And that's the last time I trust my cats not to lock me out!!

So, I was gone for a few days, visiting my family back home. I put lots of water and food out, put out an extra litterbox, and left the cats to their own devices for 4 days.

In addition to a deadbolt and a chain bolt, I have this thing

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/io...-room-door.jpg

on my door. My cats like to play with the loop part of it. While I was gone, one of them (I suspect Kramer) pushed the loop part over just enough so that it performed its function and prevented the door from being opened more than 4 inches. (I live alone, and you obviously can't push it over from the outside!)

So, my cats locked me out of my own house.

Fortunately, I was able to figure out how to get in without breaking a window. With a short Philips head screwdriver, I just unscrewed the three screws holding the loop part to the doorjamb, and voila, I was in. Skinny wrists were a plus in maneuvering the screwdriver in the 4-ish inches of space I had between the door and the jamb.

So, yay for design flaws in security locks that allow you to break into your own apartment.

Oh my gosh!! I'm sure it's funnier now that you are INSIDE your house! Crazy cats!

heh, my cats have figured out how to turn of my CPAP machine, a machine I use to prevent apnea (stop breathing) when I sleep. I have to put something over top of my CPAP machine, or I wake up in the night choking and gasping for air!

I don't blame them one bit....you left them alone for four days!

I think they might have been sending you a message.

I understand that predicament completely. Locked out by cats is not fun. Someone 'locked' me out last week by the ingenious method of shoving my ATV helmet off the shelf and wedging it so I could barely open the door enough to get a stick in to remove the offending object. Suspected offender - the youngest of Da Bad Goils - Ms Blue

LOL, you shoulda known better and taped it down

I've decided to leave the loop lock off the door entirely from this point on. If they can figure out how to work the chain bolt, I'll buy them filet mignon for a year.

It's good you managed to get back in. I think they were just taking revenge for being left alone.

At least you were able to get back inside

Originally Posted by speakhandsforme

(I live alone, and you obviously can't push it over from the outside!)

Click to expand...

You would think so, but I got myself locked out of my apartment when I lived in South Korea and I had no pets there! I ran down to the store in the ground floor in my apartment building, so I was just wearing flip flops and pajamas (in the winter, just below freezing). When I went back up to my apartment - BAM - that little bugger somehow got flicked over and I was locked out! I used to think those were great for safety while living alone now I never want one again! I'm glad you got inside through, hopefully it wasn't too much trouble