I don't know what the rest of you have done with your day, but unless you've cured cancer or solved world hunger, I bet I have you beat. I have engineered (ie ghetto-rigged) my greatest cat thwartation device to date!
Jay and I were having to step over a damn 2' high baby gate every time we wanted in the kitchen even after I motherf*cker-proofed the trash can with my first cat thwartation device (of the month, anyway) because he'd still stake out that trash can... and sleep on the dishwasher door, go out of his way to trip you when you tried to do anything in the room, shove his face in the fridge every time it opened and constantly give you looks like "You know you're gonna share that food with me >.>". Fine. Whatever. At least it was better than nearly busting my *** every time I turned around and often hurting myself/stubbing a toe or something in the process because there was a ginormous cat trying to kill me... and it meant that doing the damn dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc. wasn't more obnoxious than it had to be.
Only one problem... the kitten thought that barricade was only for Roo and that she was totally authorized to jump over it at any time.
I came home from Home Depot last night (we always enter/exit through the side door, located in the tiny-*** kitchen) and there she was, staring me right in the eyes as she sat on the wrong side of the gate. I screamed until she got the hint that she didn't belong.
I go back to the car to unload more stuff, come back in the side door and there she is, lurking in the kitchen on the wrong side of the gate AGAIN. I screamed until she left, AGAIN. I made like three more trips to the car and EVERY DAMN TIME I CAME BACK INSIDE, we had to go through the lurking and the screaming yet again.
I once tried to make a half-height screen door for our bedroom (3' tall), but it didn't last long before it got broken and half ripped off the hinges by a kitten vaulting over it whenever she damn well pleased... so this time, I went all-out.
No more stepping over the gate, no more cats in the kitchen... but Roo can still see (and be taunted by) that trash can he can no longer knock over - I built a wood-framed screen door that's a bit over 5' tall, latches securely and can only move one direction... installed in a doorway that was not at all designed to have a door. They do NOT like my newest cat thwartation device. We, on the other hand, absolutely love it!
I'll take a pic later, once I'm not embarrassed of the background view (among other things, there's dirty laundry gathered up in the kitchen which hasn't gotten done yet because I was busy playing with power tools)
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On a side note, is it just me, or is it patently stupid that in order to engage the safety mechanism on my staple gun, I have to first discharge it?