Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: patches on November 27, 2006, 20:30:05 PM
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Hi, my adorable 7 month old cat will not use the cat flap. Any ideas? If I tape up the flap he is in and out of it no problem but the moment I take the tape off so he has to push it open himself he goes nowhere near it. I have tried tempting him through with all sorts but to no avail.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Hiya, am moving this over to the behaviour and health board 'cos that's where you'll get the useful replies :innocent:
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How about taping or propping it part-way open as an inbetween step between having it totally taped open and him having to push the whole caboodle open himself? Might work, especially with something delicious visible and smellable on the other side...
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We had a cat years ago who was the same as this - I had to prop open the flap for her. She never would use it in ordinary mode. She could - she just wouldn't! I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear her crying - would run downstairs and check the flap - she'd be sitting on the other side looking smug until I opened the door. Tsk! 8)
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My oldest 2 cats were about 6 months old when they started using the catflap. They had me opening it manually for them (both in and out) for weeks until I actually caught one of them (and later the same say, the other one) using it when they didn't know I was watching. Turns out they were just having a laugh at me :evillaugh: When little naughty Freddy arrived, he took just a few weeks to copy the older 2 and was using the catflap by 11 weeks old!! :Crazy: Then I had get clever to stop him going out until he was neutered etc.
Just keep doing what you are doing and he will get it in the end.
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My cats were a year old before we installed a cat flap, so had to be shown how to use it,
One of us went outside and one stayed indoors with the cat. we pushed them thro the flap then the person on the outside pushed cat thro' flap, back indoors, and just kept doing this a few times.
Apparently it helps puts their smell on it, so the recognise it
Just like kids they need to be shown a few times until they get the hang of it.
Good luck!
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As long as it doesn't alarm your cat too much, push her through, both ways. Also make a 'cat face' with your hands (by putting the tips of your thumb and fingers together) and push this 'nose' against the flap till it opens.
You could try wedging the flap half-open with a saucer of tuna on the other side. Puss will soon go through.
If none of these teaches your cat, she knows what the flap is for, but would rather you opened the door!
Cats! Don't you just love 'em......
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Has the catflap got one of those extra plasticy draft excluder bits? It does make it a bit heavier so if so, you could try propping that part up so it is easier to push through. Also if your cat is quite small, is he struggling to reach it and push at the same time if it's a bit of a stretch? We had this problem with my cat a while ago (other end of the spectrum though, he's 19) and putting a small step on either side so that he could reach and walk through it more easily, solved the problem.
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If the flap is a bit high trying making a step on either side to make it easier.
Kocka used to go to the flap which she knew how to use without diffuclty and sit there and go falp, flap flap, flap flap, and if that didnt work flap flpa flap flap until I went and held the door open, the to come in she would climp on the window sill which was about 5 ft off the grond and bang on the window, if that didnt work she would pull her claws down ir like chalk on a black board. When I went out she would climb on my shoulder and come into house like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!
talk about being an obedient under control slave! :rofl: