If you're not in the habit of knocking on the hood of your car before you turn the engine on, then it's time to start - you could save a life. You hear the stories frequently during the winter - a driver pulls over after driving a few miles because he thinks he hears meowing. Lo and behold, there is a cat trapped in the car's engine. It happens every winter, and while some lucky cats are rescued from car engines, other cats unfortunately lose their lives.
Nissan Japan has created the below video to raise awareness of this serious issue, and to encourage all car owners to knock on hoods before starting up their vehicles. A simple knock on a car hood can frighten a cat into jumping out of his hiding space before the engine heats up, saving his life.
With this video, Nissan takes a fun yet vital approach at reminding viewers of how important this act is during colder weather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO3xyqh0Mjk
So why do cats do this? The answer is simple - to stay warm. Cats are attracted to the remaining warmth of a car engine while it is cooling down from a recent trip.
It's easy for cats to climb up inside an engine and rest beneath the hood - it's sort of like their own personal heating system. The problem occurs when you come home for a short stint before heading out again and never realize that the cat is in your car engine.
So, what can you do to help prevent this tragedy? Get in the habit and knock on hoods every time you go to start up a vehicle. Next, help to spread the word about this issue.
Nissan started the hashtag #KnockKnockCats to gain support; you can also create messaging on social media using this same hashtag.
Finally, consider sharing this video with friends and family so they know to start knocking on car hoods, too. If we all do this together, we can save cats' lives.
This post was originally published on January 15, 2018.
Do you knock on your hood in the winter months? Have you ever found a cat in your engine? Tell us in the comments below!
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