Cats hiding in / under the truck somewhere, from the outside?

[toby_d]

We have a couple of outdoor cats and one of them has disappeared today. The last video we have of them from the security camera is them milling around the Lightning, going under it.

My wife drives it away soon after.

The a few hours later she gets home, there's a fully 60 sec gap between the videos from when she pulls in the drive and then opens the door to trigger another recording, so sure, a cat could have come into the picture in there, but...

As soon as my wife gets out of the truck one of the cats emerges from under the rear of the truck (just in front of the rear driver's side wheel), stretching as it comes out. Then it high-tails it to the house.

No sign of the other cat.

These cats are always together.

I dug in around under there and as far as I could see there is space above the battery but nothing around there seems warm and enticing.

Could they have been hiding in under the bed somewhere and hitchhiked away from the house somehow?!? Anyone else experienced this?

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[John Becker]

As you know, cats can get into the darndest places. Is it possible? Of course.
That said, they also tend to be skitzy. I find it hard to believe that the cat wouldn't jump off when the truck started moving.
But sure, it's possible.

 

[blitzlinger]

Today I actually saw my cat snooping around the truck and jumped up ontop the skiplates near the front wheels, but as John said, they're very skittish of areas that they don't normally relax in, and my cat left there fairly quickly (presumedly looking for mouse hiding up there during these colder times). Once the truck is under way, I am fairly certain they would just bail regardless of potential dangers in doing so.

 

[Mach Turtle]

I would think of cats under a Lightning to be a good thing as long as (1) they don't get hurt and (2) they don't enjoy the territory so much that they're inclined to mark it. Rodents having been mentioned on this forum as trouble, the felines would be doing us a service by hunting them. If the truck has been driven or charged, the battery and/or charger, inverter, and cab can be expected to be at least somewhat warmer than outside, and some spots are protected from rain and snow.

The Frunk is washable, so maybe a pet door there would be a good idea? Unless you live near raccoons, `cause they'll take over and might figure out how to drive.

Toby, hope your cats both turn up safely out of nowhere as cats so often do.

 

[Adventureboy]

There is a wide-open path to the 12v battery compartment behind the frunk from below the truck. I can see a cat riding it out in there until your wife got where she was going and then bolting when the truck stops. Maybe spend some time at her final destination and see if you can find your cat. All the best in your search.

 

[rtk11226]

One of our favorite outdoor cats came to our homestead years ago riding on top of the spare tire of one of our former trucks. Not sure how accessible that space is on the Lightning but just wanted to mention it as an import/export option.

 

[Wendy]

We had kittens ride above the heat shield for the muffler on our 199x Dodge Caravan. One jumped out at the end of the driveway and the other went for a long ride somewhere never to return. But wait, there is no muffler on my Lightning, so I have no better suggestions than what has already been posted

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

A feral cat rode home in my engine bay of my 2011 Mustang from my job site. I pulled over to let him out when I heard meowing. 55 miles later that little punk had no idea where he was .

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