We had a cat flap installed last week so my six month old kitten had the choice of staying in or going out (he has been neutured and micro chipped). Saturday, I pushed him through both ways so he could get used to it, after a while he was using it by himself. However, yesterday he just meowed at it and only went outside when I did through opening the door and then this morning before I came to work, he was again, meowing at it and patting it very gently, it has a magnetic catch at the bottom and really he should push it with his head rather than tap with his paw. Will he get used to it eventually, I don't want him to feel trapped.
Answers:
I had the same problem with one of my cats. Three of them just started using it. Then I got a kitten. She would watch them leave and look so bewildered! I stood outside the flap and held it up for her to go out and then to come back in. Then she started pawing at it on her own and I would go outside and call her. Finally, she figures out that she had to push on it. It took her a good week to master the flap without my help. Since she could get inside easier than outside, it wasn't to bad.
not very long - a day or two over the weekend when we were at home all day. one of us stayed outside and we kept literally passing him through the flap! we then let him out and just waited in the kitchen until finally he made his way in!!
let him get a bit hungry,put him on one side of the door before you feed him, then put his dinner in the bowl on the other side. He'll some come charging through the cat flap!
LOL!! You fell for the open the door for your cat trick as well did you, I can admit to doing that as well:-( I think they like to know what the weather is like and what/who is about before they go out and us gullible peeps help out by opening the door or holding the cat flap open so they can have a look before deciding if they want to go out or not!
We moved into our house 18months ago and our cats still wont use the cat flap unless we have the flap propped open with something. They will just meow for us to let them out. Occasionally one will out of desperation but it is rare.
what i done with mine was pin it open with a clothes peg for a day or two then closed it and but his favourite nibble the other side on the small ledge, belive me you cat will naturally go through it. dont make the same mistake as i did because when we moved he happily used his cat flap but if i was near by he just cried unitl i let him out, he now wants me to open the door if im by it rather than using his energy to go through his flap. it wont take long, if you cat/kitten wants to go out then it will use the flap dont worry
I take it that your baby has a magnet on his color to activate this cat flap. When we first got a flap we got a magnetic operated one and found it useless, i thought it was just my cats being stupid at first but unless the color makes contact with the flap 1st then he has no chance of getting in. I decided to get rid of my flap and buy a standard one, within no time at all they grasped it. I pegged the flap open for a day so that they got used to it, then i shut the flap and tempted them in and out with treats, they soon learnt that when the push the flap it opened. The magnetic flaps are not really that good, i think it depends on how your cats gets thought the flap, one of mine pushes it open with his head, the other always uses her paw to open it, so the magnetic flap was not the right on for me. Good luck.
I find that cats do not really take to cat flaps. Think about it, the tough looking cat from down the road could be outside waiting for them! Experts do not recommend them either. Try reading the book Cat Confidential by Vicky Halls.
Hi
When we had cat flap fitted we pegged it open so our cats could pop in and out through it with no effort for day or so while they got familiar with it. We also fed them next to it so when the flap was eventually released, with a little encouragement, they had an incentive to push it and come in for food. Before you completely remove the clothes peg put it on inside so flap is just ajar while he is outside, he will see the gap and automatically push against flap. They soon get the hang of it.
I prefer the standard type of cat flap, the magnetic ones can go wrong and he will be locked out. Also cat collars can be lethal, too tight and they can strangle a cat if it gets caught up on a branch, if its too loose the cat can get entangled in it with front leg while grooming or scratching himself and panic. They can also hinder a cats escape from danger by catching on hedge or shrubs if the cat is being pursued. If he is chipped he doesn't need collar.
Good luck.
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