How to keep a cat out of the closet.. suggestions?

[Draco]

Help?

Monet has figured out how to open my closet door. It's one of those sliding doors that slides to the side to open, and it has 3 sliding doors (the middle door in front of the other two).

He's been getting in there every night. I've tried blocking the area, but he manages to push everything to the side to get in. Ssccatt won't work since it's in my bedroom and in an area that it would constantly go off whenever me or the cats go in the room.

I've even gotten wood 2x4's, cut to size and place it at the door where you can't open it unless you move the wood.. he's figured out how to move the wood.

I've placed a large piece of foam board in the inside of the door, figuring it'd block him and Cassie from going in.. they figured out how to push that aside.

Catching him in action won't work since he does it when I am asleep, and I can't hear a single thing at nights with my hearing-aids out!

Cassie's been chewing the strings of my clothes off.. she's destroyed 3 blouses, a skirt and chewed a pair of pants already. Not to mention, I've found slimy, wet strings of my shirt in the bathroom. I know she swallowed it and hacked it back up. I know it's her since she's obsessed with strings of all sorts.

My closet doesn't only hold my clothes, it holds a lot of my art supplies and paints and would be poisonous if they got into them! I once found an open container of Play Doh and teeth marks in it.. One of them ate a bit of it! Also I have X-acto knives and clay knives in the closet too. I'd hate for that to fall on them or worse!

The closet is not safe for them, and I want to keep them OUT! I used to keep a bucket of dry food in the closet. No more after I woke up to see the food all over the floor! this was his motivation to get into the closet, and now it's become a habit and a fun (dangerous) place for them to explore.

Does anyone have any suggestions that I have not tried yet? Below is a pic that's similar to my closet doors (found on the internet as I am at work). Same function. Monet opens the middle door, but he knows how to open the side doors too.

3425400_f520.jpg

• Draco
• Jul 23, 2012

If worse comes to worse.. I guess I can buy bins to put all my art stuff inside and figure out how to keep my clothes from cat claws and teeth.. but for now, I want to try to keep him out

 

[odiakkoh]

Yeah the wood thing was my only idea but you've already tried that. Ugh I'll keep thinking but hopefully someone else can come along sooner to help.

 

[Draco]

thanks

I forgot to mention.. this is in an apartment.. so I can't be drilling holes or anything to alter/damage the area

 

[orientalslave]

Looks to me like you could fit a catch of some sort, and remove it and fill the screw holes when you leave.

 

[redvelvetone]

yeah I'd try that with a catch on the door. Otherwise, do you have something heavy that you can put in front of the closet that is too big for them to push aside? (Cinderblock or something?)

Magnus always goes into my closets and in my art room, but, luckily for me / him, he shows no interest on chewing on my paints and inks. The only stuff he's gone after are the paintbrushes so I leave them in a place he can't get to, (but I did give him one clean / unused brush for "his" enjoyment.

artcat-003 (2).jpg

• redvelvetone
• Jul 23, 2012

 

artcat-002.jpg

• redvelvetone
• Jul 23, 2012

 

[Draco]

I will take a ride to the hardware store after work to see what sort of catch they might have that wont do much damage.

and those are some great pics of the cat with the brush. I imagine Monet or Cassie doing the same!

 

[cinderflower]

i had the same problem but for a different reason.  i had no track on the bottom so if the cat pushed, one door would kind of swing in, and then they could just walk in.  i pushed them all the way in with heavy things, but then it was a hassle for me

  here's one that's adhesive only http://www.onestepahead.com/pwr/pro...Door-Locks-For-Patio-Closet-Doors-2-Pack.html  so you don't have to drill.  if you don't like that one, just image google "locks for sliding closet doors".  some actually lock with a key.  i just put sturdier partial tracks on the floor and now the doors are heavy enough they can't get in.  watch that string thing, they don't always wa-hop it up.

 

[Draco]

those might actually work, Cinder! Thanks so much! I will see if my store has them and I will report back with the results

 

[Draco]

I found the butterfly door safety lock that Cinder linked me to at Buy Buy Baby. Hope it works! I stuck it on earlier and need to let it stick for a while before I 'activate' it.. we'll see!

 

[Draco]

While that safety lock was a good idea, it came right off the door. I tried super-glueing it on and it came off again. Scrap that idea!

I asked a co-worker to trim the wood's edges so it'd fit in the guide on the floor.. maybe Monet can't pull it out now.

 

[cinderflower]

great. oh well.  i was actually going to buy the ones you have to screw in but a friend of mine said, "oh you don't need that, you need better tracks."  "there used to be some on there but they were plastic and one broke and the other one just came out of the floor." "whoever did it then, didn't do it right."  then he did them right and they're great.

i hardly ever use super glue unless it's on something very light.  there's an epoxy called JB Weld that's about $5 and i have used that.  i have a metal floor lamp that had to be assembed but the cat knocked it over and it came apart.  in examining it, only one end  of the two parts actually had threads (??? lol) so i used that epoxy and it works great.  they make one that's a cold weld you can use on your car, and i don't know about that but the epoxy comes in two separate tubes (shared plunger) that only mixes together when you use it.  just be really really careful if you do choose to use it and try not to get any on you.  you can get super glue off with nail polish remover but i think epoxy is pretty much there long-term.

 

[riccadawn]

Could you get a thin wooden rod that would just lay in the bottom track? Since it would be laying IN the track, the kitties wouldn't be able to move it as easily as a 2x4.

 

[hsusan]

When they're both closed, you can drill a hole through the back door. A dowl inserted into that hole will keep the the doors from opening. My dowel is about 6" long and has a string attached to one end of it and the other end of the string is attached to the front door so I don't loose it.

 

[Primula]

If it were me I would take this photo & thread to a Home Depot & ask them to help me. Most of those guys are very handy.

 

[Draco]

Hi @HSusan  ! Welcome to the site, and thank you for your suggestion!!!

This thread is 4 yeas old But a great suggestion and I used exactly that in my new place and it worked like a charm.

Previously I lived in an apartment where I wouldnt be able to drill holes anyway.