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sisterelwood
2009-06-19 05:39 am UTC (link)

*reads article*looks at her oldest cat, Jack*

Since we're sharing cat stories...

Jack has single-pawedly managed to figure out how to feed himself when I am away. How? Well, when I was gone one weekend the woman I had checking in on my two cats told me that he had opened up a cabinet door, climbed behind my other cat's food bin, knocked that food bin out of the way, pulled out his own food bin, and pulled off the lid. He did this not once, not twice, but THREE times. The third time had the added 'challenge' of her trying to tape the cabinet door shut- he just torn it off and pulled out his food bin again.

I ended up having to buy a new bin for Jack that has a locking lid. However, I noticed that he has been working on the lock- he's managed to figure out how to open my other cat's bin lock and there are teeth marks on his.

Second story-

When I was in Ireland last year Jack and my other cat, Creegan, stayed with a friend. She would come home at night and ask her boyfriend why he left the closet door open. He would reply that he hadn't. She would shrug it off and close the door. Not long after that she returned to the living room to find the closet door open AGAIN. She again asked her boyfriend- he knew nothing about it. She shut the door again and then sat and waited.

Jack got up and went to the door. He flopped down on his side, put one paw under the door (it was an accordion-type closet door on a track), his head against another panel of the door, and pulled with his paw while pushing in with his head. After a moment he got up and went to stick his head into the closet and into the food bag (which was in the closet). He did this again several times and finally they had to tied the doorknob up so that the door wouldn't open.

When I got back from Ireland and brought my boys home I noticed Jack doing the same thing with MY closet doors. Only thing is that my doors open on a different side so whenever Jack got up to go in the closet he was met with paneling. It didn't take him long to work out that he had to look at the other side. To this day I close all my closets at night and by morning they're all open again.

If Jack had opposable thumbs and could hold a knife I would be in BIG trouble. As it is, I'm pretty sure he's using Creegan as the brute strength while he is the brains of the operation.

TL;DR- Dr. Osthaus needs to test Jack. That is, if he doesn't use the string to hang her first.

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	sisterelwood 2009-06-19 05:50 am UTC (link)
	ALSO: This just in- cats like playing with string. Additionally, the Pope is Catholic and bears shit in the woods. More at 11. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	munchkinott 2009-06-19 06:30 am UTC (link)
	... You have MacGyver!cat! is in awe (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sisterelwood 2009-06-19 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	I really do! There are days I hate it and other days I just stare at him in wonder. I swear that all that is true. (Reply to this)(Parent)

grand_sealink
2009-06-19 05:42 pm UTC (link)

My Jack is the youngest of my clowder, but has similar reasoning powers. I tell the bf that Jack is a scientist who is constantly testing to see if gravity is still working by knocking shit off onto the floor.

Jack knows that sliding doors slide and will put his claws in the sliding screen and jerk his paws to open it.
He knows that catnip is green, but being an indoor cat, has little exposure to leafage other than the leaves I bring in from the plant outside. He will run into the kitchen if he hears lettuce being torn up for a salad and demand a small bit to make sure he isn't being left out of a leaf.
He will meow several times outside our door (bf has cat allergies but bravely lives with a cat lady), and that often does not work. When it does, he reaches under the door and plays with the spring doorstop, which makes a loud spring noise and gets results.
He knows that he's not supposed to roughhouse with my old cat and will wait until I am out of the room to try it.
He likes to have his food container always have food in it so you can't see the bottom. So for him, a food container is never empty. He knows that we eat out of food containers that are different from his(an old breadpan), but are similar to the food scoop (a plastic cup). When his food is running low, he goes around knocking any cups he can find over and looting the spoils. This has the added effect of training humans to a) put dishes in the sink and b) fill the food dish before bed. Even if he doesn't net any food, he often gets water or an ice cube, which is fun to bat around the kitchen.

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