Forced to go from door handles to knobs

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Let me preface this by stating that I do not care for door knobs. The doors in my house only had door handles until today. Turns out my new cat is an expert at opening doors that have door handles. Last week he made it into the backyard and I barely got him by the tail before he could make it all the way over the wooden fence. The front door, the door to the garage, and the door to the backyard have now door knobs. Tigger looks frustrated. I'm sure he's already plotting his escape.
 
Hehe. We changed from knobs to levers and wouldn't go back, even if we had animals that smart. Our son is disabled so there's that, then there's just the convenience factor (hands full? just hit the lever with the box, I've opened doors with a stack of 2x4's in hand).
 
Hahahaha.... Thanks for the story as it was much needed during these times.
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to Tigger and you.
 
Guess it depends on how fussy your neighbors are? If I had a cat, I'd let it out to be free and if it dies free, that's on him. Maybe not today with all the rain we've had, I wouldn't want it tracking mud inside.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
Guess it depends on how fussy your neighbors are? If I had a cat, I'd let it out to be free and if it dies free, that's on him. Maybe not today with all the rain we've had, I wouldn't want it tracking mud inside.


There are raccoons and coyotes roaming and a multilane street with a lot of traffic is very close to my house. I also don't want my cat to potentially bring in fleas, mites, ticks, rabies, ringworm and a host of feline diseases. My prisoner has the whole house to lord over.
 
^ Maybe a cat was the wrong pet? Then again some are more domesticated than others, but I would never prevent an animal from going outside... let it go, and if it dies, get something more domesticated. I don't find the pests to be a problem on our neighbors' several cats, you can always put a flea/etc collar on and bathe them once in a while, but I would keep one inside till after the next rain cycle if neighbors have recently put down pesticide or herbicide, which is sometimes included in common fertilizer service lawn treatments too.
 
The cat has run of the storage room, with its own "cat door" cut into the main door. It's where it's cat food and litter box are. The dog figured out how to open the same door as it had a lever. Had to change to a knob.
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Originally Posted by Dave9
^ Maybe a cat was the wrong pet? Then again some are more domesticated than others, but I would never prevent an animal from going outside... let it go, and if it dies, get something more domesticated. I don't find the pests to be a problem on our neighbors' several cats, you can always put a flea/etc collar on and bathe them once in a while, but I would keep one inside till after the next rain cycle if neighbors have recently put down pesticide or herbicide, which is sometimes included in common fertilizer service lawn treatments too.


He's always been a housecat. I.know it's ethically questionable to keep an animal locked up but I live in the city, not out on a farm. If he gets out he'll get dead. It's not like he's going stir-crazy with cabin fever inside, he's just curious. He had 3,500 sq feet available, including a sunny indoor patio with lots of greenery.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Turns out my new cat is an expert at opening doors that have door handles.


Pictures, or video, or it never happened.


That's what I was thinking when I read your post about locking yourself out of your own car for good. In a competition between you and my cat I'm betting on my cat.
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Over the years we have only had one cat at a time, but we have had some smart cats. One cat would claw the screen door on the back porch and walk backwards to open the screen door. It was on a spring but no lock. If the wood door was open it would quickly run in-front of the screen door and get into the house. If the wood door was closed it would let the screen door slam and kept repeating it until someone heard it and opened the wood door.

One cat was a little too slow going out the front door when someone was going out and the screen door caught the last couple of inches of its tail. We did not know it happened until we saw the couple of inches of tail laying in the door-way.

One cat would recognize our car when we were parking and run to get onto the front porch before we got up the steps. We have two sets of cement steps with a cement landing in-between to go up to the front porch. One day the cat was at a full gallop and it leveled out to go onto the landing after the first set of steps one step too early and still had one step to go. It slammed head first into the cement just below the landing, and bounced off. It got up and shook it off, but after that happened that cat would sometimes have seizures for several minutes.

One time we were babysitting one of my brothers cats and after a few days our cat and the new cat got use to each other and would play fight or chase one and other. One evening the two of them came running through the living room at full speed one right after the other. They both flew up the steps to the second floor, but the wood door at the top of the steps is stained dark and there is little lighting there and they both did not see that the door was closed. And at full speed one after the other they both slammed into the door and bounced off of it. They came slowly walking down the steps and into the living room and walked like they were drunk. We do not know which one was in front when they ran through the living room before going up the steps, all we saw was two grey streaks. They were really moving fast.
 
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I would think there are ways to cat proof those door handles. Putting something that rolls around on the handle will not give the cat any grip yet allowing you to use it.

I'd bet a large pet store like Petco might have a solution.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
I would think there are ways to cat proof those door handles. Putting something that rolls around on the handle will not give the cat any grip yet allowing you to use it.

I'd bet a large pet store like Petco might have a solution.


It's called a KnobLock. I do not want to challenge Tigger to a battle of wits.
 
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Originally Posted by PimTac
I would think there are ways to cat proof those door handles. Putting something that rolls around on the handle will not give the cat any grip yet allowing you to use it.

I'd bet a large pet store like Petco might have a solution.


It's called a KnobLock. I do not want to challenge Tigger to battle of wits.



We had knobs on the doors when we had a cat. That cat figured it could get our attention by getting it's paw under the door and rattling it.

They will find a way.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
We had knobs on the doors when we had a cat. That cat figured it could get our attention by getting it's paw under the door and rattling it.

They will find a way.


Precisely why they say you can never own a cat. The cat will always own you. Even with wives you have a chance at being king of the roost, but not so with a cat.

My dad always used to say the only good cat was a dead cat. Kinda the same message. LOL
 
I just got ambushed when I went into the garage. Tigger had been hiding in a dark corner and made a mad dash for the door once I opened it. That's okay, he'll come back in once he gets hungry. "Treat, treat, Tigger!"
 
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Let me preface this by stating that I do not care for door knobs. The doors in my house only had door handles until today. Turns out my new cat is an expert at opening doors that have door handles. Last week he made it into the backyard and I barely got him by the tail before he could make it all the way over the wooden fence. The front door, the door to the garage, and the door to the backyard have now door knobs. Tigger looks frustrated. I'm sure he's already plotting his escape.


How did the cat get by the screen-with-glass storm door, after opening the wood or aluminum door with handle? Every home should have both.
If the rear only has a sliding glass patio door, that cat needs to be on TV, showing-off his act.
 
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No screens on the doors. Windows have screens and louvered storm shutters. Screens on doors really don't work because you still have to open the screen door to get in and out. I don't leave doors open for ventilation. I'm not out on the farm.
 
CUTE!! animals are a LOT smarter than we think, especially certain breeds, but they are quite entertaining + lovable + generally contribute to their owners health with walks + even a calming effect from petting them. neighbors nicest rotty came into my open garage yesterday + as always nudges me before sniffing around because our great little Bishon 's sent is everywhere, i like most animals but love most dogs!!
 
Originally Posted by vavavroom
No screens on the doors. Windows have screens and louvered storm shutters. Screens on doors really don't work because you still have to open the screen door to get in and out. I don't leave doors open for ventilation. I'm not out on the farm.

90+% of America is. You are in the deep-deep minority and never put the blame on any escaping animal...... just yourself.

Animals can be easily protected from endangerment. Screen / storm doors provide much more than just ventilation. Plus, (and this is a big plus) Indoor animals absolutely love having full length glass screen / storm doors, for looking-out pleasure.

Lastly, storm doors do save energy. There are a couple homes around here without a storm door and if one doesn't struggle to open the wood door that's minus a storm door, they leak air / drafty.

Lead your life however you want. Sometimes the wrong never can see the right.
 
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