I was in the middle of a Teams meeting yesterday when I heard a thump at the front door and saw it open a few inches. My Taller Half was asleep in the bedroom. Maybe a delivery person left a package? I stared at the door, then realized if I didn’t get up and shut it, our cats would go exploring. I ran to the door, opened it a few more inches, and in strode Linus. No human was in sight. I returned to my meeting.
Linus is a long, handsome black cat. He moves like a panther, his regal bearing spoiled only by two top teeth that occasionally catch on his lip, changing the panther into a goofy vampire. He moves with confidence when he’s comfortable, but he’s skittish in certain areas of the house. Then, he moves slowly, tentatively, swinging his head back and forth to look for sudden movement. MTH thinks he sees spirits, perhaps of pets long gone. I told him that the only spirit in our house is the Holy One, and I doubt Linus is seeing Him.
To explain the door, I have to go back before I met MTH, about seven years ago when Minnie, a 60-pound Lab mix, found her forever home. Minnie had been in three rescues and one animal control facility across two states before she came to us. It was love at first sight. My youngest son and daughter took turns trying to burn the energy out of her. She was a big pup in a small apartment, so we had to work to keep her busy. My daughter decided to teach her to do tricks, and she was a good trainer. The most impressive trick was teaching Minnie how to open doors. We had lever handles in the apartment, and once she learned to swat at the handles with her paw, her weight would do the rest and open the door. We were amused … until we had to start locking our bedroom doors to keep her out.
One day, my son and I were watching a movie, and Minnie was being a pest, so we shut her in his bedroom. Those doors swung inward, so her pushes couldn’t work … which is why we were surprised a few minutes later when she came trotting out to pester us.
“You must not have closed the door well,” I told my son.
He took her back to the room, closed the door, and we both sat, listening, waiting. Sure enough, within a minute, we heard the door and out trotted Minnie. We eventually witnessed her technique. She stands on her hind legs, the door handle between her front paws. She then moves the handle down and starts backing up. We were amazed, amused, and disturbed. Minnie now had the run of the house.
When I bought the house in Pixley, the doors were flimsy, so I replaced the three exterior doors, adding new deadbolts and handles. I might be living in Pixley, but I was leaving a big city, and I was going to live alone for the first time in my life. I preferred the look of the lever handles, and Minnie wasn’t strong enough to open a heavy exterior door, so I wasn’t concerned about Minnie becoming an escape artist. Besides, I always use the deadbolt.
A few months after I moved to Pixley, I had to drive across the state for a doctor’s appointment. It was a three-hour drive and a time change, and I was nervous about arriving on time, so I left myself plenty of time. About half an hour after I left, my neighbor called me.
Did you leave Minnie outside?
No, of course not!
Well, she’s outside now.
I couldn’t leave Minnie outside, so I turned the car around and arrived home 30 minutes later to find Minnie sitting in the driveway, waiting for me. The front door was locked, but I walked around to the back and found the door open. I must not have turned the deadbolt all the way.
After locking Minnie safely inside and checking all the doors, I headed back down the highway and made it to my appointment with seconds to spare.
Fast forward through a hurricane, a wedding, and a bunch of cats, and MTH and I were in front of our house enjoying the afternoon. Minnie was with us, as was Linus, one of the two cats that insist on spending some time outdoors. Most of our cats were ferals who were adopted by MTH. He is a cat whisperer. It’s who he is, what he did before he and I married. Most of the cats are content to stay indoors, but Linus likes to stretch out on the walkway, soaking up the sun. Minnie decided that she wanted to go inside, probably to find some unattended cat food to eat, so she batted at the handle and pushed. Linus watched her, fascinated.
Later, we laughed when we saw Linus batting at the lever of the front door when he wanted to go outside. He could never pull the door open, but it was a handy signal. Sometimes, he’d hop on a chair near the door, trying to figure out how to open the handle himself, but he just couldn’t pull the door open. He then started swatting the handle when he wanted to come in. It scared me the first time, hearing someone trying the handle of the door, but then it became amusing.
Life in Pixley has made me less cautious. I still deadbolt the door when we’re home … most of the time. But sometimes, I forget. One time, I heard the handle move and saw the door open, and I gasped. But when I rounded the couch to approach the front door, in strutted Linus. I must not have closed it well. It must have been partly open. Yesterday, I learned better. The door was shut, but he managed to slap the lever down while throwing his considerable weight at the door. Thud!
I imagine he will teach our other cats and a couple of neighborhood cats who like to hang out here to open doors. We have the cool kids’ house when it comes to animals because of MTH, the big, scary man with the big, soft heart. He will leave a bit of food out for a feral cat and make a warm box for strays to sleep in when the temps drop below freezing. We’ve already spied a possum at the door, helping himself to the cat food. Eventually, it might be a coyote or a bobcat, I warn him. Then where will we be?
As I was finishing writing the last sentence, I heard the lever handle move. I locked the deadbolt this time, so I went to open the door. In trotted Linus followed by a local feral cat with a huge appetite and a bad attitude. We call him Sam. He will come in the house a few feet just to see what inside is like, but he heads back out as soon as we bring the food. Sam likes to hiss and swat at me and Minnie, especially if we’re not quick enough with the vittles. Great. Now he has learned from Linus the magical secret of the door. It will be just like Animal Farm soon, with the animals running the show. As I watch my beloved get breakfast for all the assorted creatures before we enjoyed our own, I realize that perhaps they already are.
