Tessie and the Bastard Cat Trick

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Karen AKA Kajikit - 15 Mar 2007 17:15 GMT

This morning I was cuddling with Scouty and I realised I hadn't seen
Tessie for HOURS. I called her name and she didn't come... so I got
out the treat bag and rustled it. Silver appeared as if by magic, but
still no Tessie. I walked around opening all the cupboards in case
she'd gone exploring and I'd closed her in this morning. Nope. I even
looked in the kitchen cupboard in case she was there, even though I
hadn't seen it open. Nope. No Tessie anywhere!

I walked around the apartment rustling the treat bag, followed by
Scouty and Silver, calling her name. Still no Tessie! Then I heard an
anguished meow from the living room, so I double-checked, and even
opened the front door in case she'd turned invisible and slipped
outside when John went to work. Nope. No Tessie outside the front
door. No Tessie in the pantry cupboard. No Tessie in the kitchen
cupboards. No Tessie behind (or in) the entertainment unit.
MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It sounded like it was coming from John's chair,
so I pulled the cover off and checked underneath in case she was
somehow caught in the reclining mechanism. No Tessie there either, but
while I was on the floor there she went again
MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was definitely coming from the
corner of the livingroom, so I peered behind the entertainment unit
again just in case. One last meow pinpointed her position. We got a
pair of bookcases last week and I set them up at right-angles in the
corner. Tessie has shown much interest in the lower shelves but I
didn't think even she could find a way up on top of them. I was wrong.
She climbed up on top somehow and noticed the small square space
between them... and being Tessie she couldn't resist jumping down into
it, only to discover that there was absolutely no way out again!
I dragged the one bookcase out about an inch and she came leaping out,
and I put it back again... hopefully she's learnt her lesson, but if
she disappears again I'll know where to look first!

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Caroline S. - 15 Mar 2007 18:39 GMT

<snip Tessie gets stuck>

Pippin did that to me once too. I have a corner desk (the back is
shaped like this \_/ to fit in a corner). I also have a rectangular
shaped hutch thing next to the desk. The sides don't meet, except at
the front, to make a triangular shaped hole between the desk and the
hutch. Pippin hopped right on down. I couldn't get a grip on him to
pull him out. There wasn't enough room for him to manage a big enough
leap out, so he half jumped, and got his front paws on some loose
papers I had on both surfaces, so he slipped back down. This caused
the papers to slide in on top of him (just a few) and that caused more
panicked jumping. Which led to huge claw gouges in the dark wood
surface of my desk. He did get out.

Did he learn his lesson? Heck no. I often catch him peering down into
the hole, and rush to move him off.

Caroline S.

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Karen AKA Kajikit - 15 Mar 2007 18:42 GMT

><snip Tessie gets stuck>
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>Did he learn his lesson? Heck no. I often catch him peering down into
>the hole, and rush to move him off.

Poor Pippin! I'd have thought Tessie would have learnt her lesson
about that corner - before I had the big bookcases there I had a small
one diagonally across the corner, and all three cats got stuck in it
because it was low enough for them to be intrigued by it, but JUST too
high for them to be able to climb or jump out without a runup. The
solution to that was to pull some of the videos off the bottom shelf
and make a cat-sized entry way (it didn't have a back on it). Alas
there's no solution to this shelf except to hope that she doesn't do
it again!

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Outsider - 15 Mar 2007 20:18 GMT

>><snip Tessie gets stuck>
>>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> there's no solution to this shelf except to hope that she doesn't do
> it again!

I am not sure what you are taling about; Tessie learning a lesson?! You
have it backwards! You should learn the lesson and cut an escape hole in
the bottom shelf! I am betting that is what Tessie is thinking.

Andy

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Karen AKA Kajikit - 15 Mar 2007 20:48 GMT

>>><snip Tessie gets stuck>
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>have it backwards! You should learn the lesson and cut an escape hole in
>the bottom shelf! I am betting that is what Tessie is thinking.

(giggles) If it was just the cardboard back I'd do exactly that! But
the bookcases are cattycorner to each other so the space is enclosed
by the solid wooden sides. No holes there...

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Takayuki - 16 Mar 2007 05:24 GMT

>>I am not sure what you are taling about; Tessie learning a lesson?! You
>>have it backwards! You should learn the lesson and cut an escape hole in
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>the bookcases are cattycorner to each other so the space is enclosed
>by the solid wooden sides. No holes there...

You could use your crafts skills to make a kitty escape ladder, or get
one of those bookshelves that superheroes use that slide out of the
way when you press a hidden button.

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jmcquown - 15 Mar 2007 23:11 GMT

> <snip Tessie gets stuck>
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Caroline S.

When Persia first acquired me I didn't know to keep the verticle doors which
led to the washer & dryer secured. She shoved open one of the doors, jumped
up on the washer and hopped down the side of it. Of course she couldn't
jump back up, it was a very small space! I strained my back moving the
washing machine to get her out of there. OUCH! I secured the doors with
big heavy rubber bands until she figured out it was not a place she should
go.

Jill

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Caroline S. - 16 Mar 2007 16:48 GMT

<snip Persia and washer>

This thread is really speaking to me! Mithu did the same when we lived
in an apartment. He got down behind the stacked washer dryer in the
tiny closet. I couldn't get him to come out, so I used treats to lure
him out. He managed to come out on his own. Then I realized that in
one lesson I had taught him a new way to get treats :O

So I had to keep the door closed after that and make sure he didn't
hop up onto the dryer when I was doing laundry.

Caroline S.

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jmcquown - 17 Mar 2007 00:04 GMT

> <snip Persia and washer>
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Caroline S.

Even worse, I worked with a woman who left her dryer door open and her cat
went inside to sleep in the nice warm place. I don't have to tell you what
happened next. (sigh) At least I just got a strained back and your Mithu
got some treats.

Jill

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Magic Mood Jeep© - 15 Mar 2007 20:46 GMT

> This morning I was cuddling with Scouty and I realised I hadn't seen
> Tessie for HOURS. I called her name and she didn't come... so I got
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> and I put it back again... hopefully she's learnt her lesson, but if
> she disappears again I'll know where to look first!

Poor Tessie!

We have a similar setup, with 7-foot-tall bookcases in a corner (they
actually hold DVDs, not books) with a space behind them where they meet in
the corner. Only one of ours isn't up against the wall all the way, due to
a window sill being there (bookcase doesn't show in the window, but the sill
is just about an inch longer so the bookcase just hits it). This posed too
be too interesting bit of a crack to avoid being investigated by a
particular kitten, Betty, when she was about 3-4 months old. Since the
bookshelf was at an angle, she managed to sqeeeeeeeeeeeeze her way back into
the corner - but then the gap was smaller back there and she couldn't get
back out! Not sure how long she was back there, as I heard her raspy little
squeak when I got up that morning, and (like you) followed the sound. I
could see her peering at me through the 1/2 inch gap between the bookcases.
The bad thing is, Betty prefers to scoot away from me, so try as I might,
even after moving the one bookcase further out so there was room for her, I
couldn't coax her out! I had to resort to the spray bottle (only used to
break up kitty-skirmishes, and when the dog has been outside, has food, but
still barks in the kitchen), and she shot out of there when the first drop
hit her.

She did it again a week or so later.

Bookcase is now uneven from the other so cats can go in AND out!

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Shiral - 15 Mar 2007 21:48 GMT

Nina once disappeared into the depths of my late barcalounger chair. I
only discovered her after tearing up my bedroom in panic when I
couldn't find her. (I mean, I tore apart my BED, I was so frightened.)
That chair is now gone!

Melissa

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jmcquown - 15 Mar 2007 22:22 GMT

> MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was definitely coming from the
> corner of the livingroom, so I peered behind the entertainment unit
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> and I put it back again... hopefully she's learnt her lesson, but if
> she disappears again I'll know where to look first!

Poor Tessie baby! I'm glad you got her out from behind that nasty bookcase.
Thanks for the rfc chat earlier, too :)

Jill

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Christina Websell - 16 Mar 2007 19:40 GMT

Phew! I'm so glad you found out where she was!

Tweed

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polonca12000 - 18 Mar 2007 23:20 GMT

> This morning I was cuddling with Scouty and I realised I hadn't seen
> Tessie for HOURS. <snip>

Tessie has shown much interest in the lower shelves but I

> didn't think even she could find a way up on top of them. I was wrong.
> She climbed up on top somehow and noticed the small square space
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> and I put it back again... hopefully she's learnt her lesson, but if
> she disappears again I'll know where to look first!

How scary!
Purrs,
Polonca and Soncek

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