And Did I Mention It Was Early?

This morning, per her usual habits, Maud tried to knock over the lamp. Now, I'm not at my best and brightest in the mornings, and so rather than hunt her down and deal with her trying to knock over my coffee and sit on my magazine, I put her on time out. That is, I shut her in the bathroom so I could finish my breakfast in peace.

I could hear her pawing away at the doorknob, and thought to myself what a smart little kitty I have. She gets that the doorknob is the key to opening the door! Soon enough, she'll figure out how to open doors and we won't be able to put her on time out anymore! My widdle baby's gwowing up!

Ahem. That was not entirely accurate.

When I got up to let her out, the handle wouldn't turn. She had somehow managed to lock the door. And of course, being one of those cheapy bathroom door-style locks, we didn't exactly have a key.

I tried jiggling a paperclip in the hole. I tried jiggling a chopstick in the hole. Maud tried batting at the doorknob some more. No results.

I wasn't exactly panicked, because that bathroom is where we keep her food, water, and litterbox, so if she was going to lock herself in anywhere, this was the place to do it. But still. I was going to have to leave for work soon, and I really didn't want to leave her in a tiny room with a closed window on a day that's shaping up to be 80 degrees and humid.

I called Guy, and luckily reached him before he got on the train. He went down into the basement and came up with some tools. Some tools that were more effective than a paperclip and a chopstick. The hinges came off, the cat came out.

She may look intelligent and thoughtful there, but apparently she's really dumb.

Or she's messing with us. One of the two.