Catsitting with Crowbars

Today I locked myself in Tammy's master bedroom while feeding the cats. The doorknobs are loose, and when I closed the door to keep the other cats out of the master bedroom, the doorknob on the outside fell off, and the piece between the doorknobs got pushed back so I couldn't put the inside doorknob on it and turn it to open the door.

So picture this. I'm first wrestling with the door while balancing two water dishes in my hands (I was headed to the bathroom to change the waters when I realized I was locked in) and I have seven pairs of eyes watching me. Jasper had followed me into the room and wanted out again, but when he realized it was going to be a while, he jumped up on the window ledge and watched the entertainment from there. Such help. Also observing me: Mia, Scarlet, Al, Goldie, Gracie and Izzy, the latter three who are dying for me to pet them right that minute, winding around my knees as I try unsuccessfully to fit the doorknob back on. Gracie will go so far as to nip me if I don't move fast enough, so that's another distraction.

So then I consider calling Tim to come let me out, since the room has a phone, but he's in the middle of his shift, and I know that would be a story that would circulate around my old office in a hurry, so I try to come up with another solution. Several of the cats, mind you, think this is really entertaining, and are twining around my ankles as I survey the hangers and search for a screwdriver or something to turn the latch mechanism. High entertainment, I'm sure.

Finally I spot a funky kind of straight hanger (she had no wire hangers!! argh!) that I use as a crowbar to pry the door open with minimal damage. Then I pick pieces of doorknob out of the cat litter box on the other side of the door, and put everything back together, reminding myself NOT to latch the door the next time.