Date:         Sun, 17 Dec 2000 10:00:25 -0500
Reply-To:     "Anthony L. Mourkas" <frankenstein@TELPLUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Anthony L. Mourkas" <frankenstein@TELPLUS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Wipers won't stay tight
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

>I discovered the my wipers were being used at night by my cat and whose
>else to "climb" up onto the roof.  I don't know if the cats actually
>make it, but I caught our cat a few time hanging on to the wiper arm,
>and yes she pulled down.  Another list member reported this as a regular
>occurrence with his vanagon wipers.

For years we had cats along with Vanagons and everyone was happy.  Then a
few years ago we took in a stray, who proceeded to give us a gift of five
kittens in our bed on Christmas day.  When mother cat and the two kitties
we kept were old enough to go back outside, we noticed a sudden
occurrence of "Vanagon Bent Down Wiper Arm Syndrome."  I finally caught
them in the act, the mother showing her kitties how to jump up from the
ground and grab the wiper arm, using that as a springboard to leap up
onto the roof.

While I didn't mind the yard being swept clean of rodents, I did take
SERIOUS objection to the cats using the van as a jungle gym.  After
several rounds of discipline failed to correct the problem (I smacked the
heck out of the cats whenever I caught them and they still did it.), the
problem was resolved by an unkown driver flattening the mother cat in
front of the house and the two kitties are now fat and happy indoor cats.

I'd love to let them out so they can earn their keep controlling the
local rodent population, but the climbing, scratching, and minor damage
they do running all over the vehicles that are parked in the driveway is
not in any way acceptable.  Any other animal that did this I would either
shoot/trap or, if a pet, hold the owner accountable.

Anyone that knows how to have outdoor cats peacefully cooexist with their
vehicles, please let me know!

Meow........

Tony

Anthony L. Mourkas
Hampden, Maine, USA
1984   Vanagon Westfalia "Gertrude"
1986.5 Quantum Syncro Wagon <---- Name this car?
1991   Jetta Eco Diesel "Liesel"
1997   Feline "Hermann"
1997   Feline "Heidi"