scaredThomas 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.
June 23 2011, 23:18:22 UTC 6 years ago
You'll be way too tired to reply to this so don't worry, but I so know that awful feeling. I once took the screens out of three windows so I could plant stuff in a window box that ran along them all, and I got distracted before I had rescreened and closed the last window. I jolted awake from a very sound sleep at five a.m. thinking, "WHERE ARE THE CATS?" I tore downstairs, and the morning breeze was wafting the white curtain in and out, in and out, of the open window. I yanked the front door open, setting off the security system, and bolted outside. The cats were sitting on the frong steps in High Dudgeon. Apparently jumping back up onto the window sill was beneath their dignity. They went huffily inside and immediately jumped back up onto the windowsill from that side. Obviously I was just supposed to let them leap out and then let them in again, lather rinse repeat.
But there is nothing like that horrible realization that cats are out. When they do it themselves, I don't even know.
P.
June 24 2011, 15:00:12 UTC 6 years ago