I have 5 cats at various ages, who have always had the pleasure of having the door opened and closed for them when they tapped on the window....
I've just installed a cat flap in the door, as i'm now working during the day...
The one cat i thought the least intelligent! is slowly getting the idea, just sits there looking in, paw padding the flap)...the others are showing no interest and just meow on the window sill..... I've tryed tempting them through with food but no luck...Any more ideas? Thanks.......
2007-10-22 12:39:49 · 13 answers · asked by Scarletwoman 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
i also have 5 lovely cats, when i put my cat flap in i lef them for a day or two so they knew is was there and it wasnt to strange for them. Then i got a friends to stand on the out side and we past them forward and back through the cat flap for a few times each then just left them. Within a few hours the tom cats we going in and out like it have been there for ever. The girls took a little longer, but the boys showed them , and now they use it all the imte. But i shut them in at night , to give them their food and they normaly sleep all night down stairs
2007-10-22 14:18:59 · answer #1 · answered by princessevie91 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I managed to teach a stubborn old hag queen of 18 to use a cat flap so stick with it! Some ideas are shut the cats out hungry one morning after not feeding much at night. Cats think with their stomachs. Encourage them in with you holding the cat flap open so they just walk through it gradually let it down on them as they come through so they get use to feeling the door on their back. Keep going until you are only just holding the door open a tiny bit. Obviously you are holding the door so they can butt it open not so the door is opening out wards but so it is opening in wards. Do this by pushing it hardish catching it as it swings back at you. Failing those ideas get outside grab cat shove through the flap do several times cat gets the idea. Its funny how the most stupid is also the most intelligente we have changed to a magnetic flap and Cleo the slow moving train brain of the family is expert at it!
2007-10-23 12:20:47 · answer #2 · answered by lotsofsmoggies 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ummm cats are tricky if they can get their human mom to do the wrok for them they will ~ best ignore them however much they yell and dance in front of the window
leave the cat flap wedged open woth a book and then watch the magic lure them in with food left at both sides of the door ~ the pack leader will initiate the motion to enter and there you have it
food and treats and perseverence
they arent stupid just tricky :0 xx have fun
2007-10-23 14:20:06 · answer #3 · answered by ~*tigger*~ ** 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go outside, close the door behind you get the cat off the windowsill and push it through the flap, it will find itself inside and get the idea, tho if the cat gets scared, then you may have a bit of a fight on your hands, keep doing it till they get it, but dont let them in through the door or they will know if they make enough fuss they will get let in!
Another way is to push the flap open when they tap the window and call them through it, but if they cant see it from the window then thats a bit pointless, plus you will have to spend ages on your knees calling the cat, but its up to you!
2007-10-22 19:52:34 · answer #4 · answered by magpyre 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
When the one who's showing an interest is padding at the flap, gently open it for her and she'll probably promptly go through it. Once the others see that happening, they'll realise too.
Did that with our new boy, who'd never seen a cat flap before; he was inspecting it so I opened it in front of him, he looked it, looked at me and dived through. Ten minutes later he was back, all on his own. Just needed to see that it did move.
2007-10-23 05:08:37 · answer #5 · answered by champer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is your cat flap transparent? A lot of cats like to see what's on the other side before they step through in case there's something bad out there (like a cat waiting to pounce on them, or a dog, or something like that). If they can't see through then they won't use it especially if there's an alternative (you opening the door for them!).
2007-10-23 13:30:55 · answer #6 · answered by SolarFlare 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I remove the magnet on them as I think its to strong.then I keep it open with a piece of string .this is left like this for about 3days,then the string gets longer so eventually the cat feels the flap touching its back,eventually removing it all together .it usually takes 2wks.
good luck
2007-10-24 11:52:57 · answer #7 · answered by redlady 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sit down out side and pick them up, one by one, and slowly push it through the flap. have a small serving of food inside. whhen they are all inside, put some food outside (again, just a little bit) and push them outside. that is what i did with my 2. and they are real rascals sometimes. (they like to make us get up and open it for them when we are having dinner!)
2007-10-22 20:08:39 · answer #8 · answered by 33333248 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had this problem with a stray I adopted. It's really the wrong time of year now in the UK, but I tied the catflap open for a while. You will probably find once one of them cottons on, the others will copy. Probably best to let them find their way out rather than in. That's what I did with my eldest.
2007-10-23 06:40:23 · answer #9 · answered by steffi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
open the flap and bribe them through it (with a treat or something). Eventually, don't open the flap, and they'll get the idea.
2007-10-22 20:12:17 · answer #10 · answered by piratefan308 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋