Oregon cat caught car-surfing

 

SANDY, Ore. – A Sandy, Oregon man won’t be facing charges after he was caught on camera driving around with his cat perched on the hood of his car.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports someone spotted Jesse Dorsett driving slowly through a Taco Bell parking lot with his cat Pixie on the hood of his Volvo. The witness took a short video, which was shared with police and television stations.

While state law doesn’t allow people to put dogs on the hood of a moving vehicle, there aren’t any rules against other animals. Unless the cat was hurt, police couldn’t do anything about it.

When Dorsett heard police were looking for him, he texted a photo of his still-healthy Pixie to an officer. Since the cat wasn’t hurt, no charges would be filed.

So why was Pixie on the hood? Dorsett explained he operates a roadside assistance business. He often takes his cats with him on calls. He said the cats eventually got tired of sitting inside the car and started wandering onto the hood.

Apparently Dorsett and his cats like to drive slowly along the edges of grassy parking lots. Being on the hood allows the cats to scan ground and hunt for rodents. When one is spotted by the leashed cats, Dorsett stops, gets out, and walks the cats on leashes.

“It’s hard for me to see how anyone can construe hurting a cat in this scenario, particularly when the cat is on a leash and clearly enjoying the ride,” Dorsett said.

According to Dorsett, he’s done it a hundred times for nearly five years. He doesn’t have any concerns for his cats’ safety.

“I’m very protective of them,” Dorsett said. “I know that seems wild to say when you have cats on the hood of a car, but they are safe.”

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