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We just installed a pet door on the back door, and watching the critters get used to it is interesting to say the least.
The d*gs got used to it pretty fast; we just shoved them through a few times and called them back in until they got used to it. Mac wasn't too enthused about all this, growling at the unwanted familiarity, but even he came around.
The cats are another story. We have been allowing them outside when they insisted, but we don't encourage it. However, the back yard is surrounded by a high board fence, and so far neither Cherokee, Pussy, nor Samantha have tried to escape.
Pussy and Samantha ignore the new exit altogether. Cherokee, on the other hand, thinks it's great; he pops in and out, over and over, with this big kitty grin on his puss.
When the outer door is closed, there is about a two-inch gap between the pet door and the outer door. Today, I hadn't gotten around to opening the outer door yet when Toby decided he wanted to play "Bite the Tail," with Cherokee providing the tail. The more the tail moves, the more vigorously the pup bites, and the more Toby bites, the madder Cherokee gets, and the madder he gets, the faster he twitches his tail. Said tail is a never-ending source of entertainment for Toby, but Cherokee is not amused.
Finally Sir Grumps-a-lot got tired of being the play-pretty and bolted for the door, not realizing the outer door was closed. He hit the pet door with a resounding "THUMP!" and bounced halfway across the floor, right into the Jaws of Toby. The pup took advantage of the situation to clamp down hard enough to make Cherokee screech and hit the door again, with the same result as before.
The cat focussed on Toby as the cause of his discomfort, and the fur flew. My, Cherokee was mad! With a snort of disgust at the rapidly disappearing mutt (YIPE! YIPE! YIPE!), Cherokee turned his attention to the recalcitrant portal. Cautiously he approached and batted the flap with his paw. The flap moved freely, the cat not having pushed it hard enough to hit the outer door. Puzzled, he batted the flap again. The flap hung free.
At just that instant Toby, having completely forgotten the results of the last time he tackled Cherokee, as well as having recovered his sense of play, ran up behind the cat and bit him hard on the tail. Cherokee, taken completely by surprise, let out a screech you could hear to Jericho and slammed into the door once again.
For the first time ever, Cherokee leaped on top of my monitor at a single bound and refuses to come down. I opened the door, but he resolutely refuses to acknowledge its existence. Meanwhile, Toby is barking so hard trying to coax him down to play some more, he bounces off the floor with each "yap." The cat won't budge.
I wonder why?
Editor's note:
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