I had 4 gates. 1 on the laundry room door, since the food/water/litter is in there. And 2 in the dining room.....which connects the kitchen to my master bedroom (weird setup, I know). So those gates kept the dogs in the dining room during the day. And they give the cat a chance to "get away" just in case. He can jump the gates to go here and there, but the dogs are "stuck" in there.
I originally had the 3 but added a 4th one that I stepped over, in the extra bedroom doorway, to keep the dogs out of that room where Lucy stays. But since it is across the hall from the laundry room, I have simply removed both gates and moved the laundry room gate down the hall so it blocks both areas.
Confused yet? Yep.