Today’s news of the weird: Inventor fuels car with dead cats.
A German inventor has angered animal rights activists with his answer to fighting the soaring cost of fuel — dead cats.
Christian Koch, 55, from the eastern county of Saxony, told Bild newspaper that his organic diesel fuel — a homemade blend of garbage, run-over cats and other ingredients — is a proven alternative to normal consumer diesel.
Koch said around 20 dead cats added into the mix could help produce enough fuel to fill up a 50-liter (11 gallon) tank.
Never fear, though…it turns out that while the biodiesel fuel Koch is working on is real, the “dead cats” angle was nothing more than the overactive imagination of a Bild newspaper reporter.
A German inventor said he has developed a method to produce crude oil products from waste that he believes can be an answer the soaring costs of fuel, but denied a German newspaper story implying he also used dead cats.
“I use paper, plastics, textiles and rubbish,” Koch told Reuters.
“It’s an alternative fuel that is friendly for the environment. But it’s complete nonsense to suggest dead cats. I’ve never used cats and would never think of that. At most the odd toad may have jumped in.”
Bild on Tuesday wrote a headline: “German inventor can turn cats into fuel — for a tank he needs 20 pussies.” The paper on Wednesday followed up with a story entitled: “Can you really make fuel out of cats?”
A spokesman for Bild told Reuters the story was meant to show that cat remains could “in theory” be used to make fuel with Koch’s patented method.
The author of the story said Koch had never told him directly that he had used dead cats as the story implied.
Sounds like Bild employs one reporter who’d make a better fit at the Weekly World News….
“Liontamer” by Faithless from the album Outrospective (2001, 5:48).
Ok, I KNEW there was no way this could be true! But it was so strange and gas prices are so high that I seriously wouldn’t doubt somebody trying it.
Bleh… sorry Michael… brain fart. My comment is barely readable. Just delete.
No worries. You just had an extra word tossed in there, so I nuked it instead of the whole comment.
Everyone has the occasional brain fart. :)
At least they didn’t allege the use of LIVE cats…
German inventor: I never used dead cats for fuel
Thu Sep 15, 6:54 AM ET
A German inventor said he has developed a method to produce crude oil products from waste that he believes can be an answer to the soaring costs of fuel, but denied a German newspaper story implying he also used dead cats.
Christian Koch, an inventor and patent holder of the “KDV 500” that he said produces high quality fuel, said he can transform waste products such as paper, rubbish and plastic materials into fuel.
But Koch, 55, said there was no truth to stories published in Bild newspaper on Tuesday and Wednesday that suggested he used dead cats as part of the mix for his organic diesel fuel.
“I use paper, plastics, textiles and rubbish,” Koch told Reuters.
“It’s an alternative fuel that is friendly for the environment. But it’s complete nonsense to suggest dead cats. I’ve never used cats and would never think of that. At most the odd toad may have jumped in.”
Bild on Tuesday wrote a headline: “German inventor can turn cats into fuel — for a tank he needs 20 cats.” The paper on Wednesday followed up with a story entitled: “Can you really make fuel out of cats?”
A spokesman for Bild told Reuters the story was meant to show that cat remains could “in theory” be used to make fuel with Koch’s patented method.
The author of the story said Koch had never told him directly that he had used dead cats as the story implied.
The Web site of Koch’s firm, “Alphakat GmbH,” says his patented “KDV 500” machine can produce what he calls the “bio-diesel” fuel at about 23 euro cents (30 cents) a liter, which is about one-fifth the price at petrol stations now.
“I drive my normal diesel-powered car with this mixture,” Koch is quoted saying in Bild, next to a large picture of a kitten. “I have gone 170,000 km (106,000 miles) without a problem.”
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If it could use roadkill, awesome. Cats killed specifically for this purpose = terrible. But roadkill doesn’t really have a place to go but to the side of the road or whereever public road crews stash them. Then they decompose and stink in the process, so it would certainly be nice.