Wednesday, November 19, 2014

The Great Escape

DSC_1764

I invested in a new kennel to contain the kittens. It's nearly twice the size of the one we were perviously using.  It's so large, a 5'4" human can fit inside. Don't ask my how I know this.

I set up the cage in the guest room, lined it with blankets, placed their bed, dishes, toys, and litter box inside, then added the kittens. They appeared to be quite happy to be in their new, expanded quarters.

Once they were settled, I left the room and got busy with some work stuff.  An hour or so later, I heard a few squeaks, so I went to investigate. I opened the door and found two kittens in the cage, heard a cry from below, and Wilma was at my feet. I scooped her up, and put her back inside with the others.

I thought for sure I had put them all in there earlier, but maybe she had slipped out as I closed the door?  As I stood there feeling perplexed,  that agile little monkey climbed the bars of the cage in record time, and popped right through the bars of the roof, which are a little further apart than the bars of the cage sides.  Looking at those bars, and looking at that kitten, you would never think she could pass through with such ease, but she did. And this cage is thirty-six inches tall! It's the XXL and built to contain a Grate Dane or Mastiff.  That tiny kitten, did a three-foot vertical sprint.

I put her back inside, and while I searched for a solution to prevent another escape from the zoo, she did it again, and even faster than before.

I threw a lap quilt over the top of the cage and watched another attempt. The weight of the quilt made it too difficult for her to wriggle out.  She hung there for a second, then dropped, landing on the audience below, who were in a puddle of blankets.  She untangled herself from her siblings, tried again, paused half way up the cage, then aborted the plan.

I added a piece of cardboard beneath the quilt.  I think that should prevent further escapes, but Wilma is one very determined little kitten, so who knows!




37 comments:

  1. Oh Wilma, that just made me laugh! I know we don't want to encourage "bad" behavior, but I'd love to see a video of the great escape artist in action!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you! Point me to the donation link because I'd pay to see that video!

      Sometimes "bad" behavior IS the most fun! heehee

      Delete
  2. Must be some way to add 'Houdini' to Wilma's name...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Wilma, you are so cute and clever and quick!

    "Don't Fence Me In"

    Auntie Em

    ReplyDelete
  4. Go Wilma!!! She is one smart cookie! There really is one in every group, isn't there? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. That reminds me of a dog I knew who would mysteriously escape his back yard, despite the electric wire strung across the top. One day we finally caught him climbing the fence just like Wilma in the picture and sliding underneath the wire (it was set away from the top of the fence.)

    Animals can be clever when they have a goal!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wilma just wants some "alone time" with you! Snorted with laughter over this post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Who do we know that's 5'4"....?

    Wilma's a smart little kitty. But why are her claws so yellow? My cat's claws are white.

    What will happen when the quarantine time is up and Bean and Wylla get to meet them and the kittens are still in their cage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's the artificial light in the room that makes them look that way.

      They will be out of their cage when quarantine is over.

      Delete
  8. Where there's a Will-Ma, there's a way!

    ReplyDelete
  9. one of the last foster did that with a pen I set up as a gate - only she was tiny enough she slipped through the bars. took me three tries of putting her back before I figured out how she was getting out. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Such a little rascal !!! -- you really do need eyes on the back of your head where kittens are concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What we have here is a little cat burglar in the making! She's already dressed in all black, and now she's working on her break-in (and break-out) skills.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ha! Little monkey.

    ReplyDelete
  13. She's obviously extremely attention starved and desperate for pets and hugs, and that's why she feels the need to escape from the kennel. How can you deny such a cute little bug the fondest desire of her sweet little heart? ;D Such a resourceful, determined little girl. It would have been great if you could have gotten Wilma's Great Escape on video. Silly monkey!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Surely you've seen the funny videos compilation that includes a cat squeezing under a door (through a gap maybe two inches wide plus another inch or two thickness of squishable carpet)?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wasn't that Sue from Pitter Pats? Loved that!

      Delete
  15. Further proof that cats are liquid - and kitties are too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I can't believe that little round belly fits through the bars! That is one determined kitten.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Too darned cute! Snorgles to the little escape artist!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I use bumgee and zig zag across the wire gaps. My big cage has gaps at 2 bottom corners and tiny kittens could get out. Amazing how clever they are at such a young age. Gail

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a little monkey!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You'll need to put cardboard around the bottom part of the crate also. They will squeeze between the bars. I fostered kittens and used a large dog crate and found that kittens can squeeze through some very small spaces!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I use a large dog kennel for an outdoor kitty kennel. Pansy has always stayed in it. I had her wonderful brother Pete in with her on one occasion and he actually pushed his head out of the door corner enough to catch his fangs on a support bar. There he was, thrashing about and stuck by the teeth because he only tried to pull away. With kitties, always expect the unexpected!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Kisses and cuddles for Wilma the agile one, for Frieda and Stewart, and for Wylla and Charlene!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Adoreable muffin WILMA!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a little minx that Wilma is.... toooo cute

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yayy! Teeny, tiny Wilma is in good company with another famous Wilma...

    Wilma Rudolph...an Olympic champion...considered the fastest woman in the world in the '''1960s...The powerful sprinter emerged from the 1960 Rome Olympics as "The Tornado, the fastest woman on earth". The Italians nicknamed her La Gazzella Nera ("The Black Gazelle");[
    to the French she was La Perle Noire ("The Black Pearl").

    Bio from Wikipedia
    url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Rudolph

    ReplyDelete
  26. It sounds like you have a sweet little setup there Wilma, what with your toys and blankies, I don't know...I'd want to stay in! And how is it you managed to squeeze your tummy through those wires, Miss Wilma!?!

    ReplyDelete
  27. O Wilma!
    Feels so 'neglected'...but exhibits great creativity & determination.
    She wants her Butterbean Bath! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I, too, would pay money to see a video of Wilma scrambling to the top of the kennel! She's so tiny, but obviously one smart kitty.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Loved the "landing on the audience below" part.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I do wish you'd happened to have a camera running for that....

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh, Wilma, you smart little scamp. You're going to be a wonderful addition to someone's family soon!

    Last fall, we bought a giant dog kennel cage for our foster kittens and had the exact same problem with two escape artists. Not only did we put cardboard on the top and weighed it down with a blanket, we ended up having to clothespin that blanket all around the top. And that solved that!

    ReplyDelete

Linkwithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin