My cats are compulsive about opening closed doors

[Godhumor]

One has taught the other how to hook her paws under the door and "grasp" the other side to swing open doors on the same side as the hinges, so now they can both get into the closets. Every night I go to bed and the doors to the bathroom, hallway closets and bedroom closets are closed...every morning they're all opened up enough to fit a cat.

I don't even know why they do it; they open the doors and just walk away after glancing inside.

[Lil Missy]

1. Cats are all brain damaged like that.

[Bertha Venation]

6. . . . which attitude is precisely why you'll never get O'Malley!

:bounce:


;) :hug:

(PS I think you've been referring to O'Malley . . . )

[Lil Missy]

8. Thanks.

[Bertha Venation]

9. Uh-oh.

Sure, it's unwise to infer vocal inflections, but I read that as sarcastic. Did I upset you?

[Lil Missy]

15. Perhaps I misunderstood your comment about my "attitude"

am especially sensitive and accommodating to "special" pets.

All is well. No worries.

[Lil Missy]

13. wrong place

[Bertha Venation]

14. I'm glad.

I was just being silly. :hug:

[Jamastiene]

2. Article 1, Section 14(A), of Feline Overlord Rules Handbook

clearly states that "it is the feline overlord's duty to assure that no door is left closed. All feline overlords are to begin practicing this skill beginning AS SOON AS a closed door crosses their field of vision."

Article 1, Section 14(B) clearly states: "If feline overlord is still unable to walk when first closed door crosses field of vision, a loud "MEW!" will suffice until such time as closed door can be opened."

BUT...

Article 1, Section 14(C) clearly states that there is one exception for some cats: "If closed door leads to "the great outdoors" in a canine infested neighborhood, AND feline overlord prefers an indoor only habitat, said closed "outside" door can be ignored."

Article 1, Section 14(D) deals with locked doors: "If feline overlord notices closed door AND has made sufficient effort to open said closed door, OR said closed door is locked, feline overlord is to perform one or more of the following feline duties:
(1) Stand at door and meow, yowl, scream, howl, hiss, purr, or make any other LOUDLY audible noises necessary to alert that said door MUST be opened immediately or else.
(2) Stick paws under door to motion for unaware human servant to unlock or open door immediately or else.
(3) Dig at carpet under door until human servant is made aware that door MUST be opened immediately or else.
(4) Use the "Canine Battering Ram" technique* to cause destruction, and therefore, opening of closed door.

*
"Canine Battering Ram" technique instructions:
a) Any canine living on premises should be beckoned by any means necessary.
b) Any canine living on premises should then be taunted until said canine charges toward feline overlord, who is to be strategically positioned in front of closed door.
c) At last possible moment, feline overlord is to yowl, hiss, and run at top speed at a perpendicular angle to canine's angle of charging motion.
d) Wait for canine to shake off the brain damage and regain composure.
e) Check to be sure closed door is now open or off hinges.
f) Repeat "Canine Battering Ram" technique, if necessary.

:shrug:

It's all right there in the handbook. :P

[Godhumor]

3. Eerie

My cat does the "fingernails across a blackboard" scratching to cause pain until doors that are really closed are open.

Admittedly, they've trained my wife and I well--when we close doors anymore we keep the action from sliding home so the cats can open them. Otherwise we get really unpleasant wakies.

[texanwitch]

4. To see what is on the other side.

There are somes things that a cat just has to do.

I have cat that lives on top of the freezer when she is in the house.

If anything is put on top of the freezer she will knock it down, the top belongs to her.

We don't fight her anymore about.

[Cannikin]

5. Do yours also have a compulsion to knock small objects off of surfaces?

Pens, nail clippers, anything on a flat surface must be moved to a lower level.

[Bertha Venation]

10. Daddy does that. Evil little shit.

We've nicknamed him Mr.-Knock-Shit-Off-All-My-Life.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. Mine does that all the time. She pushes something off the coffee table

and then looks over the edge at it like it jumped off on its own accord.

[lizziegrace]

26. She's testing gravity

class project. ;)

[MineralMan]

7. Cats take all closed doors as personal insults.

Even if they have no intention of entering the room behind the door, they will scratch at the door, yowl, and otherwise protest until the door is opened. Then, they will walk away in the opposite direction.

It's part of their training program for humans.

[barb162]

30. Absolutely

Besides, they're right!

[fizzgig]

11. mine get so distressed if i'm behind a closed door

they've learned that my bedroom door doesn't latch all the time and will push on it to see if they can get it open. if can open it, they just look at me and walk away. if they can't, they paw at the door until i open it and then walk away.

good thing they're so damn cute :eyes:

[TZ]

19. and people ask me why I don't lock my cats out of my bedroom

to keep them from perstering me in the morning...its cause the solution is worse than the problem..they will paw scatch throw themselves at the door and yowl until I let them in

[fizzgig]

20. i only close my door because i have a roommate

and it's when i want the privacy or he's asleep. i'd never close them out if it were just me or me and my boyfriend.

[kedrys]

21. I finally have a home office with a door that closes

and I took advantage of it a couple of weeks ago. According to the s.o., the line formed to the left outside the door. :rofl:

[rucky]

12. There's only one solution...

get a dog who's compulsive about closing them...

or chasing cats

[kedrys]

16. Coincidentally, Evie's in here trying to open the fan door to the closet

in my office. The guys have even figured out how to open the sliding mirror doors in the bathroom, which can't be good.

We've been in the new apartment 6 weeks, and there's apparently plenty of exploring left to be done. :rofl:

[Lost in CT]

17. Mine will open and then slam the cabinet door whee we keep the food.

if we are late with the meal.

They also seem to be very interested in the workings of gravity on various objects.

Little physicists they are.

[vard28]

18. Very simple explanation

They're checkin' for the boogie man, making it safe for you. :hi:

[blue_onyx]

22. I actually have the opposite problem

One cat can't seem to figure out how to open a door when it is shut. She likes to sit on the bathroom rug. When someone leaves the bathroom, the door sometimes bounces back and closes behind them. The door isn't all the way closed...it just has to pulled open a little to walk through. Our cat just doesn't seem to be able to understand how use her paw to pull the door open so she can get out. She never meows either so she just ends up sitting there until someone lets her out.

[WolverineDG]

23. Mine only freak if I dare to close the bathroom door

apparently they think I am incapable of using the facilities unless they are all staring at me. :crazy:

dg

[applegrove]

24. Mine have taught themselves how to open closet doors too. They are so curious. And like to

sleep in cozy places.

[Godhumor]

27. I can't even begin to tell you how started I was the first time

I found the cat sleeping in a narrow open space on top of our roll-in wardrobe in the closet. Opening the doors and having a cat fall on you is a definite lesson to check all nooks and crannies.

This especially became important when one of the cats decided to start sleeping in the crack between cushions on the sofa.

[applegrove]

28. Sleeping in your sofa.... So cute.

[barb162]

29. They do it because all cats want all doors open.

It's their thing.

[susanna]

31. My dog hated closed doors.

She's since passed (miss her something awful), but there could be no closed doors in her domain. She went absolutely batsh!t crazy when a door was closed. I never really figured out why, but she was something of a control freak.

Funny you posted this. I'd almost forgotten about that little quirk. My doors remain open, though she's been gone a couple years. She trained me well LOL. :-)

ETA: italic gone awry