So for the last few years, I've read about other member's bengals and their abilities to open doors, cupboards etc. In fact when I got the bengals, I bought a bunch of child-proof door type accessories, worrying about that, but they've never really shown much ability or interest in opening said doors... until recently!

In the last year, Gaga has developed this really annoying habit of going inside a room (could be any room, bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom etc) and then get up on two legs, lean against the door, and close it. With the effect of course of locking herself in. Ironically, this ability showed up after I made a silly fictional short movie for a film school class on that very thing:

https://vimeo.com/55917141

Last year I went on a vacation, and the catsitter texted me saying that she couldn't find Gaga, and I suggested checking some of the closed doors, and sure enough she had locked herself in the spare bedroom (probably for 24 hours, ugh). So I've been having to deal with THAT mischief-maker, developing new habits to prevent this from happening.

Now just this week though, something else weird has been going on. Normally when I come home, I come in through the garage door, close the garage door, then open the door leading into the house. I do that so if the bengals blow by me, they get into the garage but can't get outside from there. But in the last week, several times when I open the garage door, to my horror, the door leading in to the house has been open, just a crack. Huh? I've been blaming my own carelessness for this, but today I learned differently. I came home, fixed the cats a nice dinner, and as usual, Serafina ate half her dinner, then started running around goofing off. Then, right in front of me, she marched over to that door that leads out into the garage, put her paw under the corner of the door, dug her claws into the wooden underside of the door, pulled hard, and popped it right open. Completely effortless for her, she did it in about 5 sec or less. CRAP!

_________________
The little monsters 3

Babbage learned how to open door handles from the age of 6 months - he's now 8 months. I feel something between pride at him being so smart and a wish that he could be that smart but not with all the things that mean I have to keep an eye on him all the time. All the door handles in my apartment have now been changed to be vertical, at some point I will be asking on here for ideas for Bengal-proof door knobs. :-)

I keep dry cat food in metal tins, this week Babbage has worked out how to open them as well as being able to open flip-top lid containers ( what I had used before the tins ). Bags of biscuits/cat treats - Ada worked out how to slice into them pretty quickly, though she didn't learn not to gobble down a whole bag of cheesy treats. Mopping up bright orange cat vomit was a treat for me, I guess.

ah yes, the door opening.
I don't have children but everything in my kitchen has child locks fitted. They can also open my oven, the microwave and my back door if I've unlocked it. Nismo knows that the keys in the door need to be turned to unlock it - that he hasn't managed yet but he has a good jangle of the keys before trying the door handle.

Lately I've found one of the kitchen cupboard door - the bins infact - open. I put it down to me or my fiancé not closing the door properly because of the child lock but no, Evo has learnt to pull open the door and push his paw on the plastic lock inside the cupboard to release the catch.
We tried to get a video of him doing it but he never does it with an audience.

They are smart little stinkers! I swear you can see them working things out in their head when you watch them.

_________________
Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

Same here: they open almost anything, especially Gordon. We've babyproofed the kitchen and doorknobs have been switched to vertical position (or locked with a key)

A few months ago we found Gordon locked in a drawer, what happened probably is that he opened it jumped inside and then our other bengal Forrest pushed and closed it... We had to remove the handles of all the drawers.

A short video of Gordon opening the drawer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0tr8oM8CZg

They also close the kitchen door by leaning on it, fortunately our kitchen is open on one side.

I actually laughed out loud to your last paragraph.... My eldest Tonkinese is a true door devil! In our old house we had the same sort of doors (I assume they simply push/pull open). We had to sort out the issue and so I put dead bolts on the doors... Where they slide out into the frame of the door to lock it. You have a key that winds the bolt in/out....

She now has to jump on handles to open doors, which she does! Or pulls open cupboard doors...

She is the only one that does this!

_________________
Lollo

They are clever cats Brian. I always wondered why there is a lock on the garage side of my laundry room door, maybe that's why.

I keep heavy door stops at at some of the doors so they stay open. They have closed one of the bathroom doors while playing but there is a pocket door also in that room so no one gets trapped. My girls have not figured out how to open anything. If I go into a room and shut the door, they throw themselves against the door until I come out.

The only thing Raiden tries to open is a bedroom door. Our handles are levers and he can reach up and try to pull down on it. That door opens in so if he gets enough pressure, it will open. However, he has yet to actually open it. He doesn't really bother anything and I think it's because he was an outdoor cat for the first six years of his life. He does have to inspect everything that comes into the house, but he is not a mischief maker by any means -- unlike the cats in the videos posted here. I'm happy he doesn't get into things. He's not a typical bengal.

One of mine naps in cupboards. Sometimes he holds the door open for the others too. I wonder how many people come home to a cupboard full of cats.

He has also flipped the lever lock on the sliding door, locking me out of the house more times than I can count. The worst part of that is that he makes eye contact when he flips it. He is a real turd.

Benji likes to open drawers or cupboard in my bedroom when she has free access.
It seemed harmless at first until she nearly toppled a 3 drawer chest on top of herself . So I got some childproof locks to stop her getting at dangerous drawers (ie top ones).

Gave up quite early on with the sliding kitchen door and destroyed carpet beside it :(

Most of the doors in my house are round handles so she can't open them.