(This was supposed to be posted Monday night, sorry for the delay.)
Now that it’s done I can feel comfortable saying it.
I asked the place our car got towed to to put one of those protective plates over our catalytic converter, and to either inscribe or if it was the only option to Sharpie our name and VIN number on it. They didn’t get back to me.
When I went to pick it up after 4:00 on Friday, that’s when they said, Oh, no, we don’t do any of that–but here’s who we recommend.
Like I could get that done before the weekend at that hour? It was going to be a long weekend: those thieves know where to go once that car’s back in the driveway.
So we set up as best a security system as we could kludge pointed at the car from inside the window and hoped.
Saturday we picked up groceries. The car ran quietly.
Sunday I turned it on and waited long enough for the motor to engage. Phew.
Today I called my own mechanic, who immediately ordered the part, called me back a few hours later and said, we’ll be ready at three.
Unlike the other guy, he had a waiting room I could knit in and they said I was welcome to same as I ever had–masks required now, of course.
What I didn’t know is, the metal plate came with a sticker to put on the car announcing what was now under the car: Cat Shield Protector, with a cat head logo.
Mike said he usually puts it in the lower corner of the window. I wanted it where people would see it when they look at the back of my car in the dark with the street light overhead without having to get out of their car–the see and scram method.
For a couple that doesn’t do bumper stickers, it’s a bit startling to have this prominent blue square to the left of the license plate but you do what you have to do.