The Disappearing Cat

I mentioned previously that our housemate, a cat named Reglisse, kept us up the night before last by persistently mewing first outside of our bedroom window, then outside our bedroom door. To ensure that didn't happen last night, we decided to lock him in the little room where his food and cat door are located, by blocking the cat door with several heavy objects. Since the room also contains the washer, the dryer, and the hot water heater, and no cat litter box, I imagined that all sorts of bad things might happen during the night -- ranging from cat electrocution to having to clean up after him in the morning. So when I awoke this morning, I went right down to the room (which is in the basement) to check on him. I expected a happy mew when I opened the door, but got nothing -- in fact, I didn't see him at all. Fearing cat electrocution had occurred during the night, I looked in all the little spaces behind the electric machines, searching for his no-doubt-cold-by-now body. I found nothing. Perplexed, I went back upstairs to get some coffee, where I found, mewing outside the kitchen door, the cat, seeming completely normal and happy.

This raises at least two questions. First, how did he get out of the room? It did not appear he had pushed back the baskets that were blocking the cat door, and there was no other exit from the room. Second, assuming he had been able to push back the baskets and get out during the night, why didn't he commence to bug us during the night like he'd done the night before?

Suzie discovered this morning a lock for the cat door, so maybe tonight we'll see if that keeps him from escaping. If he gets out tonight, I'll not know what to think.