Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: scared
  • Music: Counting Crows, "Murder of One."

Oh sweet Great Pumpkin cats are hard on the heart.

Thomas can open doors.

Thomas has been able to open doors for a while now.

Thomas has never previously opened the front door. So this was new.

I got up to get ready for bed and discovered the front door of the house standing open, and an utter absence of cats. This, naturally, triggered INSTANT HYSTERIA, and lots of frenzied cat-calling, which probably frightened the neighbors.

Lilly came immediately, looking faintly ashamed of herself, and limping slightly. Thomas was in the yard, sniffing things, and came when called. I closed the door and turned to inspect Lilly's paw...during which pause Thomas OPENED THE DOOR again and let himself back outside.

I retrieved Thomas, called my mother, put on trousers, went outside, locked the door, and began searching the neighborhood for Alice. I found her halfway down the block, investigating someone's garden. I got her to come by clanging a can of wet food with a fork. She's mad now because she didn't get treats. I'm mad because, well. ESCAPING ISN'T COOL. Poor Vixy got me calling her in hysterics, wailing about how they got out.

All three cats are fine and uninjured. I cannot sleep. I have notified work that I'm going to be in late tomorrow, because there's no way I'm sleeping in the next hour. And from now on, the front door is locked even when I'm in the house.

Stupid cats.
Tags: alice, cats, freaking out, lilly, thomas
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  • 220 comments

dave_ifversen

June 23 2011, 07:22:37 UTC 6 years ago

I understand the panic all too well - Both Tally and Chaucer (our 2 male Maine Coons) can open doors. In addition to that, Tally taught himself how to open the sliding screen door on the french doors to the deck (we sometimes open the french doors to get a breeze through the house). Ange came out to the dining room one day, found the screen door open, and Tally sitting on the deck looking around. She yelled at him and he (rather sheepishly) came back in the house. Needless to say, the screen door now remains locked so he can't do a repeat performance. Chaucer is unlikely to open a door to the outside - he doesn't want *anything* to do with outside, other than sitting in a window (safely behind a screen) and looking out.

The front door has a knob that Tally can't turn - not that he hasn't tried. He knows how the knob works, and tries to turn it, but his lack of opposable thumbs has thwarted him so far. All the rest of the doors in the house have paddle handles that we installed back when Ange's mom was living with us (her arthritis gave her problems with regular doorknobs).

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 13:34:05 UTC 6 years ago

Damn smart cats with the size and leverage to scare the wits out of us.

qnofhrt

June 23 2011, 20:51:53 UTC 6 years ago

Chaucer also likes to hide. I spent the better part of a half hour hunting for him one day, only to find him perched behind the tv inside the entertainment center cabinet. Our nephew (who was cat sitting while we were at Wiscon) spent several hours looking for him only to find him behind the laser printer stand.