Executive summary: What's the best way to repair three major gouges in the dash (each about 4 mm by 1 mm, say 2-3 mm deep)?

Details: So I take my older cat, Scout, to her Vet appointment. She loves to ride in the car, and spends the trip happily looking out the window...all a-purr. On the way back, we stop for a quick rinse of the car (you know, to knock down the dirt and road grime, eh?). So picture, if you will, me happily jetting the car at the local automat, not realizing that the cat was, like, initially and totally freaked out by the first blast of cleansing liquid and launched off of the dash where she had been peacefully observing my preparations. Those of you with laps and surprised felines know full well that when they launch, they use their back claws to gain purchase. Hence the deep divots. An earlier incarnation of myself would have railed at the cat. Now-a-days, I just shrug and make another small note in my book of "things I learned today." However, any suggestions for a good way to repair these holes? Silly putty? Wood filler? Render the cat down to a thick pasty mass and apply liberally to the wound? Thanks in advance, and yes...I still love Scout and she remains safe and happy.

P.S. Who would have thought the first noticable damage to the new car would have been an inside job??

 

LOL!! I'm sitting here laughing at your story - not the damage - but picturing what happened....I'm sure the cat was completely freaked out by noise...wowza.....

First of all, I learned a long time ago - no matter how well you think your cat travels in a car, to put it in a kitty cage...you just never know what could happen. I mean, what if you got in an accident (god forbid) and they had to pry you out - meaning kitty now gets loose in the woods or on a freeway?

I saw it happen once and I have never been able to get that picture out of my mind....

Sorry I can't help you with the fix on your interior. I'm sure somebody else will pipe in....

Donna

 

Yep - always use a cat carrier, and I would suggest taking the kitty home first before washing - it really is your fault, and not the cat's, you know.

 

LOL...ok, I have no suggestions to fix your dash, but I have to tell you a story that will definitely make you use a cat carrier in the future and you will probably think, "scratches, not so bad".

My best friend and her husband were taking their cat up to their ski condo in their suv. The cat had always normally traveled outside of a cat carrier. For some reason the cat was upset during some portion of the trip and climbed into my friend's lap and took a dump. Now any normal person would have cleaned up and immediately put the cat in the cat carrier. Not Fran. She cleans up, she and her husband figure the cat has done its business so no need to use the cat carrier. The cat proceeds to climb up on the dash and they are like "oh good, cat is going to take a nap". Cat immediately proceeds to pee down the dash heat vent. They then put the cat in the cat carrier.

5 years later, when they turn the heat on in that vehicle and it gets up to temp, they are still reminded of why they always need to put the cat in a cat carrier.

 

LOL.. i love ur out look on life!

 

Donna and Mike make a very good case. Imagine, if you will, having to stop the car suddenly (say from 60 to 0 in under a second), and having even a small cat like Scout (8 lbs, 4.3 oz...remember, we were just at the vet) hit you in the back of the head. Anyone remember Physics class? And the lesson provided by RanaultF1...let's just echo "scratches, not so bad!" Based upon the overwhelming response of the group, I have purchased a nice cat carrier that can be tied down to provide a safe, if not so happy, cat transportation experience. Perhaps the dash shall, for the moment, remain as a visible reminder of the fleeting permanence of all things. I wonder if cats practice "schadenfreude?" I mean they scowl all the time and stuff...

 

Glad to hear you didn't take it out on the cat...

How about mounting something there?

 

That's why I stick with dogs ! We have a car seat for our little guy.
For the dash, they use to sell kits that included different colored goop that you filled the crack or scratch with. The kit included pads that had different texture patterns on them. You would select the textured pad that matched your dash, put it over the spot that was filled with goop and use an iron on the patch to transfer the pattern and set the goop. I don't know if any place still sells anything like that (I'm dating myself probably ). I need to find something like that myself for the dash of our Subaru.

 

I like cats, but far away from my cars.

 

I think that cats that like to ride in cars are very rare. Cats tend to go crazy inside moving cars and scratch anything in their path. Next time get a cage for your safety and the cat's sake.

 

here you go man... I used this stuff on an old car's dash and it worked pretty well. not sure how accurately you'll be able to match the MINI's finish, but it's worth a try

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...+10201/c-10101

 

OK OK, more of the same from me. Always use a cat carrier when transporting a pet. I heard a horror story where the cat got launched under the dash and killed in an accident. Plus flying kitty at 60mph hitting you in the head is not good either

As for the dash, I dont know if this would work but you could take some filler and carefully fill the holes. Then you could tint them the dash color. I think an interior place may be able to do this for you. Other wise you may need to by a new dash

Good luck with the dash and remember to keep kitty locked up

 

Poor cat! Poor MINI! Ugh, good thing it wasn't leather seats that got the cat's claws. Yep, kitty carrier next time.
FUNNY stories, BTW from you folks. As a former cat owner, I love their quirks... America's Funniest Videos often catches animals in some hilarious situations; this would have been one for the books.

 

Its a Cat thing.......I wouldn't understand. I've got a dog; she's60 lbs and won't be spending any time on the dash!

 

AutoZone sells this kit.

While moving a couple of years ago, we saved the cats (6) for last, and it was my duty to transport them. Didn't have enough cat carriers, so I used cardboard boxes from the move. One of the kitties really didn't like being in her box and decided to make a change. She tore thru the box and came up front to pay me a visit. Was kinda fun until she decided to take a nap....under the brake pedal! Could not get her to come out! I had to find a nice long incline and coast to a stop on the shoulder. Takes a lot longer than you might think, from 75mph. Then, of course, I had to get her re-corralled without opening the door. Took about an hour of wriggling around and climbing over seats (and lots of praying that no one was driving HUA and slammed into us) before we were able to get moving again.

 

First, thanks for the support and recommendations on goop and supplies to fix the dash! Second...I tried the cage idea, but man it makes it hard to work the pedals and grip the steering wheel!

 

All you cat people need to read Flannery O'Connor's cautionary tale on cats in cars, A Good Man is Hard to Find. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~DRBR/goodman.html

 

Yikes! I can see how this would happen when Scout saw and heard the water hit the windows. Good luck with the dash repair kit. My only suggestion is to make sure you have good natural daylight when mixing the color match. Artificial lighting can shift the color pretty dramatically.

My cat also likes to ride in the car. I even bought a center armrest for the MINI so that she can sit on it and look out of the windshield. Of course, it does make me concerned about her safety in that particular "projectile mode".

 

We read this in a lit class last semester - I think this was one of the most-hated short stories we read. It made people very uncomfortable.

 

I guess we found out today, Red Erik, that some lessons in life are more expensive than others. Ouch!



To be honest, though, a few years ago the same thing happened with my six month old son. He freaked out as well at a car wash, but didn't get a chance to use his back claws. He was securely straped down in his car seat. I had to pull off to the side after we exited the car wash, take him out of his car seat and comfort him for ~10 minutes.

 

Man, I came in here expecting ripped seats!

I think I'd take a few gouges on the dash over that!

Thanks for the great story and good luck with the fix!