Not all cats were created equal – some are sweet and quiet while others are loud and mischievous!
Recently, one cat went viral for its antics after the staff at the animal shelter went home after a long day. At Friends For Life, an animal shelter at Houston, Texas, the animals are placed in comfortable enclosures so they can rest well.
To ensure that the enclosures are also easily accessible to kids and those in wheelchairs, the staff installed levers for the doors instead of round knobs. While that is welcomed by the visitors, a cat named Quilty thought it was simply perfect for escaping!
One morning, the staff were surprised to find all the cats were out of the enclosure – and the shelter was trashed! Some of the cats felt too excited over their faux newfound freedom that they peed or even took a dump at spots inside the office. Tsk. Tsk.
The staff also had a difficult time making the cats move back to their enclosure, even with the offer of some tasty cat food and treats.
Exasperated, the staff reviewed the CCTV footage to find the culprit who let the cats out. They wondered whether there was a prankster that opened the door while no one was watching; though the staff were sure they double checked the doors before leaving the facility the previous night.
Imagine their surprise to see Quilty being the instigator! The sly cat knew how to open the door by moving the lever. With the door open, it appeared to call the other cats to move out of the enclosure and explore the facility. Uh-oh.
According to Communications lead of Friends for Life, Jennifer Hopkins, Quilty had stayed at the shelter for months before getting adopted. But recently, he was brought back to the shelter because his owners were moving.
Apparently, the cat has become used to outdoor life that it didn’t like staying in the enclosure. Since it belonged to a home, it must have learned how to observe how humans open doors. So, when the time was right, it led the ‘great escape’.
But the animals were unable to get out of the facility due to the doors that had knobs too high for Quilty to reach. Thus, they were only able to explore the animal shelter before they were discovered by the staff.
The shelter had to put added measures to prevent Quilty from opening the door, such as adding a child lock. But Quilty still manages to stealthily get out by hiding near the door and dashing out once someone opens it. LOL.
“Opening doors isn’t a new skill — he would let his dog brother in from going outside at his old home. His previous owner continues to check up on him, and they’ll be thrilled with how much love he’s received,” Jennifer explained.
“If someone out there is looking for a clever cat that gets along with dogs but does not get along with closed doors, we have someone they really need to come and meet.”
Would you adopt a sly but clever cat like Quilty?