Paws in the Parking Lot: True Tales of Animal Encounters

Next time you go to the store, you might want to be aware of possible animal encounters. See what happened to three people in store parking lots.

Meow Mix-Up

One summer afternoon, I was walking out of Home Depot when a woman at the checkout started yelling, “Does anyone here have an Illinois license plate? Your cat is in the car, it’s sweltering, and it’s crying! Someone do something!”

As the only Illinois plate in the lot, I figured I’d better speak up. “Ma’am,” I said, “I do own a cat—but she’s definitely not in the car.”

Clearly, this woman had never known a cat. Unlike dogs, who leap into a vehicle at the mere jingle of keys, cats do not enjoy car rides. It takes a team of four, a towel, and a mild sedative just to get mine into her carrier for her annual vet visit. There is no universe in which I’m casually swinging by Home Depot with her in tow.

Still unconvinced, she led a small posse of concerned shoppers into the parking lot. To prove my point, I opened the car doors—no cat, just the usual mess—and yet, we all heard it: a faint mewing from somewhere up front.

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I popped the hood... and sure enough, a tiny kitten was curled up in the engine compartment, probably regretting every life decision that led it there. We tried to coax it out with gentle voices, but it bolted into the bushes like a little furry fugitive.

So yes, there was a cat in my car. Just not mine—and definitely not on purpose.

But still, the woman looked at me like I’d committed a felony.

Next time I go to Home Depot, I’m checking under the hood for hitchhikers—and maybe bringing some tuna, just in case.

Parking Lot Possum Interlopers

This is from a long-time friend and blog subscriber:  

Last Saturday, my daughter Jenny and I ran to Menards for vegetable plants. On our way out, we noticed a small crowd gathered around my car, pointing and whispering as if it had be invaded by aliens.

"There’s something under there,” someone said. Sure enough, a mama opossum had turned my engine compartment into a nursery. She’d been climbing in and out from under the hood, apparently moving her babies one by one—except she stopped at baby number one. The rest? Still hanging out like little pink ornaments.

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Not eager to take a family of baby possums home, we slowly drove to a nearby wooded area and, with some creative broomstick work, coaxed Mama out. She took one baby and waddled off without even a glance back. That’s when I learned opossums aren’t exactly helicopter parents.

The next day, we pulled out the nest and found two stubborn tails still dangling under the hood. After a lot of grunting, mess, and a post-op shower, we sat down for Chinese takeout. Then my daughter went to leave—and surprise! A tiny straggler was back under the car.

She finally darted into the flower bed, and I moved the car to the street, in case the rest of the family reunion showed up.

Hopefully, they will make it out there in the wild. Though honestly, once they’re grown, and turned from cute babies to teethy, hissing adults I might not want to see them.

Cockatoo Coup (story adapted from Quora)

While a man was visiting friends in Florida, his friends picked him up from the airport in their brand-new luxury SUV. They brought their beloved cockatoo in tow. Apparently, the cockatoo liked car rides.

On the way home, they made a quick stop at a shopping plaza. He was walking with the husband to the store when his wife suddenly jumped out of the SUV to join them.

“Don’t shut the—" he shouted. Click. She shut the door.

Apparently, their high-tech SUV had a helpful little safety feature: once all doors are closed with the engine running and no key fob outside, it locks itself. To protect the car from carjackers. Or maybe birdjackers.

Panic set in. The wife remembered the dealer had given her a plastic emergency key to keep in her wallet. But no one had ever bothered to cut the notches.

Meanwhile, back in the SUV, the cockatoo had freed himself from his cage, flapped over to the steering wheel, and was gleefully shredding the leather like it was a chew toy from the heavens.

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They banged on the windows, knocked on the roof, and pleaded through the glass. The bird ignored them and moved on to the seats and dashboard, doing what can only be described as avian demolition.

The husband considered smashing a window—but then worried their beloved bird might escape mid-swing, which would’ve made things even worse.

Eventually, roadside assistance showed up and got everyone back inside.

Meanwhile, his friends were left with a luxury SUV turned bird toy and a bored cockatoo who was probably wondering why we were standing outside.

Next time, his friends vowed to leave the bird at home and tape the doors shut.

Does insurance cover cockatoo damage?

Pileated Jackhammer

Speaking of birds, a pileated woodpecker has made a residence in the tree outside our window. He’s calling for a mate at all hours of the day and night. And for extra measure, beats on the gutter like a jackhammer. Hope he finds a mate soon. See videos of woodpecker and mottled ducks and babies HERE.

Hooves, not Paws

Finally, speaking of parking lots, if you visit Nappannee, Indiana, home to Amish and Menonites who drive horse and buggies, parking lots will have spaces reserved for them, complete with a bucket for drinking and a larger bucket and shovel for horse droppings. So you might be parked next to a horse.

Horse and Buggy parking complete with bucket for droppings and bucket in foreground for water

So the next time you go to the grocery or the mall, don't be surprised if you are invaded by furry interlopers.