Cat Turns Off The Lights

[EmmiTemmi]

My 7mo cat has recently (tonight) learned that he can turn off the lights in my living room by jumping at the light switch. No complaints here yet, it's just super cute, and since I caught it on film it's super popular on my snap story. Ever since he started jumping at it a few nights ago, I knew it would happen one day. Anyone else's cat do this?

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Wellcome to hell, you have a terrifying combo: a smart and agile cat. Bengals, Savannahs, and Snowshoes are some breeds from which you can expect the kind of hobby you are describing. My bengal X Alice used to have fun turning lights on and off. If she was hungry in the middle of the night and I was not feeding her, she would switch the light on and meow until I filled her bowl.
Next thing are usually doors, so you will probably have to do something to prevent doors to be opened by your cat if the handles are not rounded. In the Bengal cat world, there is an activity called "bengal-proofing your home". You basically want to be sure that doors, windows, cabinets, etc, cannot be opened by non humans. You probably want to reconsider too where to put valuable and delicate objects, as "high" is not going to be safe any more.
My own Bengal, Freya, is luckily too tiny yet to Play with lights and doors, but I am ready.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I'm very grateful to not have a Bengal breed then. I can't imagine the havoc they would cause in my apartment! Both of my boys are very agile though, so I have needed to put everything I don't want them getting into up over 6ft high so far. Hopefully they never jump higher than that! I'm very jealous of people with Bengal breeds though. They're so gorgeous!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

EmmiTemmi - I have one of these delightful cats - a Snowshoe. She'll flip light switches on and off, open doors, unlatch cabinets, turn the TVs, radio and CD player(s) on and off, turn on the water in the sink, reset the thermostats, play with the toaster over switch (now unplugged immediately after each use since she "re-toasted" two slices of bread to near-charcoal), create diversions which allow her to steal slices of pizza (no - honestly - ask my veterinarian - it was his slice of pizza), and basically wreak havoc everywhere in the house.

They are - like Bengals, Thais and Savannahs - too intelligent for their our own good. Two days ago she unlatched the short gate which is closed at the top of the staircase when the Roombas are roombah-ing, and no doubt intentionally guided it onto the staircase, where gravity exerted upon it its inexorable force. Roombas do not do well on staircases, and they do that not-doing-well at great downward speed. The impact knocked the cheap plastic cover off as though it were a cheap plastic cover, and when I discovered what had happened, the poor Roomba was lying wrong side up like a stranded turtle, and buzzing like a solenoid robot, while the Snowshoe calmly disemboweled it.

I consider myself very fortunate indeed; Kieka has two Snowshoes.
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[Kieka]

Most stories when I get home from work start with, "Your cat...". I which I ask "which one?". Although 9 times out of 10 it is my boy.

Just the other day he was helping us keep an eye on the rabbit. Good thing the cage has redundant locks that require a thumb to open.

 

[jcat]

Our last cat had a "thing" about switches and buttons and especially loved to turn off the reading lamp between the sofas when it was in use, squeal, then run away. The redial button on the phone, the test button on the printer, and the open/close tray button on the DVD player were also favorites. We had to get an actual lock for our freezer because we'd come home to the door open and everything defrosted. We used to unplug whatever possible before leaving him alone in the house.

Mowgli the Glutton's specialty is cabinet doors, and everything in the pantry has to be stored in big plastic boxes.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

You see? Bengals are not that bad. Snowshoes are way more challenging, according to what I've heard
Bengals are mostly a little hyper, and can develop eccentric hobbies, but that is all

 

[EmmiTemmi]

First time I've tried posting a video here. But if it works, this is a video of the 2nd time he ever turned off the lights!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

First time I've tried posting a video here. But if it works, this is a video of the 2nd time he ever turned off the lights!

EmmiTemmi - You win. Your Snowshoe clearly made a Red Tabby costume and is wearing it for this video.
.

 

[Kitty Mommy]

My kitty Max likes to get in the kitchen cabinets. Its kind of a shock sometimes to open a cabinet to get out the cereal and there he is just sitting in there or he will leap out at me when I open the door.

 

[Darkiplier]

This thread makes me so thankful that cats don't have thumbs. Something tells me they'd have already evolved into their bronze age, right past great apes.

 

[LTS3]

Leroy turns on the bathroom fan / shower light all the time It's the switch closest to the bathroom counter. I've taken to turning off the bathroom switches from the circuit breaker so if Leroy flips the switch, the fan and shower light doesn't run all day long and run up the electricity bill.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

This thread makes me so thankful that cats don't have thumbs. Something tells me they'd have already evolved into their bronze age, right past great apes.

Would be a nice alternative for the clasic version, wouldn't It?
"The Planet of the Cats"

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Would be a nice alternative for the clasic version, wouldn't It?
"The Planet of the Cats"

Alejandra Rico - Change that to The Planet Of The Snowshoes and you have the making of a real horror film.

.

 

[Darkiplier]

Would be a nice alternative for the clasic version, wouldn't It?
"The Planet of the Cats"

Alejandra Rico - Change that to The Planet Of The Snowshoes and you have the making of a real horror film.

View attachment 204689
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Futurama got it right.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Okay, well, I used to think it was cute for Colby to jump and turn off the lights... But now he's also turning them on. I'll come home at 1-2am after a night out and the lights will be on when I know they were off when I left. Or I'll wake up in the morning and the lights will be on. I'm not made of money, grad student stipend is enough to live paycheck to paycheck, but I don't want to pay for electricity I'm not using!

I've tried taping small cardboard bits over the switches, but he just tears the cardboard down and then flips the light switch. I'd do something with more staying power if my landlord allowed command strips at all. But alas, I'm lost on what to do to stop the light switch flipping! Any advice?

 

[Mama to the crew]

I aways joke my house was toddler proof because of my to smart for their on good then i rescused 6 cats two who where 4wks old (a suprise with mama no one knew she had kittens until we went to take her home thank god the head of that operation was doing a health check and noticed milk) so we had to tiny proof it lol

 

[Furballsmom]

I was in a store today and saw a switch plate cover that was solid, I think as a childproofing item? Maybe childproof items would be useful in some way.

 

[furmonster mom]

Time to go shopping in the toddler/baby aisles.

We do not have human children, but we have Ocicats. Ya see that guy in my avatar? yeah... that's Loki. And he earned his name fair and square.

We have had to child lock several cupboards, removed the springy door stoppers, I've had to tape/booby trap my plants, I have to tape my closet shut when we leave for a trip... One day I found Loki at the sliding glass door to the patio with his ears laid back, tail whipping, and growling as he pawed at it. He had figured out that it slides like the closet doors, but it was locked tight, and it was pissing him off!

Oh, and the child locks have to be the magnetic kind, because he figured out that enough persistence he could force the springy kind open. We've actually toilet trained our cats, but haven't taught them how to flush... egads! I can't imagine the water bill if he figured that one out!

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I was in a store today and saw a switch plate cover that was solid, I think as a childproofing item? Maybe childproof items would be useful in some way.

Is it something that could be used without changing the current switch or adding something large over it? My landlord is slightly old-fashioned and won't let me change any minor appliance in my apartment, is opposed to 'adhesives' on anything, he has no email, no cell phone, and is very strict about everything in general.

When I first was looking at this place he wanted me to declaw any cats I had or would ever have in this place. I negotiated on that aspect, so no declawed cats here! But still, no adhesives ANYWHERE (command strips) in my apartment, and no nails or screws in the walls. But I did just resign for the next year, so I still have the light switch problem, but I can't change anything about the switches/around the switches. It's so frustrating. I've never had a landlord reject command strips. But it's cheap rent for how close to campus it is, so I will follow his rules.