Frandini and Her Amazing Dresser Act

About a month ago I began noticing a strange recurrence. For a week on and off, I would notice that my sock drawer was open. I would notice this when I woke up in the morning and when I got home from work. I chalked it up to my forgetfulness - a symptom that comes with every tax season.

One night I was awakened by a pawing noise. This is a frequent noise in our household - we hear it when Fran tries to get into our bedroom closet and when Fran is sharpening her non-existent front claws on a wooden basket we have in the bedroom. But this noise wasn't coming from either of those directions...this was coming from the direction of my sock draw. I look over, in my groggy just waking up state to see a sight similar to this....

Fran looking innocently guilty next to my open sock drawer. So now I know it is not my forgetfulness but our cat's craftiness that has cause this strange recurrence. What I still didn't know was how she was opening it. Our bedroom closet has a space at the bottom that she can get her paw in an push the closet open...but my dresser had no such holes - just the handles.

I was now more attuned to the noise that came before her little sock drawer opening trick, so I woke up a few more nights hoping to catch her in the middle of her trick, but like any good magician - she never gave away her secret. As soon as I would look - after hearing the noise - the drawer was open and she would be batting around one of my pairs of socks.

I wasn't to concerned that Fran was going to "ruin" anything or get her hair all over - as I am with our closet (this is why we now "lock" the closet so that she can't get in.) The baskets I keep my socks in don't leave any room for Fran to wiggle around and make a bed for herself so she wasn't showing any interest in making it one of her hiding places - it just seems like she was doing it because she could. Once it was open she would bat around a little and then walk away.

The night finally came when Fran got a little overconfident. Andrew & I were watching the nightly news in our bedroom. Andrew gave my ribs a good little jab and pointed to the dresser. There was Fran with her paws in the handles - pulling the draw open. I am still not sure I understand the physics of a 15 pound cat pulling a drawer open with no opposable thumbs. In fact I have now seen her preform the act a few times - and I still don't know how she does it.

Well just like any good magician - Fran wanted to expand her bag of tricks. So no longer satisfied with the drawer trick she decided to move on to the doors.

Sure enough - she waited for the right opportunity and busted out her true skills!I was really impressed with this one because there are no handles for her to pull. But I figured she was just able to squeeze her paws in the space between the frame and the door. I was a little more concerned about this discovery - as there are plenty of nice places to make a bed in this section of the dresser. So I started thinking about making a similar "lock" for these doors.

Then I found the secret to this trick. Some of my clothes were in the way of the door closing. So when Fran attempted her trick - the door was already ajar - she just pushed it open. Not that this is not impressive - for her to have seen her opportunity and taken it. But as soon as I realized the trick, I moved the clothes, and fully shut the doors. She has not been successful in the door trick since.

Now for her latest trick...she moved on to the drawer above the sock drawer which holds exercise clothes and bathing suits - a great place for a bed! Knowing that there was no way to prevent Fran from attempting this trick again. I tried to make the trick impossible for her to have success.

Yesterday morning, after waking up throughout the night to Fran's dresser antics - it can get really loud. I decided to do something about it. So before leaving for work, I placed my clothes hamper in front of the drawers.

And this is what I came home to:

I still don't get the physics of it or how it is possible. My next solution is to remove the handles.

I am constantly impressed (and sometimes annoyed) with Fran's persistent cleverness. If there is somewhere to hid in or a height to be jumped, she will find it and try it - from the hiding places of the hole behind our stove to the bedroom closet and from the heights of the kitchen cupboards to the fireplace mantle - Fran leaves no square un-investigated.

She is one impressive kitty kat.