Hi all

I adopted an 18 month old rescue cat about 4 weeks ago and whilst she loves going outside I cant get her to go anywhere near the catflap........

I dont know much about her background as the rescue centre didnt know an awful lot about her either so I dont know if she has ever used a catflap before (it would appear not)

My question really is - is she too old to learn how to use one now as she is 18 months old or do I just need to be patient and keep persevering............. rewarding her with treats etc if she goes anywhere near it?

With my cats/kittens I always prop them open so they can see outside .

Sometimes I have popped them through a couple of time ( not for timid easy scared cats though)

thanks

I can only really prop it open when I am home as there are LOTS of cats that live around me and I dont want them coming in to my house when Im not there - when I am there the door is open to there is no need for the cat flap to be propped open

I dont really want to shove her through it as it actually goes through the wall and there is a "tunnel" she has to go through - if that makes sense!

It might come to just shoving her through tho if she doesnt start showing an interest but I dont want to scare her - she is quite a nervous little thing at times

I will give it another go at the weekend and see if I can get her interested in it - or at least near it!

thanks lyndeeloo

I used to prop the door open and put a snack or two on the other side.

As it's nice weather, just prop/open the flap from outside and call her through. You'll probably need to crouch / Kneel down but don't worry about feeling daft!

The age should be fine, mine were about 3 when I moved in here and they had a flap for the first time.

thanks guys

will try treats but (and I know this sounds like an excuse but its really not!) I havent found any she actually likes! I have tried Dreamies, Whiskas crunch things and something else I found in Tesco whose name escapes me - she isnt a fan of any of them!

think I am going to have to be ruthless this weekend and just keep the door shut (I may melt if its really hot) and prop the flap open so she HAS to go through it if she wants to go out............

Im not worried about looking daft - I just want her to realise that when I am at work during the day she can actually GO OUTSIDE if she wants to and Im sure she wants to as she is sat staring out of the patio doors each night when I get home, waiting for me to open them!

serious training is going to occur this weekend

thanks all for the advice - really appreciate it

You only have to have the cat flap propped open for half an hour or so, when she fancies a bit of exercise. If she's fast asleep, there's no point in doing anything like that.

If she doesn't like shop-bought treats, try putting a bit of food outside at feeding time and prop the flap open. If she's hungry, she might be more interested in what's out there rather than what she's exiting by. Don't put all her food there - just a bit before she starts. If she goes out and eats it, make a fuss of her and bring her in to finish eating.

If you don't fancy doing that, use a bit of tuna or whatever cooked meats she likes a bit of. Try putting a bit outside as a normal treat, then after a few goes of that, show her the treat through the cat flap.

I've found a long twig can be an 'interesting' lure to get a cat outside (my scaredy cat). Get her attention and then slowly slide it out of her vision to the side. She'll pop her head out, looking for it.

Remove the door from the flap if you can, or prop it open. Hopefully she see outside and go through it. If not then pick her up and shove her through. Don't be shy, get her through there. She will soon get the message.

Saw something on a programme quite recently which showed cats as often being afraid of the catflap because it took them straight out into an open (i.e. exposed area) which they couldn't see from inside and prepare for.. You could try putting some stuff around the outside, creating an area where she can survey the outside world before going further.

well - had a weekend of patio doors shut and flap off the cat flap

my cat is currently sitting outside, miaowing at the patio doors to be let in despite the cat flap being completely "open" so she can get in without having to push the flap *rolls eyes*

this is NOT going to plan!

aw bless!

LOL, I know your pain. I put in a cat flap for our two cats about this time last year as before then they got in and out through our kitchen window, and we couldn't leave that open when we were out.

Our plan was to tape the cat flap open for a little while so they'd get used to it. It's still being taped open now as our youngest cat just won't go out using the flap. She comes in through it when it's shut but unlocked, just won't go out through it! She only started coming in through it as she was forced to one day as the tape came unstuck. She's a bit of a scaredy one too.

The older cat took a while, and started to use it to come in before going out but we started to leave it unlocked during the day (and not taped open) and one day I came home from work and he was sat outside. He still favours the front door or the window though if that's open.

So maybe try putting her out, and then going somewhere else so she can't see you're there to let her in, if that's possible?

how long have you had it taped open for? for the youngest? and, if you don't mind me asking - how old is the youngest? Mine is 18 months

BIB funnily enough I have tried that today!!!! she went out through the door as I have been home this afternoon so I shut the door and hid upstairs - peeping out of the upstairs window every couple of seconds to see what she would do and still nothing! she won't even go near the darn thing

left her out there for about half an hour and then it started to rain quite heavily - I thought that would shift her into action but nope - she just sat there - getting wet - so I caved and went down and let her in - what a happy cat she was!!

I really am starting to think she just won't ever get used to it

she loves being outside BUT she is just as happy being inside - if the door is shut and she can't get outside (well, she can but she won't use the cat flap) she isn't bothered - she goes goes to sleep

I just wish I could tell her that its not scary, it won't hurt her AND it will give her access to the garden whenever she wants it but I can't because she doesn't understand me

silly little cat!

My cat got her first cat flap when she was about 5 years old, so no 18 months will not be too late!

She has done it!!!!

out the cat flap - unassisted - with the plastic door on

coming back in is slightly more tricky in the world of Smudge but progress

left her out in the garden this morning so hopefully she will figure out that getting back in is just as easy as getting out

fingers crossed!

Well done! My rescue cat took ages before she learnt how to use the cat flap. I had to push her through from the outside to program it for her microchip the first time, then after a while and several push throughs later she learnt to use it by herself to come in.

However it took nearly six months before she worked out she could use it to go out on her own as well! Mind you she is just lazy - even now if I am in the kitchen she will sit and stare up at the door handle until I open it rather than use the flap.

thank you!

its funny what they do and what they dont do isnt it

mine is the opposite - has worked out she can go out but not come back in yet its exactly the same principal!

Im just happy she has finally worked it out for herself - well half worked it out - fingers crossed leaving her outside will force her into getting herself back through into the house

I have shoved her from the outside a few times too - she is way more hesitant coming back in - even being shoved through - but Im hoping its enough to jolt her memory

I shoved her through a couple of times from the inside and it seems to have worked

Cat's are contrary ...full stop!!!

I'm not being political but thought this was amusing and apt up to a point.

http://newsthump.com/2016/06/21/cats...use-to-go-out/

Haha! Going off all the arguments lately, then yes, apt, and very true. One of my cats will ask to go out via the back door, and if it's raining she'll spend a little while gazing out, up, round, etc (I think she's counting the raindrops, to see if they're dodge-able), then wander back into the house. Then, she strolls up to the front door and asks to go out (I think it's in case it isn't raining outside that door). She's trained us to just follow her up the hallway now.

Ours do that all the time. If we're not there, they're quite happy to use the cat flap, they have no problem with it at all but if we're around, they want us to be at their beck and call.

Use a cat bribe (food). Use something strong smelling like a piece of cooked fish and place it in front of the inside of the cat flap. Leave the cat out without any dinner and wait for it to come back to the back door to get in, before finally figuring out the cat flap because the smell is driving it mad with hunger. After a couple of goes through the cat flap, it'll get used to it, though it's in the nature of some cats to simply prefer their pets/servants to open and close doors for them.