SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — Cold weather is hitting the Tampa Bay area and it comes with a warning about what may be in or under your car.
When the weather drops, small animals might try and find warmth under and around your vehicle.
It happened to a couple in Safety Harbor when a neighborhood cat curled up in their truck’s wheel. Unfortunately, when they realized what happened, it was too late.
“We are aware and it [still] happened to us,” Jennifer Stoneberg said.
Stoneberg is an animal lover and said that moment was hard for her.
"I'm the crazy cat lady in the neighborhood who wants to save them all to help them," she said. "I feel that we failed."
It happened Sunday midday, her husband went to leave their home and started down the road when he felt something fall from under his truck.
He looked in his rearview mirror and sadly saw an injured cat in the road, one they recognized as a neighborhood stray.
"He was up there trying to get warm," Stoneberg said. "It was awful."
With help from neighbors, the couple rushed to get the injured feline in a crate and to their local animal hospital, where he received some treatment but unfortunately passed away later that day.
“It was an awful, awful experience," Stoneberg said. "Even thinking about it [chokes me up], but I just don't want anybody else to go through that.
"I definitely don't want a cat to go through that, but I don't want anyone else to go through that feeling."
Stoneberg, who volunteers at a local animal sanctuary, even helps with strays in her neighborhood and says they often make their presence known before getting in the car, for this exact reason. Though, for whatever reason this cat didn't react.
“You keep thinking why, why did he do that,” she said,
The couple is hoping that sharing their story can help save at least one animal, and are planning on honoring the cat’s life by raising money for TNR spaying and neutering in their neighborhood.
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“[I] just asking for people to check, be more aware," Stoneberg said.
Here's what officials say is good advice when dealing with these animals cooler temperatures:
- Before you start your car, check under it, above the wheels and even pop the hood to look for any critters who may try to lay near the engine.
- Make sure to make some noise by tapping on the hood, closing the door with some force and even honking the horn can help scare the animals off safely.
- After you do that, wait a few minutes before starting your car and getting on the road.