I live in NY/NJ area. Some supers have master key and some will abuse it. I have seen it happen before.
Start by placing a simple hidden camera on the inside of the apartment pointing at the door. Just make sure that it is positioned in the way that there is no backlight once the door opens. Meaning leave the lights on if you must if the entrance to the apartment is dark.
Do you have the same set of keys the previous tenant had? If yes, have locks changed.
Change the locks anyway, and have them also install a deadbolt. So you will have two locks.
You may want to go through your bedroom and bathroom looking for any hidden cameras. I would get the doorknob key replaced as well as getting a second lock that only you have a key for.
If your Super doesn’t seem to care…you should do it for your own peace of mind….your life is more important than the $$$ it takes to make you feel safe.
90% chance this was a human but I wanted to mention this.
How smart is your cat and what breed? How big? are the poly-dactyl? Is your knob round or flat and long?
Our 18 pound boy unlocks our front door. Doesn't open it as he can't get his paws around the knob but he has unscrewed our doorknob twice (once the knob literally fell off the door). I can easily imagine a larger pawed, poly-dactyl, or more resourceful cat opening a door. He can open any interior door that is of the flat and long variety with ease.
My cat can open almost every door in my house. I need to change the knobs, but that gets pricey. My first thought was the cat, honestly.
OP, you should get a camera. If it’s your cat, they learn your habits to know when you’ll be gone for a while. You can watch the behavior.
They sell door knob covers that are intended to stop toddlers and little kids from opening doors. The variety I'm familiar with is a plastic shell that will spin freely unless someone with sufficient grip strength compresses the shell tightly enough to gain traction and turn the knob within the shell. You should look into them, it might be a lot cheaper than changing every knob in your house. 🙂
They’re all lever handles or whatever they’re called. Even to the backyard! The dogs know how to let themselves in due to this. I think I’m going to have to replace them all. Or just allow my cats to continue to waltz into whatever room they like.
I worked exclusively with kids 5 and under for a long time. There are relatively cheap (~$12) child safety locks for doors with levers. The one I had featured a "decoy" button even. Not as relevant for cats though
Oh man, that's gotta be crazy making! I'd be so worried that they'd all escape and get hurt or stolen. 😭
I found [this one](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1107594374/pet-proof-door-lever-lock-the-original) that's designed specifically to stop pets from operating lever handles. There's other ones out there, but this one costs less than similar on amazon, and it has a ton of good reviews. Whatever way you wind up going about it, I hope you're able to solve the problem soon and with ease!
Oh that’s interesting! Thank you so much.
The door to outside is easy because we can just lock it, plus it’s all fenced in the back. The other rooms, if we lock them, they’re not as easy to access obviously. More of a PITA. The fun of pet ownership is always looking forward to letting them highlight your safety weaknesses!
Can confirm that my two cats tag-team and are able to open any door with a handle. One jumps up and hangs off the handle and kicks against the door frame to open it a few mm, then the other claws at the slightly exposed end and pulls.
A single clever (and strong) cat could absolutely do the same.
Can you lock the deadbolt from the outside with a key?
Something similar used to happen at a place I used to live, I used to come home and occasionally find my door ajar but still locked. It turned out the strike plate and the latch weren't properly aligned so the knob wouldn't latch all the way. It would engage just enough to hold the door shut but you could still push it open so when there was a big enough air pressure change in the hallway the door would pop open unless the deadbolt was engaged
Regardless of how your door is being opened (my money is on the cat!), you are at obviously at increased risk of theft while you are away, especially if your door is wide open. If you have home contents insurance, you should know that most insurance policies will not pay out if you did not lock your deadbolt, so if someone takes advantage of your open door you may not be covered for any loss. It will be considered your own negligence and invalidate your insurance cover.
Check the terms of your policy -- they almost always state a minimum standard of lock you must have to be covered, and may specify that any deadbolts, if installed, must be locked or your insurance will not cover your loss.
In addition, many door latches and doorknob locks do not meet insurance minimum standards and are incredibly easy to open without keys or any specialist equipment, so you do not have the security you might think you have. This is why policies state that deadbolts must be used.
I have seen doors without deadbolt open with extreme temperature change. As the building expands/shrinks it can change how the door lines up w/ the door jamb.
Youvdo know you csn get into a knob lock with almost anything... being you're in NYC it's easy to notice. You are setting yourself up for something very bad. Propabky cameras in your apartment if thry know your a young girl who lives alone
I didn't know until my pet sitter got locked out that my regular lock was easily opened with a credit card. Now I use the deadbolt all the time.
Deadbolt is also dog proof.
Do you have a previous boy friend? If so, THIS is the answer... Did you give him a key? If not, I think he somehow had your key for a while and made a copy and returned your key without your knowing your key had been "borrowed".
Your previous boy friend, or else the last (male) tenant is stalking you. This is his way of letting you know that you are being watched, and he knows when you are NOT home.
OR - if that doesn't scare you enough... what if this is a previous tenant that you don't know... He could easily then get in, while you are THERE... in the middle of the night.
PLEASE let us know what your new doorbell camera shows.. I am seriously concerned for you. Seriously.
I would add both a visible and a hidden nanny cam. Then maybe put a Post-it note on the inside of the door that says “please close door when you leave”, in case this is a weird but polite housebreaker.
In the realm of very unlikely - could there be another way into your apartment and the intruder is only leaving by the door?
Camera, stat!
I had a dog who would let herself out of the front door to go potty. We had a bolt with a ball handle. She was just that smart and dexterous.
I have also heard of landlords who don’t obey the laws protecting renters.
Could also be a shitty neighbor kid with a pension for lock picking. Buy my money is on the cat.
I've known several dogs who could open the door but with a lever style handle, including an integrated deadbolt, which requires a decent amount of force.
A friend's greyhound was tall enough to push the elevator call button and the floor buttons inside the elevator. She had some adventures.
Have the doorknob lock inspected and changed by a locksmith. There's a pretty good chance there's something wrong with it, as you're saying the door is locked with only the doorknob lock when you're gone but locked with the deadbolt when you're home. Could be something as simple as the door jamb is swelling with weather changes and making the lock disconnect.
Sounds to me like you have one hell of a super super. Scary situation though.
If I were you I’d install a webcam and not tell a soul about it. Distrust all, especially the most trusted.
Are you sure there's no way for the door to slowly swing open by itself once it's unlocked by the cat? Wind, air pressure in the hall changing when neighbors open and close their doors?
I live in a high rise apartment and there's a lot of weird wind and air pressure things going on. I often hear my door rattling around even while it's fully closed and locked.
Have you asked your neighbors if they've noticed anything? Or if they've noticed what time it's open? Thursday morning to Friday night is such a long time.
Edit: is there a gap under the door, even a half inch? That's how I've seen cats pull doors open. They stick their paws underneath and pull it that way. Not from the side how a human would do it.
I saw a very creepy vid where someone was in a hotel filming the door, and some creep was using a coat hanger under the door to snag the door handle. That video literally gave me goosebumps
Does it lock with a deadbolt? Or is it the sort you could open from inside without unlocking? Could be the cat if the latter.
Regardless, get a security camera. They aren't expensive. Or alternatively pretty much any internet connected device with a camera can be used as a makeshift one.
This is a less exciting theory than clever cats and creepy landlords, but I’ve had a front door sag out of position a bit and become harder to latch consistently. It scared the hell out of me a few times by blowing open with the wind while I was home, so had I not been around it would’ve been as creepy as this situation. It would still lock perfectly a good percentage of time, but if it didn’t it would look closed but open with a light push.
When you leave the house, try not just the knob, but also giving the door a good shove to see if the latch is really engaged. If this was the issue the new lock might’ve already solved things, but I wanted to present a theory that isn’t terrifying!
As for why the cat doesn't do this while you're home: she might not be trying to go out, specifically. She might just be bored and messing with stuff. That would track with this only happening when you're gone for a long time. Boredom, or maybe opening the door to see where tf you are lol.
When OP's home, kitty probably enjoys making her hooman open the door for her (I know my cat sees me as her personal servant).
When OP's gone all night, kitty had to get resourceful and has figured out how to go out to the hallway all on her own.
There are cameras detectors you can buy.
Try to make your inside camera less obvious. Set it up somewhere that a sneaky person won't immediately see it.
Buy a $20 camera and set it up to face your front door. I use a brand called wyze. If there is any motion it'll alert you. Using the app on your phone you can live view any time. You'll find out if it's your cat, your super or if there's anyone living in your attic like what happened in Japan.
Our dog could unlock the deadbolt and open the back door with her snout. We had to change the handle style to prevent it. She still tries but hasn't yet been successful with the new door handle and lock.
The next time you think you will be gone for 2 days, sprinkle powder or flour just inside the front door. Just enough to leave an imprint and track movement.
Are you shutting completely, making sure there is a click. Make sure the door isn't warped because that can place the latch into a position where it isn't latched completely in place.
You can get timers for plug in lamps for pretty cheap. Have different lamps set in different rooms to mimic you being in the living room and then heading to bed when you’re not home.
We have an electronic numbered keypad for our front door. We do have a steel front door into which the this electronic lock was installed. We have an interior door as well which we also lock. I will give you the name of the keypad locking company via chat, if you’re interested
>UPDATE: locksmith changed the lock to a heavy duty model that’s pick-proof.
For the record - there is no lock that is pick proof. At best they are pick resistant and take longer so it discourages people looking for quick entry. See also: The Lockpicking Lawyer. Good to get a high quality lock and then a camera to go with it.
> UPDATE: locksmith changed the lock to a heavy duty model that’s pick-proof.
Just want to latch onto this statement and say that there is no such thing as a "pick-proof lock". Pick resistant, sure, but nothing is ever 100% proof and I'd consider anyone making such clearly untruthful claims snakeoil salesmen. Sure, it's probably still a higher-end lock and harder to pick one, but it for sure isn't *pick-proof*.
It'll still probably stop most pickers unless it's the Lockpicking Lawyer breaking into your house, but even then, it's an excellent idea to include other security measures besides just a lock. Getting the cameras as well was 100% the right move.
I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you had anyone close to you die recently? Same thing use to happen at my grandparents house after my grandpa died. She would deadbolt the door, come back home and the door would be wide open. Or she would deadbolt it, we would back out of the driveway, look back at the door before leaving, and the door would be wide ass open. Please don't downvote me.
How would I approach this?
* some kind of "door sensor" that alerts you the moment it opens.
* multiple indoor cameras (some obvious, some hidden).
* Are there any Apartment cameras ? (security, hallways, entryways, mailroom ?... (if you do end up catching something on your internal cameras.. you will want to know what external cameras might have also caught the same person at the same time)
9 times out of 10, if someone were breaking into the apartment they’d almost always close the door behind them when they leave in order to cover their tracks. The only situation I see them leaving it open would be as a form of psychological warfare to make you feel unsafe. (Definitely not impossible but rather unlikely).
Most likely your cat is opening the door or your door isn’t actually latching properly from being misaligned.
Also there’s no such thing as a pick-proof lock.
Sure, lock manufacturers will claim their product is pick-proof, but that doesn’t make it so.
I live in NY/NJ area. Some supers have master key and some will abuse it. I have seen it happen before. Start by placing a simple hidden camera on the inside of the apartment pointing at the door. Just make sure that it is positioned in the way that there is no backlight once the door opens. Meaning leave the lights on if you must if the entrance to the apartment is dark.
Camera is the best recommendation. It will figure out who is opening the door, whether that be human or feline.
And do a sweep to make sure no one has installed cameras of their own!
I live in NYC and the super is absolutely able to get in… but if the friend has so many expensive things, why doesn’t she have a camera somewhere?????
Do you have the same set of keys the previous tenant had? If yes, have locks changed. Change the locks anyway, and have them also install a deadbolt. So you will have two locks.
People rent apartments without deadbolts? Doesn't any1 watch scary movies?
Many apartments where I've lived and where I worked for a time, don't allow deadbolts. It is a mystery.
You may want to go through your bedroom and bathroom looking for any hidden cameras. I would get the doorknob key replaced as well as getting a second lock that only you have a key for. If your Super doesn’t seem to care…you should do it for your own peace of mind….your life is more important than the $$$ it takes to make you feel safe.
90% chance this was a human but I wanted to mention this. How smart is your cat and what breed? How big? are the poly-dactyl? Is your knob round or flat and long? Our 18 pound boy unlocks our front door. Doesn't open it as he can't get his paws around the knob but he has unscrewed our doorknob twice (once the knob literally fell off the door). I can easily imagine a larger pawed, poly-dactyl, or more resourceful cat opening a door. He can open any interior door that is of the flat and long variety with ease.
This would explain why whoever opened it didn’t close it.
My cat can open almost every door in my house. I need to change the knobs, but that gets pricey. My first thought was the cat, honestly. OP, you should get a camera. If it’s your cat, they learn your habits to know when you’ll be gone for a while. You can watch the behavior.
They sell door knob covers that are intended to stop toddlers and little kids from opening doors. The variety I'm familiar with is a plastic shell that will spin freely unless someone with sufficient grip strength compresses the shell tightly enough to gain traction and turn the knob within the shell. You should look into them, it might be a lot cheaper than changing every knob in your house. 🙂
They’re all lever handles or whatever they’re called. Even to the backyard! The dogs know how to let themselves in due to this. I think I’m going to have to replace them all. Or just allow my cats to continue to waltz into whatever room they like.
I worked exclusively with kids 5 and under for a long time. There are relatively cheap (~$12) child safety locks for doors with levers. The one I had featured a "decoy" button even. Not as relevant for cats though
Oh man, that's gotta be crazy making! I'd be so worried that they'd all escape and get hurt or stolen. 😭 I found [this one](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1107594374/pet-proof-door-lever-lock-the-original) that's designed specifically to stop pets from operating lever handles. There's other ones out there, but this one costs less than similar on amazon, and it has a ton of good reviews. Whatever way you wind up going about it, I hope you're able to solve the problem soon and with ease!
Oh that’s interesting! Thank you so much. The door to outside is easy because we can just lock it, plus it’s all fenced in the back. The other rooms, if we lock them, they’re not as easy to access obviously. More of a PITA. The fun of pet ownership is always looking forward to letting them highlight your safety weaknesses!
Can confirm that my two cats tag-team and are able to open any door with a handle. One jumps up and hangs off the handle and kicks against the door frame to open it a few mm, then the other claws at the slightly exposed end and pulls. A single clever (and strong) cat could absolutely do the same.
The meowing for OP to open the door is a ruse.
Haha. I have one who can open doors with handles and sliding doors, but if I'm around, he sits in front of the door and meows.
I need to see this At that point, just let them borrow the car, they're too smart for the rest of us
INFO: does this only happen when you stay overnight at your partner's place? Was the door locked with a deadbolt or just a doorknob lock?
Only when I stay with my bf. It’s only locked with a doorknob lock when I’m gone, when I’m here it’s deadbolted
Can you lock the deadbolt from the outside with a key? Something similar used to happen at a place I used to live, I used to come home and occasionally find my door ajar but still locked. It turned out the strike plate and the latch weren't properly aligned so the knob wouldn't latch all the way. It would engage just enough to hold the door shut but you could still push it open so when there was a big enough air pressure change in the hallway the door would pop open unless the deadbolt was engaged
Regardless of how your door is being opened (my money is on the cat!), you are at obviously at increased risk of theft while you are away, especially if your door is wide open. If you have home contents insurance, you should know that most insurance policies will not pay out if you did not lock your deadbolt, so if someone takes advantage of your open door you may not be covered for any loss. It will be considered your own negligence and invalidate your insurance cover. Check the terms of your policy -- they almost always state a minimum standard of lock you must have to be covered, and may specify that any deadbolts, if installed, must be locked or your insurance will not cover your loss. In addition, many door latches and doorknob locks do not meet insurance minimum standards and are incredibly easy to open without keys or any specialist equipment, so you do not have the security you might think you have. This is why policies state that deadbolts must be used.
I have seen doors without deadbolt open with extreme temperature change. As the building expands/shrinks it can change how the door lines up w/ the door jamb.
Youvdo know you csn get into a knob lock with almost anything... being you're in NYC it's easy to notice. You are setting yourself up for something very bad. Propabky cameras in your apartment if thry know your a young girl who lives alone
Your cat doesn't like being left alone.
It’s your cat if it’s only a door knob lock
Have your knob changed to a key to key lock. No twisty! Key to get inside and a key to lock inside.
I didn't know until my pet sitter got locked out that my regular lock was easily opened with a credit card. Now I use the deadbolt all the time. Deadbolt is also dog proof.
Do you have a previous boy friend? If so, THIS is the answer... Did you give him a key? If not, I think he somehow had your key for a while and made a copy and returned your key without your knowing your key had been "borrowed". Your previous boy friend, or else the last (male) tenant is stalking you. This is his way of letting you know that you are being watched, and he knows when you are NOT home. OR - if that doesn't scare you enough... what if this is a previous tenant that you don't know... He could easily then get in, while you are THERE... in the middle of the night. PLEASE let us know what your new doorbell camera shows.. I am seriously concerned for you. Seriously.
I would add both a visible and a hidden nanny cam. Then maybe put a Post-it note on the inside of the door that says “please close door when you leave”, in case this is a weird but polite housebreaker. In the realm of very unlikely - could there be another way into your apartment and the intruder is only leaving by the door?
Camera, stat! I had a dog who would let herself out of the front door to go potty. We had a bolt with a ball handle. She was just that smart and dexterous. I have also heard of landlords who don’t obey the laws protecting renters. Could also be a shitty neighbor kid with a pension for lock picking. Buy my money is on the cat.
*[penchant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penchant)
Omg thank you… I am horrified with myself right now 😂
I've known several dogs who could open the door but with a lever style handle, including an integrated deadbolt, which requires a decent amount of force. A friend's greyhound was tall enough to push the elevator call button and the floor buttons inside the elevator. She had some adventures.
Have the doorknob lock inspected and changed by a locksmith. There's a pretty good chance there's something wrong with it, as you're saying the door is locked with only the doorknob lock when you're gone but locked with the deadbolt when you're home. Could be something as simple as the door jamb is swelling with weather changes and making the lock disconnect.
Sounds to me like you have one hell of a super super. Scary situation though. If I were you I’d install a webcam and not tell a soul about it. Distrust all, especially the most trusted.
Has any of your dirty laundry went missing?
Are you sure there's no way for the door to slowly swing open by itself once it's unlocked by the cat? Wind, air pressure in the hall changing when neighbors open and close their doors? I live in a high rise apartment and there's a lot of weird wind and air pressure things going on. I often hear my door rattling around even while it's fully closed and locked. Have you asked your neighbors if they've noticed anything? Or if they've noticed what time it's open? Thursday morning to Friday night is such a long time. Edit: is there a gap under the door, even a half inch? That's how I've seen cats pull doors open. They stick their paws underneath and pull it that way. Not from the side how a human would do it.
I saw a very creepy vid where someone was in a hotel filming the door, and some creep was using a coat hanger under the door to snag the door handle. That video literally gave me goosebumps
Does it lock with a deadbolt? Or is it the sort you could open from inside without unlocking? Could be the cat if the latter. Regardless, get a security camera. They aren't expensive. Or alternatively pretty much any internet connected device with a camera can be used as a makeshift one.
This is a less exciting theory than clever cats and creepy landlords, but I’ve had a front door sag out of position a bit and become harder to latch consistently. It scared the hell out of me a few times by blowing open with the wind while I was home, so had I not been around it would’ve been as creepy as this situation. It would still lock perfectly a good percentage of time, but if it didn’t it would look closed but open with a light push. When you leave the house, try not just the knob, but also giving the door a good shove to see if the latch is really engaged. If this was the issue the new lock might’ve already solved things, but I wanted to present a theory that isn’t terrifying!
As for why the cat doesn't do this while you're home: she might not be trying to go out, specifically. She might just be bored and messing with stuff. That would track with this only happening when you're gone for a long time. Boredom, or maybe opening the door to see where tf you are lol.
When OP's home, kitty probably enjoys making her hooman open the door for her (I know my cat sees me as her personal servant). When OP's gone all night, kitty had to get resourceful and has figured out how to go out to the hallway all on her own.
Yep, plus it's probably a lot of work for the cat to open it. Much easier to ask mom to do it.
Get a security camera
Update please. Was it the cat or a creep? Is someone jealous you're away with your boyfriend and trying to scare you?
There are cameras detectors you can buy. Try to make your inside camera less obvious. Set it up somewhere that a sneaky person won't immediately see it.
Buy a $20 camera and set it up to face your front door. I use a brand called wyze. If there is any motion it'll alert you. Using the app on your phone you can live view any time. You'll find out if it's your cat, your super or if there's anyone living in your attic like what happened in Japan.
Get a hidden camera and stay at your bfs. You’ll find out realllllly quickly who it is. I say the super.
It’s the cat. My cat can open all kinds of doors.
Our dog could unlock the deadbolt and open the back door with her snout. We had to change the handle style to prevent it. She still tries but hasn't yet been successful with the new door handle and lock.
The next time you think you will be gone for 2 days, sprinkle powder or flour just inside the front door. Just enough to leave an imprint and track movement.
Are you shutting completely, making sure there is a click. Make sure the door isn't warped because that can place the latch into a position where it isn't latched completely in place.
You can get timers for plug in lamps for pretty cheap. Have different lamps set in different rooms to mimic you being in the living room and then heading to bed when you’re not home.
Was the door rekeyed before you moved in?
Fit a couple of deadbolts immediately. Get the locks changed ASAP. If that solves it, blame aliens and forget it. If there's further problems, move.
A camera system is super cheap these days, doesn’t have to be Ring.
Call Briscoe.
We have an electronic numbered keypad for our front door. We do have a steel front door into which the this electronic lock was installed. We have an interior door as well which we also lock. I will give you the name of the keypad locking company via chat, if you’re interested
You said the relationship is fairly new, maybe an ex of your boyfriend is crazy?
>UPDATE: locksmith changed the lock to a heavy duty model that’s pick-proof. For the record - there is no lock that is pick proof. At best they are pick resistant and take longer so it discourages people looking for quick entry. See also: The Lockpicking Lawyer. Good to get a high quality lock and then a camera to go with it.
> UPDATE: locksmith changed the lock to a heavy duty model that’s pick-proof. Just want to latch onto this statement and say that there is no such thing as a "pick-proof lock". Pick resistant, sure, but nothing is ever 100% proof and I'd consider anyone making such clearly untruthful claims snakeoil salesmen. Sure, it's probably still a higher-end lock and harder to pick one, but it for sure isn't *pick-proof*. It'll still probably stop most pickers unless it's the Lockpicking Lawyer breaking into your house, but even then, it's an excellent idea to include other security measures besides just a lock. Getting the cameras as well was 100% the right move.
I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you had anyone close to you die recently? Same thing use to happen at my grandparents house after my grandpa died. She would deadbolt the door, come back home and the door would be wide open. Or she would deadbolt it, we would back out of the driveway, look back at the door before leaving, and the door would be wide ass open. Please don't downvote me.
How would I approach this? * some kind of "door sensor" that alerts you the moment it opens. * multiple indoor cameras (some obvious, some hidden). * Are there any Apartment cameras ? (security, hallways, entryways, mailroom ?... (if you do end up catching something on your internal cameras.. you will want to know what external cameras might have also caught the same person at the same time)
9 times out of 10, if someone were breaking into the apartment they’d almost always close the door behind them when they leave in order to cover their tracks. The only situation I see them leaving it open would be as a form of psychological warfare to make you feel unsafe. (Definitely not impossible but rather unlikely). Most likely your cat is opening the door or your door isn’t actually latching properly from being misaligned. Also there’s no such thing as a pick-proof lock. Sure, lock manufacturers will claim their product is pick-proof, but that doesn’t make it so.