My cat Leo,

shown here sunning himself,




has figured out some way to get out of the house when I'm not there, and (I think) the house is locked up. Twice yesterday I walked out of my office, which is next door to my home, to find him in the yard waiting for me. When I put the beagle out before going to bed last night, there was Leo, on the back porch waiting for us.

I think there must be some wait out through the basement. We knew critters were getting in last summer--there was a skunk in my basement one night--but a tuckpointing company came last fall and was upposed to have sealed the foundation up, including any holes.

I think Leo is getting out through the basement because a) he LOVES to go to the basement and cries when the basement door is closed; and b) I made sure the basement was closed securely last night and he was inside all night (AFAIK). The problem is that the door to the basement is this REALLY heavy trap door thing and it would so much easier to not have to deal with it, but I will if I have to....and my washing machine and dryer are down there, and it's hard to pull that door closed when I'm running up and down, so Leo could still sneak in.

But my main concern is that, if Leo can get out, other critters can get in. And I really don't need another skunk in my basement. Nor do I need Leo getting out in a neighborhood with a LOT of traffic. He was an outdoor cat in Iowa, but where we lived in Iowa was very quiet and pretty safe for a cat.

So, I need to figure out where the hole is. Again.

definitely pursue that possibility if I was you. :)