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Moths, Rust, Robbers...

and Rats!

Today I went out to my garage, and opened the door on my relatively new-to-me Acura. I was shocked to find a pile of upholstery bits on the driver's seat. A closer look revealed that the bits came from a chewed spot on the side of the seat near the console. Further inspection turned up a couple of rat droppings. A rat has been inside my car, chewing on my seat. Arrgh! My space has been violated! A dirty little intruder, romping all over the inside of my car.


Fortunately, the chewed spot is on the inboard side of the seat, and isn't readily visible. It didn't take long for me to find the avenue of entry for the rodent interloper. My emergency brake lever passes through a flap on the console. That flap allows passage from the undercarriage of the car into the passenger compartment, and it too had been chewed from a slit to a wider hole.


But why? Why would a rat want to feast on my car? One explanation is that the Acura's thick sound-deadening insulation under the console is of an appealing consistency for rat-nest material harvesting. Or perhaps the lingering scent of a long-discarded cherry air freshener lured the guy inside the car. It's funny that my Honda was fine in the garage for the longest time, something about its plain and simple nature (and minimal sound insulation) unappetizing to rodentia. I'm glad that I didn't get a fancier car for the little guy to gnaw on. So, tonight my car is parked on the street, while the garage sits empty awaiting the deployment of traps, rat bait, or a large cat. Don't store up your treasures...