mystery machine

Having seen the pics, I have to agree.Absolute belter - better-looking than my hawkeye WRX! (which isn't bad-looking IMO).

Phil, I think you meant to quote someone else - I'm not a cat owner and I wasn't in the least bit offended by your post.Good luck getting rid of the pests anyway - let us know if you find a (non violent) solution

Fair enough.There's little doubt in my mind about what caused this though. Wish the cat owner(s) around here would keep their cats' claws as trim as yours...

I'm not sure where you're planning on going with this, but bear in mind that being an internet forum it could just be a wind-up. And if it isn't, then you'll probably be aggravating and already aggravated situation.

Not twenty minutes ago, my wife chased away a cat that was loitering at the rear wheel of my Scooby. Cat repellent has obviously made feck-all difference.

Could anyone post registrations of suicidal boy racers and/or road rage-prone van drivers I should avoid in the Central Region area? I generally have more problems with that type than with the polis...

I had to paws for thought before I got that one

You're right - owners can't control cats. Which IMHO makes them pretty lousy pets - fine for the owners, of course - but I wonder how many care about the misery they're inflicting on others?Of course, dogs can be a nuisance too (barking, fouling) and in the worst cases, dangerous. However, with the right training and owner attitude, they can be managed - and if they're not managed, the law has ways and means of dealing with them and their irresponsible owners. Unfortunately, no such protection seems to exist from the menace of cats This is simply incorrect - I've spoken with several people, some cat owners - and more than one has actually witnessed a cat making an indelible scratch in a car's paintwork. It's not a myth, I'm afraid mate!However, you'll be glad to know that I personally don't intend to resort to violence to solve this...

I do appreciate your suggestion. Sadly I've already been there - installed one a couple of months back. Seemed to work - until it was permanently removed by some kind passer-by (within days of fitting) I would certainly recommend it for a back garden, though

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. Today I showed someone from work the damage and he agreed that it looked like the work of a cat - the little paw-shaped marks on the bonnet scoop being the biggest clue. I tried polishing the damage out tonight, but as expected it made only a little difference (does it ever really work with anything but the lightest of light scratches?). For some time I've use cat repellent to keep the beasts off my grass - only one particular brand seems to do the trick, provided I put it down often enough. I am now deploying the stuff on the driveway and around the car - so we'll see how that goes. This repellent isn't cheap, so I am still rightfully pissed off to have to spend so much controlling someone else's 'hobby', but hey-ho - what do they care? Still, worse things happen, etc.

Interesting - cheers. Next time I go there I may check out level five... as long as there are no CATS there...

If new damage appears, I might consider that!If you don't mind me asking... Where did you get your proximity alarm? How much did it cost? How do the sensors work? Many thanks.

The report has been updated since I looked earlier - I stand corrected Very nasty business.

Love the colour

Check this thread for more opinions on the matter... http://forums.sidc.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=121696

Isn't there a danger you could get into soapy bubble over that?Oh, you northerners and your rustic ways

C'mon mate, you don't mean to tell us you were depending on a car insurance payout to help fund your new house purchase? Your car insurance should cover you for a replacement motor, no...?Must be a nice house, BTW...

Never a truer word BTW - is it right that you now have to pay to get into the multi-storey at MacArthur Glen?

It's always a possibility that it has been stolen to be broken down. Sickening, considering the work you've put into it.Still, if you're resigned to that, one comfort you can draw is from thinking about what you might replace it with. It's the inconvenience (paperwork, telephone calls) etc that piss me off about this kind of thing.

It might come to that, Neil. I've been using tubes of powder repellent to keep them off the grass. Seems to work, but I have to use a tonne of the stuff every week - and it ain't cheap. Tonight I left some around the Scooby too!Did those cats ever bother your motor? Some people claim cats' claws aren't capable of damaging paintwork, but if wasn't a cat, then I'm buggered if I can work out what it was... P.S. I suppose at least with your method, it's a good excuse for the wife to get some lamb chops on the go P.P.S. Is that old-fashioned and misogynistic of me, assuming the wife would be doing the cooking?

Svine! You know, that's similar to another story I read, posted on the www by some poor bugger who blasted his horn while a cat was perched on his bonnet. Seemingly he could actually hear its claws drag along the paintwork as it slid off in fright... You know, generally I'm quite compassionate about animals, but for various reasons I'm going RIGHT off cats - it's almost as if the revolting little bestirds evolved perfectly to rub-up human beings the wrong way...

Cheers Welsho. To be honest, if a cat is responsible then I don't fancy my chances of catching it in the act. The aforementioned phantom sh*tter has only been caught red-ersed once, but has been seen milling about the garden many a time. Also most of the dumping seems to go on overnight...

That's pish mate I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled, and I'll take a closer look at anything I see parked up that looks like your motor. Hope you get things sorted soon, whether that means actually getting the car back, or getting hold of a nice replacement with the insurance money.

Noticed some new scratches on the corner of the front bumper at the weekend. Looking again today, there are about fifteen short scratches along the length of the top edge of the front wing (same side as the bumper scratches), some new scratches on the bonnet, and marks that look like they may have been made by a PAW on the bonnet scoop I suspect a cat, as I also have problems with cats sh*tting on my grass. I think the heat from the scoop may be attracting it... Anyone else experienced anything similar? Did you find a solution (apart from the obvious 'shotgun')? I try not to get upset about this kind of thing, only a car etc, but I've only had it six weeks and it was minted when I bought it. If the damage continues at this rate it'll be a bleedin' mess in nae time! Never had this problem with a previous car. Fecking raging. Any suggestions would be appreciated... Thanks.

It's always alarming to read about this sort of thing, not least because of the unfortunate people who lost their lives, but also because you're aware that it could just as easily happen to yourself or someone you know... In this particular case, regardless of who was at fault, the Mitsubishi driver was always going to come out of the collision better off. I wouldn't like to think that, if the Lancer driver was at fault, that it was this knowledge that spurred him into doing something wreckless... Scary to think what a Porsche Cayenne, a Range Rover or any of those other "Chelsea Tractors" might do to you...