‘Did you keep it?’: Mechanic puts the customer’s car on a lift. Then he spots a living animal underneath
A mechanic got a major surprise doing a routine job on a customer’s car. There was a live animal under the hood.
He’s warning others who work on cars to take note so they don’t connect with the claw, jaw, or beak of the creature under the hood.
Mike (@mikedohm1) recently posted a TikTok of himself preparing to work on a customer’s vehicle.
“When you’re changing the fuel filters on your customer’s vehicle, always do a quick inspection of the area,” Mike says as he gets up under the car that’s on a lift.
He then turns the camera around to show a small grey cat lounging beneath the undercarriage.
“You might not know what is around you,” he says.
Mike seems to have been more surprised by the encounter than the cat. The cat just blinked slowly at him, apparently unbothered by its predicament.
Comments on his post, which has 14,600 views as of this writing, are filled with jokes about “cat-ilidic” converters, making the engine purr, and needing to change one’s personal filter (underwear) after encountering a cat under the hood.
One person wondered about the cat’s fate. “Did you keep it?” they asked.
An inquiry sent to Mike via TikTok direct message bounced back as undeliverable due to his account settings.
When animals live in cars
Although it’s not everyday you stumble upon a cat beneath a car’s undercarriage, it’s actually common for animals to take up residence in vehicles.
Rats, mice, squirrels, opossums, and even raccoons have been known to live in cars. Clearly an internal combustion engine or your pleather interior isn’t their native habitat. But it is warm, dry, and typically safer than the great outdoors.
Once an animals has made your Hyundai its home, it is imperative to evict it as quickly as possible. They can do all kinds of damage to the vehicle. These damages can be caused by them chewing on wires and hoses or simply using the vehicle as a combination bed and bath.
The damage can be severe enough to total a vehicle. If so, be warned: Insurance won’t always pay for damage caused by nesting animals.
As with many things, prevention is worth a pound of cure. In other words, your best bet is to avoid an animal infestation in the first place.
Experts recommend periodically moving vehicles that are parked long term and keeping an eye out for signs of animal activity in and around a vehicle. You should also keep your windows up and remove any food sources—including wrappers and packaging—that may entice them.
@mikedohm1 Ain’t gonna lie this caught me off guard. Always check your surroundings #mechaniclife ♬ dont be suspicious – Leslie Knope ?
Other tactics include sealing entry points, parking in a garage, and using repellents such as sprays, ultrasonic devices, and lights. For those seeking a nontoxic option, peppermint oil is a frequently recommended natural repellent known to keep rodents away.
If your vehicle does get infested, you may have no choice but to seek professional help.
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