn't fit a new kitten under the hood, but..) Another thing that cats will do is lick anti-freeze (something about cats and glycerin, they love it) and get poisoned. So do be careful of your own and your neighbor's furpersons. -- jcpatilla ..{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!aplcen!osiris!jcp "Makes your bread dance and your cakes sing doo-dah !"
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (03/22/86)
In article <10877@amdcad.UUCP>, phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes: > My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. He's a > pretty nice cat so I don't want to feed him cat poison or anything > like that. However, I am concerned about him scratching the paint. > Should I worry and how do you get rid of a cat without hurting him or > his feelings? I would be concerned about the paint. However, a few well-aimed shots from a squirt gun (water, of course) should deter the cat. ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <== ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <== ==> VOICE 716/688-1231 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ <== ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} duke!ethos!/ <== ==> seismo!/ <== ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/ <==
J9N@PSUVM.BITNET (03/22/86)
The only sure fire way I know to have your car get all scratched up
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Xref: cbosgd net.pets:1854 net.auto:11322
is to frighten the poor animal out of his wits with either firecrackers or
squirtguns. For years the neighborhood cats would sit on our cars, and
there was never a scratch -- until my brother decided that he didn't want
any &%##!@ cat sleeping on the hood of HIS car.
He lit some fircrackers, and lo and behold, first scratches EVER;
the first time that ever happened in the 10 years we lived there.
Its best to let sleeping dogs (cats????) lie.
The only dangerous thing in this world
is an open mouth attached to a closed mind.
--Jeffrey J. Nucciarone psuvm.bitnet!J9N
The Pennsylvania State University,
Home of the Penn State Nittany Cats
** I mean ** Lions.
davidk@dartvax.UUCP (David C. Kovar) (03/23/86)
Cats like the warm hood of freshly driven cars... Our three Siamese cats
sat on the hoods of our cars for years, including on the hood of the Lancia
Scorpion which I was concerned with. No scratches at all, just lots of
muddy paw prints at times. Even when a dog surprised all three cats on the
hood and they all jumped off and raced away there was no damage. I would
not worry about it much.
--
David C. Kovar
USNET: {ihnp4|linus|decvax|cornell|astrovax}!dartvax!davidk%amber
ARPA: davidk%amber%dartmouth@csnet-relay
CSNET: davidk%amber@dartmouth
" It's the policies of debugging, it's the Programmer's Blues ...
Programmer's Blues ... "greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith) (03/24/86)
In article <726@ihlpl.UUCP> chrise@ihlpl.UUCP (Chris Edmonds) writes: >> My neighbor's cat likes to sit on the hood of my new car. >> I am concerned about him scratching the paint. >Well, a better question is whether a cat's claws can scratch a car or >not. I never actually experimented with a cat, but I know MY claws >(same basic chemistry) can't damage factory paint. I don't think they can. What about those dirty tracks they leave, though? They pick up dirt on their feet and this contains grit which _can_ scratch. Especially after it has rained and it is muddy. No animosity towards kitties intended - we have two cats, which don't sit on cars much, so I can't say. But I do think that a cat which made a frequent habit of car-sitting could degrade your paint noticeably - esp. when jumping from the hood to the roof. -- "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn" -J. Morrison ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Smith University of Toronto ..!decvax!utzoo!utcsri!greg
barb@oliveb.UUCP (Barb Jernigan) (03/24/86)
Yes, alas, silly kitties will crawl up inside the engine block and nap. It aint funny for car or cat when you start it up -- cats do not good fanbelts make. (I know this to be true because Dad was often the lucky (ha!) sod to extricate the critters (not *ours* -- car or cat -- thank heaven) and (usually) put them out of their misery. :-( Barb
rathman@hou2g.UUCP (P.RATHMAN) (03/25/86)
The responses I've seen indicate that cats' claws won't scratch auto paint. This is not true in at least one case. Our cat likes to play in the garage and jump on our cars. She has put scratches into the paint of both our '75 Rabbit and '83 Stanza (both original factory paint). The scratches are fairly small and do not seem to go through the primer but they are clearly visible.
dbp@dataioDataio.UUCP (Dave Pellerin) (03/25/86)
>This reminds me of a warning that may have save a cat's life. If you >have a car with lots of space under the hood, then you should tap your >horn before you start your car up during the winter. If there is room, >cats will sometimes crawl up into the motor compartment to get a >little warmth. > >I don't know whether any of the above is true, but I heard it on "All >Things Considered" or some other radio show. I don't know if tapping the horn at six or seven in the morning is such a hot idea, but cats really do like to sleep up there... I left for work one morning in my '73 Celica, drove for about five miles at speeds up to around 65 MPH, and noticed a howling noise from the front of the car. I had just bought the car (used) it really annoyed me that the front bearings were probably going out. I slowed down a bit and continued on. Another three miles, and the howling got louder, so I stopped for a minute and checked the front wheels for play. Eveything seemed OK so I went on in to work (another 5 miles). The front end continued to howl on and off. WHen I got to work and parked, I got out of the car and there was my cat, sitting next to the car with streaks of grease all down it's back! He had survived the journey sitting on the starter motor or the right motor mount, anwhere else would have been fatal. - Dave (hates cats) Pellerin
jml@drutx.UUCP (LeonJM) (03/25/86)
A while back I had occasion to talk with several auto body repair shops and the general opinion was that Japanese factory paint is "soft" and that American cars had "harder" paint. It might be true for other foreign cars. This might explain some of the discrepancies about whether or not cat claws can scratch paint. John Leon AT&T ihnp4!drutx!jml
ec176wcs@sdcc13.UUCP (MATTHEW SCHOLZ) (03/25/86)
the best way I've seen to get the cat to stay off is to take a
grinder to his/her little paws, or a belt sander to its fur.
If neither of those work, throw the thing in a dryer on "FLUFF" for
about 5 minutes.
Seriously, outside of grabbing the cat by the tail and hurling
it into a wall with a decent velocity I don't know of effective
ways to keep the little darlin' critters off the car.....(but
if I were you I'd think seriously about the dryer idea if you
want to keep the little beggars off...)
8)
nananananananana-nananananananana
CATMAN!!johnf@apollo.uucp (John Francis) (03/25/86)
We have five cats, and two of them *insist* on sitting on cars. Whenever we have a first-time visitor we can guarantee that Pooh will go out and sit on the new car. After about the fifth visit the car becomes accepted, and Pooh will only grace it with his presence occasionally. The other incorrigible car-sitter is William (Trespassers W. to give him his proper name). He greets us when we return home by leaping onto the roof of the car as soon as it has stopped moving. (He got a big shock the other day when he stood on the tailgate of the wagon and managed to close it!). The other cats have less of an interest in cars, but they all have the normal amount of cat curiosity. When we had a builder come round to give us an estimate we had to chase four cats out of his van before he could leave. I have never really bothered about the possibility of cats scratching the car - driving through windblown grit on the highways seems far more of a threat to the paintwork. I am a little worried now, however, as I have just bought a convertible. I have only had it one day so far, and there are not any marks on the roof yet, although already there are muddy paw-prints on the windscreen (=windshield? - I'm English).
bub@rlgvax.UUCP ( Mongo Mauler) (03/26/86)
> This reminds me of a warning that may have save a cat's life. If you > have a car with lots of space under the hood, then you should tap your > horn before you start your car up during the winter. If there is room, > cats will sometimes crawl up into the motor compartment to get a > little warmth. > > I don't know whether any of the above is true, but I heard it on "All > Things Considered" or some other radio show. > -- > ---------------- > Marty Sasaki uucp: harvard!sasaki > Harvard University Science Center arpa: sasaki@harvard.harvard.edu > One Oxford Street phone: 617-495-1270 > Cambridge, MA 02138 Yes, I can attest to the truthfulness of the above. If you want to get REALLY bummed out, just try turning on your car and realizing from the results of the turning fan that your one and only favorite pet is gone for good. Cat owners or folks living in cat owners neighborhoods might want to keep that horn blowing trick in mind!
johnf@apollo.uucp (John Francis) (03/26/86)
> If you can't put the car someplace where the cat won't sit on it, I > would suggest one of two things: > 1) Get a large dog > . . . . . But wouldn't a large dog sitting on the car dent the roof ? :-)
jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (03/26/86)
> > A more serious problem is having a cat cuddle up to your nice warm > > engine -- UNDER the hood. The sound of a cat going around the > > alternator pulley is rather disconcerting to a driver. It is a > > somewhat more serious problem from the cat's point of view! I once drove six miles in a terrible rain storm to the feed mill. When I parked the truck I heard an angry mew. One of my kittens had crawled onto something under my 4-wheel drive pickup and had hung throughout the trip. She was as wet as a kitten could be and still be a mammal. She obviously got ALL the splash from the road. There were no after effects once she dried off and out, but I don't think she ever hung around the truck anymore. Joyce Andrews (ihnp4!inuxd)
swc@cbsck.UUCP (Scott W. Collins) (03/26/86)
~ Turn the windshield squirters around (if possible) and zap the feline once or twice. The wet point will be taken. If the squirters don't twist around, use a water gun or the garden hose (with the light-spray attachment: we wouldn't want to give Whiskers an enema, now would we :-). Scott W. Collins ihnp4!cbsck!swc
djo@ptsfd.UUCP (Dan'l Oakes) (03/26/86)
I heartily agree: if you have cold nights and loose cats, USE THAT HORN!!! When i was a kid, a neighborhood mother didn't and it cost a cat her leg (not to mention a new fan belt...) Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
barb@oliveb.UUCP (Barb Jernigan) (03/27/86)
Listen, folks, it could be worse -- a friend's Monster Cat (not the biggest domestic feline I've seen, but close) sharpens his claws on Radials. (Hasn't flattened any yet -- but it's a wonder to watch.)
greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith) (03/27/86)
In article <2097@cbsck.UUCP> swc@cbsck.UUCP (Scott W. Collins) writes: >Turn the windshield squirters around (if possible) and zap the >feline once or twice. The wet point will be taken. If the >squirters don't twist around, use a water gun or the garden >hose (with the light-spray attachment: we wouldn't want to give >Whiskers an enema, now would we :-). I wouldn't use the wiper trick. Wiper fluid contains a poisonous anti-freeze compound, and cats clean themselves with their tongues. 'nuff said. I myself have found that an effective deterrent to cats is to fling them ( carefully, and not too far) onto a suitable landing area ( in this case, a grassy area). They are great at landing, but they don't like it :-). I did teach two of our cats not to explore the fireplace grate, using this as a last resort ( they could pull the screen open and afterwards track soot all over). I will say again that the cat fling should be executed carefully, and in such a way that Whiskers will land paws down, so he can devote his attention to his landing and not his orientation. This is not recommended for very old cats or for big fat cats, obviously. And please don't make a habit of this :-). I am not responsible for any kitties wounded or otherwise damaged by the use of this method by other people. -- "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn" -J. Morrison ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Smith University of Toronto ..!decvax!utzoo!utcsri!greg
daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards) (03/29/86)
Well, once again someone has asked for advice, and has been told he doesn't need it! I refer to the person that wanted to know how to keep cats off his car. I saw one answer advising him to try water. Everyone else said not to worry about it. Then the subject changed to finding cats under the hood. This has happened to everyone in the world at least once, judging by the post- ings. As to the original problem, the best thing I can think of would be to hook up a static electicity generator to the vehicle while unattended. This would give the cat a slight shock as it initially touched the car and would probab- ly discourage future attempts. Before all you cat lovers get excited, I'm talking about the same shock you get when you touch a doorknob after walking across nylon carpeting on a dry day. We're not talking about frying kitties. As to the second problem, that of cats climbing under the hood, the same answer works here too. Now I know why the newer cars have every nook and cranny filled with wires, hoses, etc. custom fit to the contour of the inside of the hood. It's to keep cats out! Failing that, I go along with the thump-on-the-hood-with-your-hand theory. If any of my neighbors started honking their horn every morning at 7:00 AM, they would be likely to find their horn growing in their garden, pulled out of the car by the roots! Dave P.S. If you seriously try hooking a static electricity generator to your car, I would hang a grounding wire from the front bumper to within about a half inch of the ground. Then if the voltage should build up high enough, any discharge (sparks, etc.) will be away from the gas tank. Obviously I disclaim any responsibility for any damage or injury resulting from doing anything I describe. As a matter of fact, I'm just talking to myself...
jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (03/30/86)
> In article <2097@cbsck.UUCP> swc@cbsck.UUCP (Scott W. Collins) writes: > >Turn the windshield squirters around (if possible) and zap the > >feline once or twice. The wet point will be taken. If the > >squirters don't twist around, use a water gun or the garden > >hose (with the light-spray attachment: we wouldn't want to give > >Whiskers an enema, now would we :-). > > I wouldn't use the wiper trick. Wiper fluid contains a poisonous anti-freeze > compound, and cats clean themselves with their tongues. 'nuff said. Invest in a cheapie water pistol. A couple of squirts is all it takes. Works to keep kitty off the drapes too. -- jcpatilla ..{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!aplcen!osiris!jcp "Makes your bread dance and your cakes sing doo-dah !"
hp@lanl.ARPA (Akkana) (03/31/86)
> and the general opinion was that Japanese factory paint is "soft" and that > American cars had "harder" paint. It might be true for other foreign cars. When my Nissan was fairly new, I found that I could scratch the paint with a fingernail. After several months (!) it seemed to harden, and now seems as hard as the paint one sees on American cars. -- ...Akkana akkana%cnls@lanl.arpa Center for Nonlinear Studies, LANL
greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith) (03/31/86)
In article <1021@felix.UUCP> daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards) writes: >As to the original problem, the best thing I can think of would be to hook up >a static electicity generator to the vehicle while unattended. This would >give the cat a slight shock as it initially touched the car and would probab- >ly discourage future attempts. Before all you cat lovers get excited, I'm >talking about the same shock you get when you touch a doorknob after walking >across nylon carpeting on a dry day. We're not talking about frying kitties. > >P.S. If you seriously try hooking a static electricity generator to your ... car, it won't bother kitty a bit. At no time will Whiskers be simultaneously in contact with the ground and the car. I realize that the suggestion was half in jest, but you would be suprised what people will go ahead and do anyway. Microwave hamsters, etc. P.S. The cat will indeed receive a slight shock as it is charged up to the potential of the car, but cats ( being small ) have a very low capacitance ( as measured from an isolated cat to a sufficiently distant ground ) and in order to give the cat an effective jolt, you would probably need a voltage high enough to be dangerous to grounded humans. Having written all this, I realize that a cat climbing into the engine compartment ( rather than jumping on the hood ) *would* usually be touching both ground and car. In any case, DON'T bother. A car cover that reached the ground would solve both problems. It would probably cost more and be more trouble, but think of the other advantages: No bird doody, no sun fading, kids leaning on car with their trendy 53-zipper jeans >:-( etc. -- "If you aren't making any mistakes, you aren't doing anything". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Smith University of Toronto UUCP: ..utzoo!utcsri!greg