When it comes to opening doors, whether with handles or a door knob, some cats are pros. Sometimes, a bright cat figures out exactly how doors work and how to pull or turn to get out. Other times, they seem to luck into it, jumping against a door until it pops open.
Many shelters have a resident cat who repeatedly opens doors or the latches on kennels. For instance, a cat in Texas, Quilty, became famous for busting his friends out to the main area of the shelter. In other cases, cats have been known to open doors for people too!
Quilty via YouTube/KPRC 2 Clikc2Houston
Cat Opens Door Knob with Both Paws
But it’s not often we see video evidence like the one you’re about to see. It shows a black and white cat matter-of-factly walking up to a door and using both paws to turn a doorknob. It’s tool use, right? Well, cats have been seen using tools before, and we cat lovers know they are super smart sometimes.
Redditor foflexity shared the video of his Tuxedo cat in the family shed. As he explained, the cat was in the shed when the family started eating outside on the patio.
“Last time we ate on the patio, he quickly hopped up and walked away with a slice of my pizza in his mouth,” he explained.
Somehow, his cat kept getting out, so the man set up his phone to see what was happening.
“I couldn’t comprehend that this was how he was getting out, so I setup my phone and he did this right away,” reads the caption.
As you can see in the video below, this cat has probably done this before.
There’s no delay; he just walks up and gets the job done. If you’ll notice, the cat braces his hind legs so he has the leverage to pull the door open after turning the knob. Amazing!
Video and images above via Reddit/foflexity
Viewers React to Seeing Tuxie Cat Opening Door Knob
On Instagram, people responded after seeing the same video.
According to one person with Tuxedo Cats, they are exceptionally bright.
“Tuxedo Cats are scary smart. We have two, they keep us on our toes! Once cats evolve thumbs they will rule the earth.”
“Once they get thumbs, we might as well give in!” responded another person.
As we’ve recently shared, polydactyl cats with what looks like opposable thumbs are real. So our cat overlords could be sooner than we think? For many, that time may have already come.
Skillsets for Cats Opening Doors
More tuxie people chimed in, saying their cats have figured out how doors work to varying degrees. Some cats can pull on handles or levers, but not as many go so far as to open a round doorknob.
“My tuxie does this with door handles but thankfully he hasn’t figured knobs out 😂”
“Mine too!!!” replied another person. “He knows how it works. Fortunately, those are sturdy enough, so he can’t complete the mission 😂😂😂 they are pretty smart! Glad he just taps the knobs 😂.”
Meanwhile, some people on Reddit were surprised.
“I’m impressed / surprised paw beans don’t slip on the door knob. Would have a hard time believing it without the video!” said one person.
Others recommended ways to help prevent the cat from getting out.
“Adding a touch screen lock might help, but he might memorize your code too,” said one person.
Someone else recommended child-proof door knob covers to keep the cat inside. Would it work? Well, in the case of Quilty, they tried just about everything, but he still set himself free multiple times.
The video below shows a cat opening five doors in a row. And all that was just for the chance to lay down on the sidewalk outside. If they really set their minds to it (and feel like it), cats can do some spectacular things.
