Here kitty Kitty/ Fan Belt

Big Bob

Senior Member
My wife called me on the way home today. She said the Dodge pickup had very dim headlighhts on the trip to her job today. She also reported something hanging from the front on the truck behind the bumper.

I told her to stay put and I would stop by and check things out.
As soon as I pulled up I recognized the fan belt hanging from the front.

Checking things out I found some brown/yellow hair on the pulley to the air conditioner compressor. She had driven the truck to the grocery yesterday and drove to the barn after a while to put some things in the deepfreeze. She heard a "Bump" when she started the engine.

I figure a cat got under the hood to enjoy the warm engine and got quite a shock when she started the Dodge up. The hair was not the color of our cats. I guess it must have been a "visiting" tomcat.

The alternator and ac were driven by the dislocated belts. The water pump belt was still in place. I had enough tools to put the belt back on so it was not a big deal to fix.

Her coworkers were all stopping by to offer rides/help to her but we handled in ok.

The moral of the story is have a basic set of tools and jumper cables on board. I think I will put a cheap socket set in my ride It was a pain to replace the belt with channel locks and crescent wrench. We were only a few minutes from home so I could have gone for the big tool box but I wanted to see if I could do it with what I had.

I bet there is a cat with a sore tail or leg around the heighborhood today.

Back in my gas station days around 1981 I got involved with a cat vs fanbelt incident that caused radiator damage. The cats didn't fair well against the radiator / fan either. The Lady who owned the car was very upset that she had done in her pet with the Ford LTD.

Good Luck
Bob
 

bbkaren

Veteran Member
We had a cat when I was a child, whose tail was only about 8" long because he lost it when my mom started her car and he was lying up there staying warm.
 

krsone

Faster, faster, faster . . .
Growing up on a farm I always banged on the hood of my truck before I got in for this exact reason. 25 years later and I still do it.
 

Publius

TB Fanatic
I know a few cats that did that and did not live after the engine was started, my aunt had one get under the hood the radiator was completely destroyed as was the cat.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
lost my favorite tuxedo kitty, Oscar, one morning when my mom started the car and he was in the engine somewhere. :shk:

K-
 

LittleJohn

Membership Revoked
lost my favorite tuxedo kitty, Oscar, one morning when my mom started the car and he was in the engine somewhere. :shk:

K-


Me too!

I lost my favorite cat Smokey when my mom came home really quick from an errand and went back out again.

Poor guy just wanted to get warm, but sadly, the 1981 Buick won.


LittleJohn
 

Masterchief117

I'm all about the doom
Had a favorite kitten get his leg caught up in a belt as he was trying to get out when I started the engine. He got his little leg caught between the belt and pulley. Broke the leg and mangled it bad. Had to take the belt off to get him freed up. He was squaling and screaming something awful. He died the next day. The kittens were staying in the engine compartment of our car which was next to the truck and I didn't drive the car as I knew they were in there. I guess he got a little curious about the other vehicle and got in there.
 
Top