What animal turned a Santa Clara car into a prickly pear pantry?

DEAR JOAN: One day my sister in Santa Clara was driving her car when she smelt something burning. She pulled over and popped the hood and saw that something had stashed some prickly pears in the engine.

She always parks next to a cactus in her front yard. What kind of animal would stick this fruit in a car?

— Tim Avila, Santa Clara

DEAR TIM: Prickly pears stashed in the engine compartment is the work of a rodent, most likely a rat.

It could be your run-of-the-mill rat or possibly a wood rat...