This seemed more MPSIMS than IMHO to me, and I apologize if it has to be moved.
My cat figured out years ago that the doorknob is what makes the door open. If she and I are shut into a room together and she wants out, she’ll study the knob a bit, stand up and feel it/bat at it a bit, then make a leap, cupping her front paws around the knob and trying to turn it. Of course, since she’s using both paws on either side of the knob, she’d never get it open anyway.
Well, yesterday was apparently a breakthrough. When she was trying to get out, she leaped up and cupped one paw around the knob, “grabbing” hold of the smaller section and trying to pull it over. It works to the limited extent that I stopped my exercise long enough to go open the door for her, but I know she wants to do it herself. (I’m positive that if we had those handles that push downward, she’d have every door in the house open, all the time.)
Both of my cats figured it out. Yours probably will in time. Perhaps not a very long time, either.
My cats open closet doors, cupboard doors, bedroom doors… we keep their litterbox neatly tucked away in the hall closet (we just got this new TidyCats crap, called “Small Spaces” or something like that - holy cow, does it ever not smell!) Anyway, we stuck the box in there, because they love opening doors so much. We originally left it open a crack, but now we realise there is no need to - they open the door themselves. It is a regular knob, not a handle.
They have no interest in going outside, so even when we don’t lock the deadbolt, there are no worries about them “escaping”. They are only interested in being inside, thankfully. Otherwise, we’d probably come home to our front door being wide open… :eek:
I doubt she’ll ever have the grip needed to fully turn the knob. You could assist by sticking the fuzzy part of a velcro strip to the top of the handle that she can grip with her claws. If she is declawed, you may be able to get a grip assist meant for those with arthritis at your pharmacy.
We had cats who routinely opened the door to my brothers bedroom which had a lever handle.
I also taught them to open the bathroom window. It is a slider window and opens onto a roof from which they could jump down to the ground. They also returned via this route. We only had problems with critters being brought in a dozen times or so…mostly mice who did not survive the night, but a couple of snakes and a chipmunk which we were able to rescue. It did reduce the amount of noise we had to put up with when they wanted out…darned Siamese cats. The only problem was that they didn’t close it behind themselves, and the winter mornings were a real wake-up call.
When I was in college, I lived in an attic apartment. The door was on the ground floor; when you opened it, you saw stairs going up. Also, the deadbolt’s internal spring was broken, so there was no resistance to slide back and forth. I used to clomp down the stairs on my way to class and just tap the deadbolt knob with my fingertips, which would make the bolt slide back, and I’d be on my way. My big, meaty cat Wolf watched me do this for a couple of days and then tried it himself; the lock slid back, and his weight was enough to push the door open. (There was also a front door to the converted house where I lived that he could never have opened.) I used to come home and find the cats sunning themselves in the sunbeam in the common hallway.
At least once it worked to my advantage. I used to keep a key hidden outside the house. Once I left without my key to go to class, knowing my GF was inside – only she had to leave unexpectedly, and TOOK my outside key. I was locked out. So I went to the door and crooned temptingly, “Wolf? Woooooooooolf? I have CAT FOOD out here!” within a few minutes he came and let me in. Wolf had tuna for lunch that day.
I had to fix the lock, though, because he let a homeless man in once. But that’s another story.
at the other end of the scale velcro isnt a good idea if youve never done anything to their claws, if they are too long and ragged then youll just have a cat hanging off your door…
Ooh, I may have to get one of those grip assist things, at least for the exercise room. I don’t particularly want one for the bathroom. She is declawed, and I bet she’d figure it out in no time if she had one. I don’t hold much faith in my other cat figuring it out, though; she still chases her tail. (Both are almost nine years old.)
Interesting aside (well, to me, anyway): Before I knew what she was trying to do, I would hear what sounded like the cat running full tilt into the door, like she was body slamming it trying to get it open. The image always made me laugh, but I couldn’t figure out why she was trying so violently to get the door open. It wasn’t until I happened to be on the same side one day when I saw her leap up and grab the knob. It always amazes me to see examples of problem solving in non-human animals.
I am positive that one of my cats, (now unfortunately dear departed) knew *exactly * how doorknobs worked and would have used them if he’d only had thumbs. Another had not the slightest clue as to how to push open a partly-opened door. One of my current ones is too much of a Princess to push open a door; one of her staff must do so for her lest she disturb a whisker.
My parents’ cat knows how doorknobs work. I’m sure of it; if he wants a door open, he’ll stand up and paw at the knob with one paw, and if he had a thumb he could probably open the door himself.
another reason why my big cat won’t get into kitty mensa. 14 yrs old Zoe is, and she still can’t figure out how doors work. (She was found eating paint as a kitten, which may have something to do with her being not that bright a cat.)
In my previous house (about 18 years ago) we bought a new steel front door, with a magnetic seal and a foam core. My cat Dusty, who had always told us she wanted in by scratching at the door, could not be heard through the foam, and she started to claw at the magnetic gasket. I installed a second doorbell button right next to the spot where she had been clawing. When she accidentally pushed the doorbell button, I quickly let her in and gave her a yummy treat. She soon learned to get inside by pushing the button. She also learned that when she wanted a treat, she could go out and ring to come back in, which was a pain.
One evening, we had another couple over for dinner. After dinner, I let Dusty out, and we sat down to a card game. We talked about the cat, and one of the guests asked if Dusty had ever brought in a live catch. I said, “No, not yet.” Right on cue, the doorbell rang. I got up, explaining it was probably just the cat. I let her in, and she had a mourning dove in her mouth. She set it down, and it flew away. The cat and the dove did a few laps around the living room, then both shot out the open door.
My darling fuzzy bastards know how to open a sliding door (unlatched) – just keep pawing at the bottom until it jiggles open, then stick their faces through and keep on squeezing through. This has led to many a 3AM wakening until I got wise and latched the door with a tiny turning latch that requires real finger dexterity to operate.
My god, my cats can’t even open an open door! I leave a door an inch or two ajar, and they look at it like it’s some sort of impenetrable barrier. I’ve tried to teach them that if they just start walking toward the gap, their heads will eventually nudge the door far enough open to squeeze through, but they don’t seem to get it.
My dumb one can manage an open door if she can fit her head in. She just keeps pushing until she eventually gets it done. The smart one uses her paw to pull the door open and then walk in. She’s always been rather dexterous, trying (and sometimes succeeding) to pick pencils up with her paws.
Is the entrance concealed by a big stove or wash basin?
If so you can bet there are another 2 tunnels being dug, the buggers are planning mass escape, double the guards and string some barb wire and it may be a good idea to hide any motor cycles
Years ago I rescued a little black and white kitten, and bottle raised her. I called her Heathen Buzzbutt the Yowler, but the guy who adopted her calls her Boo. Boo is the World’s Meanest Cat, and is the Mayor of Young Avenue. All of the dogs are afraid of her. Most of the residents are afraid of her. If you point at this cat and laugh, she will come over and bite you. I have heard rumors of her stealing and running off with baggies of substances resembling catnip.
Her owner cut a cat door into the kitchen door so he wouldn’t have to let her in and out a million times a day. One night, he hears noises in the kitchen, and discovers Boo has company - she has invited another cat into the house!
So beware of the tunnels - escape may not be the problem!!!
I used to have a cat who could turn doorknobs. He had a habit of wanting to sleep on my head, which I didn’t really care for, but any time I pushed him away he’d just move back up–or worse, he’d climb on top of the shelves at the head of my bed to get at the window. Given that I’m a packrat, this meant he made quite a bit of noise as he jostled all the stuff up there (well, quite a bit considering it was quite and this was happening right next to my head). One night I finally decided enough was enough, picked him up, put him in the hallway and closed my bedroom door.
A few minutes later I hear a noise coming from the door, and then I had a cat on top on my head again.
She is declawed, and I bet she’d figure it out in no time if she had one. I don’t hold much faith in my other cat figuring it out, though; she still chases her tail. (Both are almost nine years old.)