Charlie is just one of my six cats and although he's the second youngest at the age of a year old he's already smarter than all of the other cats put together.

He has figured out how to open the whiskers treats box. He does this by pushing the treat box off the coffee table onto the floor which knocks the lid off allowing him to eat all the treats in there leaving around about one to four treats left out of about 30 treats. If that doesn't knock the lid off then he paws at it continuously until either we notice that he's doing it and pick them up and give him some or until the lid comes off allowing him to eat them all!

Charlie has also figured out how to open my bedroom door allowing him to wander in with Willow and sit and watch my three very active hamsters run around their cage while Charlie and Willow pounce on top of the cage making as much noise as possible. He can open my door because if we close it properly and pull it shut all the way I find it stiff and hard to open. So all he has to do is push the door enough times and it comes open. We have never met a cat smart enough or strong enough to open my door so you can see how much of a shock it was for me to wake up in the middle of the night to find Charlie and Willow in my room watching the hamsters.

He also knows how to unlock the hamster cage. He jumps up at it and paws at the latches until they move off of the bars unlocking it but luckily he doesn't know how to open it as the bars are at the top of the cage! If he did I don't want to think about what would happen to my hamsters or him.

Charlie also worked out how to dismantle the cat flap by unlatching the front, removing the magnetic strip and then pushing the cat flap door all the way up till it comes off its hinges and falls out.

Charlie has also learnt a new way to get treats. I have a slide attached to my bed and he goes to the bottom of it and lies down facing towards the top! When you go into my room he will watch you until you get out the treats and slide them one by one down the slide. He will let it pass onto the floor and then stand up and eat it only to go back to the slide and lie down again waiting for another.

As you can see he's too smart for his own good and as I keep saying to my mum it's only a matter of time before he learns how to use the water dispenser. My mum says she can't wait till he works out how to do the dishes!
 
Emily Tindall, Ilkeston, Derbyshire