Slipper in Tight Places

First of all, our house has six cats; Rose, Slipper, Princess, Asia, Spot, and Ra; and three humans; RB, AWM, and me. The problem child of this thread is Slipper.

Cats love tight spaces (not sure why) and Slipper is no exception to the rule. All of them like getting in boxes, sleeping in the little "caves" I've made out of the carriers, and under the couch (again, not sure why). Slipper is the only one who gets into trouble with this. She will crawl into tight places in the coat closet, in the linen closet, in drawers, etc. Here's the problem: she's so good at hiding herself when she sleeps in these places that we'll (unknowingly) shut her in thinking she isn't there. So far there's no problem (only a few moments of panic while we try to figure out where the mewing is coming from), but I've been going through the hiring process for a job with twelve-hour shifts and I won't be home to check on her during those twelve hours. Quite frankly, the behavior needs to stop. We can't keep the drawers open all the time (there's a space issue) and we can't keep them closed all the time (she's an expert at getting past us when we're getting our clothes for the day). We can't use lemon scented cleaner to dissuade her from using these places, because we use lemon scented cleaner in all of our cleaning chemicals and the cats are used to (and have even learned to somewhat enjoy) the scent. We can't use ammonia because--well, ammonia and wood do not mix.

How can I stop this behavior before it become a life-threatening issue?

Ouch!  That's a really good question, and I wish I had an answer to it.

There are sprays commercially available at pet stores that are supposed to repel cats from forbidden areas, but Jasmine ignores them, so I have to conclude that they're not effective; certainly they're not universally effective, though perhaps they would work on Slipper.  Unfortunately, the spray needs to be renewed daily, which could become a major chore.  It would also leave your clothing smelling like cat repellent.

Jasmine managed to sneak into the basement one day when we had workmen in the house.  I searched for her for hours, fearing she'd made it out the front door.  I only found her when I had to go to the basement for something else.  She was hoarse from meowing, hungry, thirsty, and distressed because she'd had to make a mess (she doesn't have a litter box down there, because she's not supposed to be there).  It was not a fun day for her.  And yet, she still tries to sneak into the basement, and has managed it a couple of times.  I'm more watchful now, and more careful about closing doors behind me to bar her from the laundry room (where the basement door is located), but I've still had to haul her ass back upstairs (over her vehement objections) more than once.  And any time there are workmen in the house who will need access to the basement, I shut Jasmine in the bedroom for the duration.

I don't think there is any way to change Slipper's behavior.  I think the only answer is to change the behavior of the humans involved.  Any time a drawer or closet door is closed, the space needs to be carefully checked for a cat first.  If it's a fairly dark area where the cat can easily blend in, keep a bright flashlight near at hand.  You can get some extremely good LED flashlights from Harbor Freight for a very reasonable price -- it's been a couple of years, but the last time I bought them they came in a package of two for $3.00.  Just don't use the batteries they come with; remove those immediately, because they're prone to leaking and can ruin the flashlight.  They take three AAA batteries.  I've found it cost effective to buy lithium ion batteries for them so that I don't need to change batteries so often; just don't mix lithium ion batteries with alkaline (mixing brands is perfectly all right, despite the warnings against it that you see on the battery package).

The other thing that might work is a variation on my locking Jasmine in the bedroom while workmen are in the house.  Have one room that's designated for Slipper while you're getting ready to leave for the day and lock her in there.  If you're worried that you may forget to release her, make sure there's food, water, a litter box, and a scratching post there for her, but it should be the duty of the last person to leave the house to make sure that she's free.

I wish I had a better answer for you, but I think that any solution that relies on Slipper changing her behavior is doomed to failure, and whatever you do, it has to work every time for Slipper's safety.

Margret

I agree with Margaret. Humans will have to change their habits before you are able to change Slipper's. 

Artie loves to inspect closets. 

When I was working, I was away from the house for 10 hours a day. 

I make sure he has plenty of food and water. 

I have a huge store room in my apartment. I went in there to get something before I left the house,

I looked all around to say good bye Artie. I could not find him, thinking he was hiding somewhere, so I just left. 

I came home from work, 10 hours later. Artie usually greeted me at the door. He was not there that day. I looked around for him, and could not find him. 

I walked near the closet, and a heard a quiet meow.

I opened the door and there he was!!!  10 hours later!!  no food, no water, no litter box, no light--complete darkness. 

He must have been so scared. I was in shock. I have a shopping cart in there. 

He must have been exploring and it fell.. Thank goodness it did not fall on him. It caught on something. 

Upon opening the door, he ran out and yelled at me for an entire hour!!

I was shocked that he did not pee or poop in  there.

To this day, he is very wary of that store room. He will go in to look, but when he sees me approach, he runs out. 

I have also locked him in my clothes closet, for 2-3 hours at a time. Artie has a habit of sneaking in there when I open the door. 

Now, I open the door very slightly, sneaking in. Just before I shut any door, I look to see where he is. If I forget, and do not see him out in the open, I go around looking for him.

I had to change my behavior. I also check to see where he is before  I leave the house---even if I am late....

The problem with just using a flashlight to check for the cat is this: she burrows into the clothes and pulls them on top of her (not sure why). And we've tried modifying the behavior of the people here; AWM found a way to (mostly) keep her door closed all the time (the door doesn't fit quite right and can sometimes swing loose for no reason--or when the front door is shut. Again, not sure why.), and my drawers (my dresser only has three of them) are kind of stuck open in a staircase formation (the wood swelled during the first few rainstorms of spring and hasn't gone back to normal yet making sure the drawers are stuck in that position--again, not sure why), so they're  not a problem. The problem is that Slipper can slip (no pun intended, and not how she got her name, btw) behind us in such a way that we can't tell she's there. The good news is that, after the first time, she doesn't panic. She knows we'll find her eventually, as long as we can hear her meowing, but this isn't healthy. Is there anything else we can do?

I saw this in another forum: .  It makes a hissing noise when it detects movement.  You could try plugging it in by the door of the room you want to restrict her to.  I've never used it, so I don't know how well it works.

Or you could get a nice large dog crate, big enough for a small litter box and some food and water in case someone forgets to let her out before leaving, and lock her in there while you dress.

Beyond that, if you can't see her, use your hands.  Feel for her.  It has to be the responsibility of every human in the house to make sure she isn't locked in their drawers.  You don't leave the house without knowing where she is.  That is the only safe option for her.

Margret