When Cat Proofing Becomes a Must

Cats on a mission rarely abandon their chosen target.

For example, our bedroom closet is a bi-fold mirrored door located in the bathroom area and our Oriental Shorthair, Hush Puppy is obsessed with getting into the closet. His chosen method: lying on his back and shoving his paw under the bi- fold while tugging on it.

Of course, our second cat, Hubble, immediately followed him and ploped down on the cozy pile of blankets stored on the floor. But it's not the blankets that worried me, it's the wire shelves - loaded with tempting objects - that line the closet walls.

Much to my chagrin, Hush Puppy started substituting the pile of blankets for a ladder. This allowed him to leap to the top of the closet, gripping planters filled with silk ivy. Hubble did the same. Using this lofty perch they could view the entire bedroom vista.

They also invented the game, "knock clothes off hangers, watch them land on the floor in a heap."

I tried so many different types of barriers at the base of the doors that I lost count. Hush Puppy found a way through everything, but much to his dismay we ended up hiring Hank, who was able to alter the closet door mechanism, making it impossible for even the most persistent pussycat to defeat.

For weeks on end, Puppy tried valiantly to open that door. He would walk by it, eye it carefully and test its strength. Perhaps by magic the door would bend to his will. Unfortunately he may need psychoanalysis for his frustration.

So for those folks that think cats have short attention spans, I am here to tell you this ain't the case. And if I leave the open door unattended for even a moment, Hush Puppy immediately seizes the opportunity to dash in. I swear I can hear him snicker.