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Japan’s comparatively cramped housing means there’s not only less room for a home’s human occupants, but for its animal residents as well. Because of this, you may sometimes see pets spending a few hours a day in cages that, in other countries, would ordinarily be able to run free around the house.

But if the sight of a cat behind bars makes you feel a little sad, you’ll be happy to know that at least one Japanese feline can apparently escape whenever he feels like it.

YouTube user Asuna Kobayashi is the owner of Basil, the Munchkin who stars in the video. Even though Kobayashi makes a point of securing the door to Basil’s cage, the cat has been getting out somehow. So the kitty’s owner decided to set up a camera in order to see just how Basil has been making his escapes.

Basil doesn’t need to rely on explosives, a complex tunnel network, or even any outside help to make his jailbreak. Instead, all he has to do is slip a paw through the bars…

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…and slide out the pin that’s securing the simple latch.

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Still, Basil doesn’t immediately make a break for it. Maybe he realizes he’s being watched and just playing dumb, but while the door is now unlocked, he shows more outward interest in the pin itself.

▼ “Can I eat it?”

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But the Munchkin knows exactly what he’s doing, as demonstrated in another video, uploaded to Niconico Douga, where he once again repeats the process, but this time nudges the door open.

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The clip ends before Basil hops out of the cage, so we’re assuming Kobayashi quickly apprehended her pet. It’s a good thing, too, because there’s no telling how far he could have gotten with no one around to stop him. Given the level of cunning and coordination Basil has already shown, we wouldn’t be surprised if he can also figure out how to work the apartment’s front door and hotwire a car, turning his temporary escape into a permanent relocation.

▼ “So long, Asuna! I left you a little going away present in the litter box!”

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Source: Nari Nari
Top image: YouTube
Insert images: YouTube, Niconico Douga, Mazda