How Can I Keep My Bedroom Door Cracked Open Just A Couple Of Inches At Night?

cheeser

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I can't let the cats have free run of the house at night anymore because you can't see them in the dark, which is a real problem for the elder folk who can barely get around as it is. But if I close my door, then I'm worried that I won't be able to hear if they need help. So I'm trying to figure out a way to keep my door cracked open enough that I can easily hear what's going on in the rest of the house, but not enough that a cat could get out and wreak havoc.

Any ideas? :)
 

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This product is meant to keep the door open enough for the cat to get through, but not a dog or a kid. But it looks adjustable so maybe you can get it to where the cats can't get through. Or maybe use a baby monitor?

 
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cheeser

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This product is meant to keep the door open enough for the cat to get through, but not a dog or a kid. But it looks adjustable so maybe you can get it to where the cats can't get through. Or maybe use a baby monitor?

Cool. Thanks. I'll take a look at that. :)

Alas, a baby monitor doesn't work because of the ambient noise, e.g., the ceiling fan, medical equipment, etc. It's too bad you can't put collars with a little bell on people, like you can with cats. That would sure help to let me know when they're up and on the move, especially the one that's a night owl and is up and down all night!
 
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cheeser

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I block my door open with a hardcover book and put a couple of cinder blocks against the bottom corner of the door.
Awesome! Low tech, but effective. And I just happen to have some cinder blocks on hand. So I'll give that a try. I'll just need to wrap a light colored pillow case or something around it to help me see it in the dark. I've broken my toes so many times it's not even funny. :)
 
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cheeser

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You can buy a flip up door stop that attaches at the bottom of the door. When it is up the door opens and closes normally but when it is down it won’t open any farther than where it is when you flip it down
Huh. I never would have thought of something like that. Thanks!

Would you happen to know if the door stop stays firmly in place if you have a carpeted floor?
 
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cheeser

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cheeser cheeser - this is a great thread! I think that I will give the DoorBuddy a try - I had no idea that such devices existed! :clap:
Isn't it amazing how awesome this community is for sharing all kinds of info, cat related and otherwise? :)

I was just thinking in terms of stuff like replacing the bedroom door with a screen door, or trying one of those extra tall baby or pet gates that are about 42" tall. I had no idea there were so many cool doodads available that could we could try first. TCS and its members totally rock! :banana1:
 
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cheeser

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cheeser cheeser - I was considering the screendoor as well! It sounds like our situations have some similarities.
Oh, dear. Sorry to hear that. Hope you find something that works best for you. :heartshape:

For our humble little household, looks like trying to keep my door cracked open isn't going to work, as Oscar can make the most awful racket sticking his paws through the crack and trying to force the door open. And I get so little sleep as it is! :wink:

I guess our last resort will be to try a screen door, or maybe a Dutch door. But first, I'm going to see if I can rig up something kinda like a Dutch door just to see if the general concept will work. Maybe securing a piece of plywood to the lower half of the doorway, or thereabouts. We'll see. Fingers crossed. :)
 
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cheeser

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Yes, it will stay in place.
Great! Thanks.

Looks like that's not going to work for the bedroom door since Oscar is way more persistent in trying to open it than I thought. But there are plenty of other rooms in the house where it might be purr-fect! :)
 

Tobermory

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That would sure help to let me know when they're up and on the move, especially the one that's a night owl and is up and down all night!
This suggestion won’t help with your Oscar issue, but it may help with your wandering elder folk. Since I lived 2,000 miles away and she’d fallen before, I installed Nest cams (three actually) in my mom’s apartment, and set them to notify me whenever they picked up movement. Thank goodness I did. She fell in the kitchen early on a Sunday morning and fractured vertebrae in her neck. I was on the phone and had help to her within minutes. The cameras have pretty sophisticated night vision so you can see what’s going on.
 
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cheeser

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This suggestion won’t help with your Oscar issue, but it may help with your wandering elder folk. Since I lived 2,000 miles away and she’d fallen before, I installed Nest cams (three actually) in my mom’s apartment, and set them to notify me whenever they picked up movement. Thank goodness I did. She fell in the kitchen early on a Sunday morning and fractured vertebrae in her neck. I was on the phone and had help to her within minutes. The cameras have pretty sophisticated night vision so you can see what’s going on.
Eep. That must have been scary for you and your mom. Glad the webcams worked out and that you were able to get her the help she needed.

It's a blessing that our resident night owl is still well enough to get around at all. It's just more of a challenge keeping tabs on him at night when everyone has gone to bed. ;)
 
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