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Cat in the engine bay

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Old 04-28-2018, 04:59 PM
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Cat in the engine bay

I was walking out to my truck yesterday and a cat crawled out from the engine. Chased it away and popped the hood. It seems to be sleeping on the fan shroud. Can this cause damage ? And how to keep it from coming back other than shooting it. I hate cats. On a side note, when I was mowing the yard I thought I saw a bird fly out of our Yamaha boat engine. Sure enough I opened the cowling and there sat a Starling nest with 1 egg in it. Not a good start.
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 05:08 PM
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Not a good start indeed! One of these days you're going to start the truck and...
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 05:19 PM
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Maybe sprinkle some cayenne pepper around the area?
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 05:24 PM
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An accurate .22 will take care of both those problems...had a pair of blue-birds till they started roosting and crapping on my truck...
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 05:43 PM
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My grandmother's Buick rearranged a cat one time that was sleeping in the engine bay. Wasn't pretty...

I don't have advise for keeping them out other than putting it in the garage if you have one. They love the warm engine bay. Mice also love the soybean that is in the wiring insulation so that's another one to watch out for. My wife had a mouse nest on top of her air filter on her 2015 Ford Explorer. She was getting terrible gas mileage and turns out the giant insulation pile was plugging up the intake. Super annoying.

Catnip and mouse traps?

GF
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 06:14 PM
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go to tractor supply and get a cage.

I have caught many different animals with. a can of tuna and let it do the job. Then you can deal with the cat as needed.
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 07:32 PM
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I use bagged repellent to keep them out of the tractor.
But it would be a hassle to use this on a daily basis.
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by senix
go to tractor supply and get a cage.

I have caught many different animals with. a can of tuna and let it do the job. Then you can deal with the cat as needed.
I concur with this advice. I’ve caught (and dealt with when necessary) a ton of critters in these traps using tuna as bait. I even had a young fox who kept coming back...and I live in the middle of a neighborhood in town. I’d catch him so often, I stopped baiting the trap. Didn’t matter...he’d come back and just sleep in the trap, lol. I think I could have tamed and domesticated this little guy (yes, my daughter named him Todd from Disney's Fox and the Hound).

But, with one of these traps and some tuna, I’ve caught armadillos, opossums, and feral cats (who liked sleeping on my warm hood, scratching it in the process). You don’t even need to leave the tuna in the trap. Just pour the juice under it.
And before anyone asks...I didn’t harm the fox. It got to the point that I actually had to reach in and remove him from the trap, so I stopped leaving the trap out for a while. I’m pretty sure he’s living under my back deck these days.
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 09:16 PM
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Note that tuna in a live trap will attract skunks too. Just sayin'
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 09:33 PM
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Lean a straw broom against your truck. Ol wives tale or witches tale one of the two.
 
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Old 04-28-2018, 10:18 PM
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I’d shoot it. Much cleaner than dicing it up with the fan.
 
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Old 04-29-2018, 07:38 AM
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Went out early this morning with pellet rifle in hand. Gotta watch where I shoot cause I live in a somewhat residential area. No cat this morning. I scared the crap out of it last evening when I saw it coming over close to the house. Maybe that worked. Pellet rifle probably not a good idea so if I see the cat again, I'll get the trap and take the the cat to the shelter if I get it.
 
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Old 04-29-2018, 08:35 AM
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Mice, chipmunks and red squirrels make a mess out of under the hood wiring and insulation, causing significant damage. Ask me how i know. Cats kill all 3 of the above. Just saying...
 
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Old 04-29-2018, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by 6.2caribou
Mice, chipmunks and red squirrels make a mess out of under the hood wiring and insulation, causing significant damage. Ask me how i know. Cats kill all 3 of the above. Just saying...
You know, that's a valid point. Hmmmm. The cat really isn't causing any damage that I can see and probably never cause the damage the chipmunks, mice etc would cause. Thanks for bringing that up, the cat could be a good thing. Maybe I'll let her ride and check under the hood before starting.
 
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Old 04-29-2018, 10:02 AM
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Originally Posted by 6.2caribou
Mice, chipmunks and red squirrels make a mess out of under the hood wiring and insulation, causing significant damage. Ask me how i know. Cats kill all 3 of the above. Just saying...
I concur...
 


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