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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:	Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:	FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:	MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO

Created:	Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:	Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5089
Total number of notes:	60366

4251.0. "Help - Need Cat-Proof Cabinets" by DEMON::MURPHY () Fri Dec 14 1990 08:53

    I desperately need to solve this problem.  One of my six cats, D.P.
    Gremlin (a name never suited a cat so well), has discovered where I
    keep the dry cat food and how to gain access to same.  My kitchen
    cabinets have been safe up to now for storing dry goods (mine and
    theirs), however, since D.P. has managed to pry open the cabinet
    containing dry cat food, he's also tested opening the other cabinets in
    the kitchen.
    
    I have moved the cat food to my bathroom (along with my wastebasket)
    and keep the door closed tight at night and when I'm at work.  There
    are only the basic handles on outside of cabinets so just pulling on
    the handle opens them.  I rent so I have what was already installed.
    
    I've tried putting metal bars through any two handles that are near
    each other (I have some cabinets that are not handle-to-handle and this
    creates still another problem as a metal bar is more useless in that
    case).  I've also (for the lower cabinets) propped a chair against them
    as well, but D.P. has not only managed to pull the bar out of the
    handles with his nimble double paws, but also push the chair away
    enough to work at it.
    
    D.P. is my only cat that has had a bout with FUS and is on a strict CD
    diet from the vet's so I am very concerned about his eating anything
    else.  Also, he has two "apprentices" learning this from him now - Thai
    and Jamie.  D.P. and Thai, by the way, both have Siamese in them and
    very clever and quick to learn things.  Jamie (my youngest) is an
    equally quick learner (a straight-earred Scottish Fold) and has been
    a constant shadow to both D.P. and Thai.  You might say, he "looks up
    to them".
    
    I don't want to confine D.P. but it may have to come to that for his
    own safety until I can figure out how to solve this problem.  I know
    whatever it might cost will have to come from my pocket as my landlady
    would never change the cabinet latches to more secure ones, and
    besides, this is my problem not hers.
    
    If anyone else has had a similar problem and solved it, I'd appreciate
    hearing from you.  I don't always get a chance to get into this notes
    file so please feel free to send me mail at DEMON::MURPHY
    
    Pat, Holly, D.P., Thai, Buffy, Midnight, Jamie (& Cookie)

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
4251.1		SSVAX::DALEY		`Fri Dec 14 1990 09:36`	11
	This is a a very familiar problem. What I did was use the cabinet locks which keep children out of cabinets. You can buy them at Child World or Toys R Us, Sears, or probably any hardware store. There are several kinds- I prefer the totally plastic ones. They are very easy to install, they can't be seen from the outside, and only cost about $2.00 per package (2 locks per package). This should solve your problem instantly. Pat
4251.2	Smart cat, Smarter Mommy	PSYCHE::HACHE	Get on Your Knees & Fight Like a Man	`Fri Dec 14 1990 10:05`	10
	I got childproof latches for my cabinets.. and that worked for a while. Now Benjamin has figured out how to open them too! (It's the price you pay for having such a nimble, intelligent cat.) Now I keep his food in the fridge (at thanksgiving I kept in the microwave because there was no room in the fridge), or I suppose if worse came to worst, I could throw it in the oven. dm
4251.3		XCUSME::KENDRICK		`Fri Dec 14 1990 10:24`	8
	I keep my cats' food in the refrigerator, too. Only canned goods are in the bottom cabinets, so it doesn't matter to me that they play in the bottom ones. They are trained not to go on the kitchen counters so I don't have a problem with them going into the upper cabinets. I do know a lot of people who use the child-proof latches with much success. Good Luck!
4251.4	Tie them shut! :-)	BOOVX1::MANDILE		`Fri Dec 14 1990 10:40`	11
	Luckily for me, my cabinets have knobs instead of handles. I just wrap around the knobs one of those coated ponytail elastics, and viola! Catproof cabinets. Maybe you could create some type of lock on the tie-wrap idea....you know, the kind they shut bread bags with. Those childproof tabs were in my house when I bought it. I couldn't wait to remove them, they were such a pain in the *ss!!! L-
4251.5	Helpful hint	CSSE::FROST		`Fri Dec 14 1990 11:24`	11
	This is what I do.... I went and purchased a couple of Rubermaid Cereal containers, with the push down top and flap... it keeps the cat food fresh and sealed... mine don't bother with the containers... I too keep their food on the bottom cabinet, and it only has a magnet latch behind the door.... Hope this helps you.... Gloria, Goldie, Mittens & Snookie
4251.6	Thanks for the tips	DEMON::MURPHY		`Fri Dec 14 1990 12:47`	26
	Thanks everyone for all the helpful ideas. I think I'll try the child-proof latches and hope they work. I have detergents, etc. in one of the bottom cabinets (under the sink) so this is something I couldn't solve with the refrigerator. As for keeping their dry food in refrig., I just don't have the room to put all my dry goods and their food in it. As I mentioned, D.P. is also into the cabinet where my own dry goods (canned and packaged) are kept which is over a counter and, unfortunately not being home during the day I have no way of controlling them from getting on the counter. As a matter of fact, I don't have much control when I'm sleeping either except when I'm awakened by the sound of a cabinet door being flipped. :-} Must have slept soundly last night cause I didn't hear it but found a package of spaghetti, package of "Jerky Treats" (Cookie's favorite), and a package of cereal on the kitchen floor. Of course, NOBODY would say who did it but I already knew; the guilt was on "the Gremlin's" face. I have 3 that NEVER seem to get into trouble (my oldest) and the 3 that look for it (my youngest). I just can't help loving them no matter what they get into though; just like "kids"! Pat, Holly, D.P., Thai, Buffy, Midnight, Jamie (& Cookie)
4251.7	just playing hockey in here...	TYGON::WILDE	illegal possession of a GNU	`Mon Jan 07 1991 13:16`	11
	oh yes, the Mandycat has decided that tea bags in the little foil packets make wonderful hockey pucks on the kitchen floor -- she gets up on the counter, stretches full length to reach the upper cabinet, pulls open the door, and yanks down boxes of tea....I've found some real messes in the morning...not to mention having to check all tea bag packets for teeth marks before giving any guests a cup of tea! I recommend the child-proof cabinets combined with a NEW TOY for distraction. When I buy them a new toy, there is a period of time during which they are fascinated with the toy and "forget" other activities...they then seem to go on to NEW things when the toy gets "old".