Iowa, Look Under Your Car Before Driving Off This Winter

We're definitely headed into colder weather.

It's cooling off outside and it will be winter before we know it. We're finally turning on the heat in our cars and homes.

We all have a checklist of logistics things to do involving winter: set the shovel or snowblower out, start the car early, get ourselves and the kids in multiple layers, etc. One quick thing to add to the list is to look under your car really quick before you drive off or even before you turn the car on, especially if you leave it parked outside.

Why It Puts Lives On The Line

The undercarriage of our cars isn't the coziest place to be but remember this time of the year, literally everything living is looking for shelter somewhere. Kings Harvest Pet Rescue in Davenport posted a warning about it.

If you have cats, you know they can slink into just about any area. Besides looking under the car, the shelter says you can also:

• Tap on the hood
• Lightly kick the tires
• Honk before turning the car on

If you come across a kitty cat trying to hitch a ride and it doesn't run off, take it to the animal shelter closest to you. It's a safe place for it to be inside, warm, and fed. That's especially urgent if it's a kitten.

You may not think you would need to do this but I've seen a lot of stray cats around QCA neighborhoods. They want to survive the winter as much as we do.