One of the most regularly shared animal welfare PSAs on social media is banging on the hood of your car to see if there’s a cat in your engine.
Stray cats will seek shelter in the warmed-up engines of parked cars during the harsh winter months.
And that’s exactly what happened to this cat in Baltimore City, where there are plenty of vehicles along the streets, all of which are simple for chilly cats to hop into.
“That is what we believe occurred to Hanover, a kitten who arrived at BARCS yesterday covered in wounds from head to toe, engine grease, and soot,” BARCS wrote on Facebook.
“A wonderful woman noticed a little gray lump in the road and took the time to pull over and found him lying on Boston Street in the city.” She snatched him up and hurried him to BARCS when she realized it was a cat.”
“When Hanover came, he was in poor shape and bleeding from his mouth. A thick, black, grease-like substance is streaked across his huge abrasions. Oil and grease have covered up injuries on his footpads as well. Painful is an understatement when it comes to Hanover’s appearance. Surprisingly, Hanover’s first priority is to suffer the agony in order to touch, cuddle, and purr on our personnel.”
Hanover the cat is an excellent example of why this simple winter morning practice is so important—and even lifesaving. Getting cats out from under the hood of the automobile can help prevent engine burns and cats dropping or jumping out while the car is moving. The difference between life and death can be as simple as a sticky note reminder on your driver’s side window.
Hanover is now safe and sound in the care of an experienced medical foster family, and he considers himself fortunate to be alive.
Hanover is eating and drinking water, according to his foster mother. Hanover is lounging on her cold tile floor and snoozing on his comfortable bed. He’s on antibiotics and pain medicine, and he’ll be seeing the BARCS vets and their Franky Fund partner hospital on a regular basis.
This poor cat still has a long way to go, but he’s already made it through the worst of it.
Hanover will be looking for a forever home after he has fully recovered.
