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and lets herself out - and lets out the old boy. SHE can let herself back in, but he doesn't have thumbs and he cannot.
The "baby cat" is 7 and has 2 thumbs on each front paw. When she was a tiny kitty, I encouraged her to learn how to use her thumbs (DUMB, STUPID cat mommy!). I showed her how to hold things, pick them up. Well............ she learned. And she figured out how to open the kitty door "inward" (when it was unlocked). Then we went away for ONE NIGHT! One lousy night! And came home mid-afternoon the next day (less than 24 hours) and here's two kitties romping in the yard, running up to greet the car. They were locked in!
So we checked and sure enough, just the one lock was undone - the one to go out. The older cat is 17 and we were concerned that he could not get in after missy let him out. SHE could get in by using her thumbs to pull the door out and duck under it - but he doesn't get it.
So last weekend we went away for 2 nights only my husband drilled holes into the wood through the locks and inserted a pin - like an upside down "u" - but flat across the top. It also went a full inch down into the wood. YUP, the little witch popped it out and unlocked the door... AGAIN. It was raining while we were away. There are lots of places for them to be out of the rain - and they must have been there because neither was soaking wet.
The cats have a curfew - 10 pm as we don't let them stay out all night - just daytime. So far, she hasn't unlocked the door at night and we are going to screw a piece of plywood over the kitty door for when we go away, but it will seriously be a big problem if she starts letting herself out at night.
We have a family of opossum and my husband has watched her chase one of them and even "bop" it on its butt as it runs into its hidey hole and have to be called off -- so keeping her in at night is really important. Does anyone have any favorite pet door or other ideas for keeping her from unlocking the door?
On a serious note, could you move something heavy in front of it when you need to? A small chest or other piece of furniture? (But be forewarned, she sounds smart enough to dial a mover with those little thumbs of hers! LOL!!
There's a radiator right in front of the window where the pet door is. It's also a perch for them to look out while deciding whether to go out to potty or use the litter box. Plus, the big thing is that it keeps the wild animals outside! They don't have the smarts to figure out how to jump up. We put in a couple of assists for the old cat but had to show him how to use them. He has arthritis and in damp weather, the jump (it's 4') is pretty difficult for him.
So, no, there's no way to move heavy furniture in front of it. And this morning, she played with the lock and managed to lock the two of them OUT. I was wondering why the old guy was sitting at the back door yelling to be let in! Then I walk into the TV room and she's outside lifting the door up so she could come back in!
She really IS a smart kitty. EXCEPT she doesn't seem to realize that playing with, treating the wildlife like HER pets, is not a smart thing. She has caught squirrels just for the fun of it; there's one that she plays a game with - she figures out where it's planning to run, then she runs up the backside of the tree or pole and gets higher than it and pops out just as the squirrel gets there! It gets flustered, runs around and around trying to get higher than she is.
And yes, I think she is almost smart enough to dial the phone!
My other cat is old - and he's lost most of his hearing - and his sniffer doesn't work. And he walks into walls these days (eyesight maybe). But he's earned his "dumbness" - he's entitled. I get a little short with him from time to time, but mostly I'm understanding his willfulness or orneriness are just signs of old age. And I'm no spring chicken, so I understand, kinda sorta.
Cats can be a lot smarter than we sometimes give them credit for.
Awhile back, the wife and I used to get into it because we'd come home and cabinet and bathroom and other doors would be open and I kept insisting that it wasn't me.
At last, we got to the root of the problem.
It was: Turbo the tabby. Caught him in the act. HE was the one that learned how to open doors.
LOL Did you have one of those spycams or did you just catch him doing it out of luck?
I wouldn't put that past this kitty. She opens boxes, we've had to lock the bags of catfood in a metal cabinet because she was constantly ripping open the bags in the storage area to get at the fresher or newest flavor! Next she'll be getting out eggs and fish or chicken, cooking it, then sitting down at the table to eat!
I had a cat that knew all about door knobs. The ever-famous Murphy. But locks had him stymied. He was an inside/outside cat (I've since come to my senses - please don't yell at me) and he'd want to come inside in the middle of the night but find the screen door and the regular door locked so he couldn't let himself in.
So he'd crawl up the outside of the screen door then flip over the top and fall down between the screen and the door. I'm pretty sure the demons in hell make less noise than the howling he'd produce as he lay there stuck on his back like a turtle. But it solved his problem because somebody would get out of their nice, warm bed and go unlock the door and let him in.
(Total strangers, door to door salesmen, would point at the screen door which Murphy - who was a big guy - had pretty much destroyed and say, "Why is your screen all bent and torn up?")
Thats so cool that he can open the door like that.
Mine figured out if i dont close the door real hard that it dosnt lock and if he rolles on her back and claws the corrner of the door it wil open for him.
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LOL!!
