How the hell do you get a cat to go through a cat flap

[toots]

I give up here - bought a cat flap this morning and have been trying to get my cat to go through the flippin thing all day.

I've ended up pushing her through, pulling her through, putting cat treats the other side, holding the flap open. What does she do, just sits there & stares at the thing but won't budge herself to go through it

So how does one train a grown cat to use one of these things ???

[dagl]

Get a big dog in the same room!

[igual]

First off attatch pully to heavy object outside thread rope and the to tail , pull.
Failing that
If its a kitten place food near it and leave it open with food trail leading out the door.
Older cat like our moggy got him chasing the red dot pointed out the open cat flap cat realised he can go through it.look on his face was priceless when he realised lol.

[Raffles]

I have the opposite problem. I regularly cat/house sit for one of my sons, and I dread them going out. Can't bear the thought of telling him one is missing when he returns. Anyway, he tells me to stop worrying, so I open the flap and 3 cats zoom out and start laughing at me! ???

[sammy13]

Exactly what you have been doing toots, and when they go to the door and meow, don't open it, open the cat flap, and stand there patiently it may take a while holding it open, pop the cats paw on the flap to open it, let go flap closes etc, eventually it will work

[tomj777]

Try removing the flap and leave it like that for a couple of days... if you're certain the feline is still being obstinate (they are meant to be, btw) then gently pass her through from the outside to the inside (think "pour her through") a few times... With strokes and tummy rubs and treats and perhaps the odd welt in return.... A couple of times every hour or so...
Once she's got used to it, reverse....
The leave it again for a couple of days (just go back occasionally and pour her through it again) . By this time she should have been using it sneakily over the last four days or more...
Now, having let her have her fun with your concern, comes your time for revenge.
Fit the flappy bit.

Accept the retribution.

[Deleted]

Normally using all the ways you've used, toots. Maybe try calling it in, in Spanish! It does take a bit to get them using a flap, a coupla days & it will be fine.

[igual]

Oct 15, 2014 21:50:12 GMT dagl said:

Get a big dog in the same room!

Our cat beats up our German shepherd lol. Moggy is top dog  icon_blushPoor pooch been decked a few times.
Best one recently was pooch fast asleep on floor cat comes running in jumps on tto back of the armchair and launched himself at the snooring mutt all teeth and claws, poor pooch ran and hid in her cage lol.
Cat wanders off strutting like a beach bully.

[jeffc]

toots when the cat gets hungry enough, it will use the cat flap.
I`ve done this with all my cats. DO NOT give in and open the door to the cat.
Cats are intelligent and will soon realise that the flap is the only way they can get to the food.
If they sneak in when door is opened, put them outside immediately, they will then soon learn that flap = food & warm house.

Good luck.

[dagl]

Oct 15, 2014 21:55:56 GMT igual said:

Oct 15, 2014 21:50:12 GMT dagl said:

Get a big dog in the same room!

Our cat beats up our German shepherd lol. Moggy is top dog  icon_blushPoor pooch been decked a few times.
Best one recently was pooch fast asleep on floor cat comes running in jumps on tto back of the armchair and launched himself at the snooring mutt all teeth and claws, poor pooch ran and hid in her cage lol.
Cat wanders off strutting like a beach bully.

This made me laugh-

[toots]

Jeeze that was a load of replies all at once thanks guys

tomj777 can't take the actual flap away or we'll get a load of mosquitos in. We've actually put the cat flap in the mozzie screen itself as we never have the patio doors closed but we always have the mozzie screens shut. Just fed up with having to get up & down all evening when our lovely little Poppet is most active.

jeffc you said "they will then soon learn that flap = food & warm house" I'd have to change that sentence to "they will then soon learn that flap = food only" forget about the warm bit, it's normally hotter outside than it is inside haha.

And nope I am not letting her in & out by opening the mozzie screen for her, so I have been doing the right things all day then according to what all you's have been saying. Just might take a couple of days for her to get used to it.

I thought it would be easy, put her through the flap a couple of times and she'd get the hang of it how wrong could I have been. Little mare is meowing right now and staring at the flap as though its gonna jump out and attack her

[giles]

jeffc is right. Your cat knows how to use the flap, just prefers to have you open the door.

We had 2 cats until they died of old age, and they used the flap a lot, but would sit outside the flap and shout for us to open the door if they knew we were on the other side.

[toots]

Oct 15, 2014 22:02:43 GMT dagl said:

Oct 15, 2014 21:55:56 GMT igual said:

Our cat beats up our German shepherd lol. Moggy is top dog  icon_blushPoor pooch been decked a few times.
Best one recently was pooch fast asleep on floor cat comes running in jumps on tto back of the armchair and launched himself at the snooring mutt all teeth and claws, poor pooch ran and hid in her cage lol.
Cat wanders off strutting like a beach bully.

This made me laugh-

Brilliant

[igual]

Oct 15, 2014 22:20:43 GMT toots said:

Oct 15, 2014 22:02:43 GMT dagl said:

This made me laugh-

Brilliant

Haha you don't know how accurate that is with trigger ( male ginger cat ) and Koda the muttamus

[igual]

I'll try get a better PIC when he's not starring under little ones PC desk lol