So last week, we had a cat flap installed, because certain cats (I’m looking sternly at Jasper, as I type this!) like to wake us up at horrible hours of the night to be let out of the house. I don’t want to have them outside at night, especially Layla, in the winter, when it’s cold, she’s getting old but LSH (understandably) doesn’t really enjoy getting out of bed at 3am to let them out.
So, we bought and installed the cat flap (actually, we had a friend who works as a handyman do that bit, it was looking like we might need marriage counselling if we tried it ourselves! 😉 )
My cats are geniuses. Of course they know how to use the cat flap, but getting them to want to, is a whole other ballgame…
If you walked past our house last week, of an evening, you’d have seen me barefoot, in the garden, flapping a piece of ham through the cat flap, calling to a cat, with the door shut, whilst LSH almost cried with laughter on the inside. (He’s no help!) Cat came through cat flap, ate ham, then promptly refused to use it again. Not really a victory, I guess?
In the meantime…
The children are having fun with it at least. Who needs toys when a hole in the door will keep you entertained for hours on end and cause much hilarity? (and if I can’t find anything in the next few weeks I know it will have probably have left the house via the cat flap!)
Endless hours of fun for small children, if only the cats thought it was too…
So, if you have any tips on how to get a cat to use a catflap I would love to hear them, because the sooner they start using it the better and I am prepared to try most things to persuade them…
When we first installed a cat flap, both of mine were just using it as a window! I found the best way was to shove their heads through it a few times to show them it works and then while they’re outside, shake a bag of Dreamies to encourage them to come in through it. Eventually they just started doing it on their own after repeating this process a few times. Ours is a microchip one so if the batteries go and it stops working, we sometimes have to reshow them how to do it! Hope he starts using it soon!
lol at the cat taking the ham treat then sod all…..we’ve been advised to keep our cat indoors from now on, normally Pushkins head bangs the bedroom door to be let out, if we don’t put her put before we go to bed. I now have to shut the cat and the dog in the conservatory at night as they both run up and down the corridor around 3sm, good luck with the cat flap.
I have never had a cat flap so I have absolutely no ideas to give you – dare I ask how it is going? #AnimalTales
Hmm, it’s slow progress. Jasper will leave the house via the cat flap but not come back in! ?
Any updates? #AnimalTales