Cat Flap - got a cat that is scared of everything.
Discussion
Hi All,
First post in All Critters,
So, after having to physically throw the cat out on Friday night, and shut the door before it could turn around, I felt really sorry for her. I spent about an hour Saturday morning convincing the husband to install a cat flap. He was worried about the draught and other cats getting in. I forked out £80+ for a sureflap chip reading one and he spent most of the morning fitting it.
Problem solved? No, the blinking cat is scared to death of it. Will it eventually use it? I did manage to get it near enough to program it before it was installed in the door, as I knew that would be the traumatic part, and didn't want her to associate it with the door.
I know bonfire night and the like won't have helped, she was sat with me on the sofa last night growling at everything - not good when you're watching The Walking Dead.
At first she would sit halfway down the back garden meowing to come in, and only approach once the door was open, this has progressed a bit with an arm through the flap with a hand loaded with dreamies. I've also been feeding her on the inside on the mat next to the back door. She can see through it, but can't put 2 and 2 together. I thought a bit of rain would sort it out, but no, just a wet cat in the morning.
What else can I do to get her used to it? or do I just have to wait and hope she figures it out eventually?
Help needed, as I don't want to admit to husband he has chopped a hole in the door for no reason.
Or get a better cat?
First post in All Critters,
So, after having to physically throw the cat out on Friday night, and shut the door before it could turn around, I felt really sorry for her. I spent about an hour Saturday morning convincing the husband to install a cat flap. He was worried about the draught and other cats getting in. I forked out £80+ for a sureflap chip reading one and he spent most of the morning fitting it.
Problem solved? No, the blinking cat is scared to death of it. Will it eventually use it? I did manage to get it near enough to program it before it was installed in the door, as I knew that would be the traumatic part, and didn't want her to associate it with the door.
I know bonfire night and the like won't have helped, she was sat with me on the sofa last night growling at everything - not good when you're watching The Walking Dead.
At first she would sit halfway down the back garden meowing to come in, and only approach once the door was open, this has progressed a bit with an arm through the flap with a hand loaded with dreamies. I've also been feeding her on the inside on the mat next to the back door. She can see through it, but can't put 2 and 2 together. I thought a bit of rain would sort it out, but no, just a wet cat in the morning.
What else can I do to get her used to it? or do I just have to wait and hope she figures it out eventually?
Help needed, as I don't want to admit to husband he has chopped a hole in the door for no reason.
Or get a better cat?
I hope this doesn't sound too harsh but, If she doesn't want to go out don't put her out!! Get a litter tray and leave her be. How would you like it, if you were afraid of going outside and somebody 20 times your size kept picking you up and putting you out the door? When she wants to go outside she will let you know.
Why put the cat out at night if it doesn't want to be out?
Ours come in for the night (apart from the odd occasions when one has decided its a hot night & they don't want to, but Lily hates being outside & Louis usually demands to come in when its dark). We have a cheapie conservatory with a sliding door that can be left open enough for them to come in & out of it at will & two hooded cat beds out there that they can use during the day.
Ours come in for the night (apart from the odd occasions when one has decided its a hot night & they don't want to, but Lily hates being outside & Louis usually demands to come in when its dark). We have a cheapie conservatory with a sliding door that can be left open enough for them to come in & out of it at will & two hooded cat beds out there that they can use during the day.
I'd love to leave her in, but room is limited in the kitchen for a tray. She does normally just go out, it was just that Friday she really didn't want to and I felt sorry for her.
Will try propping it open tonight, I'll just be prepared for a draught. Not sure on the steak though, dreamies seem to be pretty favourable.
Cheers for the advice.
Will try propping it open tonight, I'll just be prepared for a draught. Not sure on the steak though, dreamies seem to be pretty favourable.
- The hubby works away in the week, so I tend to let her stay with me (but don't tell him), the problem is she always wants to go out at stupid o'clock, like 4am.
Cheers for the advice.
One of our two cats got the hang of the cat flap no bother - would run out the door to crash back through the cat flap almost as though he was showing off he could use it. 
The other one..... she really hasn't got the hang of it at all - loves going outside, but through the door. Have tried propping the cat flap open and she hops through the opening very happily, but once it's flapping as a cat flap should.... nope!
good luck OP
The other one..... she really hasn't got the hang of it at all - loves going outside, but through the door. Have tried propping the cat flap open and she hops through the opening very happily, but once it's flapping as a cat flap should.... nope!
good luck OP
I think they need to get used to the sensation of pushing it open with their head.
Wait until hungry (so the cat is well 'motivated'
) and use small pieces of steak dangled in front of their nose.
Wild rabbit if you can get it. I've never known a cat that wouldn't go nuts for wild rabbit.
Wait until hungry (so the cat is well 'motivated'
) and use small pieces of steak dangled in front of their nose. Wild rabbit if you can get it. I've never known a cat that wouldn't go nuts for wild rabbit.
We were away for much of the spring/summer and had a friend house/cat sitting. Bob had a very rough start to his time with us so we weren't going to start encouraging him outside until we were back in August. He's obsessed with our other cat, Piglet, and in July, after a week observing Piglet come and go, one night he just figured it out.
Which cheered up the cat sitter immensely, given Bob's propensity for effing off and not coming back.
Fortunately, the "returning" side of the catflap has also been worked out, and now he comes and goes like he's known it forever.
Our plan, though, was to use treats, propping it open, get him to watch other cats using it, moving the tray closer to the back door - eventually the light bulb will go on and they'll realise how simple it makes their lives!
I have yet to see the little s
tbags bring in the entire pigeon, rabbit etc throught the catflap though. Must be possible, but obviously requires teamwork on the part of the mogs.
Which cheered up the cat sitter immensely, given Bob's propensity for effing off and not coming back.
Fortunately, the "returning" side of the catflap has also been worked out, and now he comes and goes like he's known it forever.
Our plan, though, was to use treats, propping it open, get him to watch other cats using it, moving the tray closer to the back door - eventually the light bulb will go on and they'll realise how simple it makes their lives!
I have yet to see the little s
tbags bring in the entire pigeon, rabbit etc throught the catflap though. Must be possible, but obviously requires teamwork on the part of the mogs.Edited by Zelda Pinwheel on Friday 8th November 11:01
Put the litter tray in your bathroom if there's space (or under stairs if you've got a little gap there?) and let the cat decide not to go out. Some cats just don't want to, especially if they don't feel safe, what could possibly make you feel any LESS safe than being physically thrown out of your home at night?
If you really can't abide having a cat that stays in (the fact that you've now got a catflap isn't exactly going to guarantee that it's used), you might need to have a think about whether this cat would do better living elsewhere...
sorry, no good solution there really.
A possible half-way solution: put a litter tray out in the evening when it's not so much in the way, and then put it away when you get up in the morning?
If you really can't abide having a cat that stays in (the fact that you've now got a catflap isn't exactly going to guarantee that it's used), you might need to have a think about whether this cat would do better living elsewhere...
sorry, no good solution there really.A possible half-way solution: put a litter tray out in the evening when it's not so much in the way, and then put it away when you get up in the morning?
Euugh cat trays are a disgusting thing to have in any room of the house and should only be used when absolutely needed. Once the cat is used to the catflap there's no excuse for having one, get the cat trained and let it come and go as it wishes.
Start with the flap propped right open, then once pussy has got used to that lower the flap to half way (use a clothes peg) so stupid pussy has to push the flap out of the way. Then once it's used to that, start using the cat flap as intended.
Start with the flap propped right open, then once pussy has got used to that lower the flap to half way (use a clothes peg) so stupid pussy has to push the flap out of the way. Then once it's used to that, start using the cat flap as intended.
One of our cats refused to use the flap. The other 3 had no issues but he is a sod so once he'd decided he wasn't going to use it that was it. No amount of tempting would get him to use it either, if the flap was held open for him, he would jump through it but wouldn't open it himself.
Prop it open until she is coming and going happily, then lower the prop so the door is a little lower so she gets used to the sensation of pushing it with her head (or bum as I've know cats to go backwards through flaps).
I don't think there are many cats that get it immediately and all cats I've had take a little time to get the gist of it. Be patient, she'll get there in the end.
I don't think there are many cats that get it immediately and all cats I've had take a little time to get the gist of it. Be patient, she'll get there in the end.
BlackVanDyke said:
Put the litter tray in your bathroom if there's space (or under stairs if you've got a little gap there?)
The cat normally goes out, it was a one off (most likely due to fireworks). So litter tray not needed.However, I agree that a litter tray should not be in the kitchen, ours were under the stairs in the old house (no room for anything else there!) and in the bathroom here (no under stairs available).
Piersman2 said:
Euugh cat trays are a disgusting thing to have in any room of the house and should only be used when absolutely needed.
Cat trays are only disgusting if the Owner lets them be!You mean apart from for cats that are blind, or have some other disability, house cats, breeding queens, stud males, kittens, pedigrees & where there are exceedingly unsafe roads?
I've put a cat flap in my shed where my animals live. There's a heater in there and a soft bed on top of the guinea pig hutch, My old mog goes out every night, he soon learnt to use the cat flap if it meant a nice warm comfortable nights sleep or a night on the window sill in the pouring rain.
Cheers for all the comments people.
Update.
We had to go away this weekend for a wedding up North, so had a friend pop round and feed her etc. I didn't want it propped open while there was no-one there as any cat could have got in - kind of defeats the idea of a chip reading one really - and certainly not all weekend.
I called Sunday night when I got home to thank my mate, she asked where the cat was when I got home. She had been out, hiding under a neighbours car, my mate said that that was good then, because she had left her inside.
So Cat can get out the flap when left in, but she still hasn't gone the other way from what I can gather. Progress is being made, albeit slowly, maybe she isn't as stupid as she looks.
Bit more background: Cat (it's actual name) loves to be out, but is a bit of a scaredy cat - especially around bonfire night. We didn't choose her, she just moved in when we lived in military quarters, and has since moved with us when we bought a house. No idea how old it is, but I suspect not really really old as her teeth are in good nick. She is also pretty playful when she can be arsed.
Update.
We had to go away this weekend for a wedding up North, so had a friend pop round and feed her etc. I didn't want it propped open while there was no-one there as any cat could have got in - kind of defeats the idea of a chip reading one really - and certainly not all weekend.
I called Sunday night when I got home to thank my mate, she asked where the cat was when I got home. She had been out, hiding under a neighbours car, my mate said that that was good then, because she had left her inside.
So Cat can get out the flap when left in, but she still hasn't gone the other way from what I can gather. Progress is being made, albeit slowly, maybe she isn't as stupid as she looks.
Bit more background: Cat (it's actual name) loves to be out, but is a bit of a scaredy cat - especially around bonfire night. We didn't choose her, she just moved in when we lived in military quarters, and has since moved with us when we bought a house. No idea how old it is, but I suspect not really really old as her teeth are in good nick. She is also pretty playful when she can be arsed.
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