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My 1 year old tortiseshell Tsali is WAY too smart for her own good. She's figured out how to open drawers and cupboards (and being in an apartment, I can't install those baby clips to keep her from doing so).

Now, however, she's taught herself how to turn on lights. Whenever I go to bed or work she'll go through the apartment and flip on every lightswitch she can reach. I've tried blocking them off to where _I_ can barely get them on, but she figures out ways around the blocks. I've tried taping them down, and she'll simply chew the tape off and then turn them on. It's getting extremely annoying, and with working ten hours a day, my power bill is starting to go up because she switches everything on right after I leave, and right after I go to bed. I can't shut her up anywhere, because she'll just turn that light on and then cry at the top of her lungs. I don't let her out when she's crying under any circumstances, but it doesn't seem to deter her from doing so. Short of taking out every lightbulb in my place and living by candle light...how can I get her to STOP??

Wow, smart kitty! You mean she's too smart for YOUR own good!

I've never heard of a cat turning on lights before... I figured they could see just fine in the dark. Maybe your cat just prefers light.

Well, I'm not sure what you meant when you said you've tried blocking the light switches... instead, what if you remove all the furniture near as many light switches as possible, so that she can't reach them? Maybe that'll stop her, unless she has the ability to jump and flick the switch.

I know you don't want to alter the apartment too much, but what if you replace your light switches with ones that require more dexterity? Just a thought...

Good luck!

The ones high up on the wall she leaves alone. She hasn't figured out jumping and turning them on (and i'm not going to tell her!). It's the one in the bathroom and the one in the kitchen that are the biggest problems, and they are in reach of the counter.

I've tried putting sticky paw double-sided tape on the counters and that worked for half a day, before she decided the sticky didn't bug her enough to leave the lights alone. I've tried piling heavy boxes and stuff on the counters right against the switches to where I can barely squeeze my fingers in to turn them on myself, and she pushes even the heaviest boxes off the counter by bracing herself on the wall (I didn't believe it until I saw her do it, and I don't want her to drop a heavy box on top of one of the other cats, or God forbid, little tiny Jasper)! If they're too heavy to push, she climbs on or around them and strains until she can work her paw in the gap and hook the switch on.

I'm ready to cut all four of her legs off and just have a cat sausage scooting around the floor like a slug.

Okay, I wouldn't really do that, but it IS tempting

You might see if you can install a dimmer switch on those switches she can reach. Those work by pushing them and your cat might just not be able to figure it out. You could also set the dimmer for the lowest setting so even if she does manage to turn it on, you wouldn't use very much power or have much light. Some types of fixtures can't handle dimmers but some can. Of course you'll need to discuss this with your landlord, but you can agree to replace the dimmers with the regular light switches.

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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

That's a great idea -- I had the same idea, although shortly after I made my post!

The dimmer switch that has a button rather than a switch should solve the problem. I'd like to see your cat figure that one out! He/She sounds pretty determined!

Good luck!

My apartment won't install a dimmer switch. I'm thinking about just having my stepfather do it anyway, and take it out when I move. She's really driving me batty. I took out the light bulbs but I'm sick of going everywhere in the dark, and she STILL flips the switches. She will go to such incredible lengths to reach them and flip them...I have to wonder WHY. With no reward now for doing so with the bulbs out, what fascination could there possibly be in flipping the switches??

Unless she likes seeing Mom rant and rave about the apartment, the little minx. *Sigh*