Cat flap setting 'Entry only'

[Mrs Mac]

Hi, does anyone have experience with using the 'Entry only' setting on their cat flaps?
We are locking our cat flap at night and put a cube foot stool in front to take away access to the flap so that Rosie knows it's bed time and doesn't get confused why the flap doesn't open anymore.

We are going away for a few days and I am thinking of having the pet sitter put the cat flap to 'Entry only' mode after Rosie's gone out in the morning. This means she can have her morning round outside(usually 1-2 hrs) but then is then safely restricted to the house in the afternoon til the evening, when the cat sitter blocks up the flap with the foot stool again.

I'm worried though that it might upset her when she finds the cat flap not opening in the afternoon and that she might spend hours prodding at it or even worse, is put off using it altogether.

Does anyone know how they usually react to it just being 'locked'?

[meriad]

Mine used to be OK with it. I say used to because both mine (one to the front and one to the back garden - both cat proofed) are now propped open because Little Henry is daft and 2 years down the line hasn't figured out how to use it.

Monty however, when it is locked for whatever reason, has twigged how to extend a claw to get at the material draft excluder to pull the flap open so he can get out; but he's the only one that's managed it - and needs to be said that the first two years of his life before I got him he was an outdoor only cat that was chased out of his house and even now nearly 5 years later locking him in totally freaks him out - he has to have a way out.

Most cats will give it a go for a bit and then soon realise it's not going to work and give up. But what you could do is start wnow ith the routine you'd like the cat sitter to have, ie put the flat on entry only whilst you're still home and see what Rosie does.

[Jacks]

I think it will be fine.

We have a microchip cat flap which we don't currently use as one of my little girls is a danger to herself and is not allowed out, but can prize the door up on an 'Entry only' setting - and I think if it's actually LOCKED, by getting her claws under the opposing edges, prizing it up, then contorting herself to tuck her head under - and she's away. So we have the flap on 'entry only' and barricaded by a waste bin and a heavy toolbox inside.

Only one other of our cats will actually use the cat flap, and once she sussed it, even though it's locked from the inside if she's out and panics she will use it to come in - pushing the bin out of the way - which shows amazing determination! The chip clicking the flap is also an alert to me that she wants to come in (they're only allowed out when we're at home) and I go and open the door. The point I am making is that she knows it has the potential to allow her in, and even if she has to push a full size (large) bin out of the way she will use it. Your Rosie, I'm guessing, will be the same. I think it's essential if she's out that she has a way to get to safety, so yes - set it Entry only.

[Mrs Mac]

Thanks for both your responses. I'm absolutely paranoid about Rosie I have to admit and am always second guessing what I'm doing so not to upset her.

She only moved in with us a year ago but we've known her for 4 years after we moved to the area. She was the friendly neighbourhood cat who could be seen at all hours and who came calling and snatched 40 winks on your sofa. The reason for that we only found out last year when her owner told us they were moving and the reason Rosie had been wandering the neighbourhood all these years was that she didn't get on with their other cat. She said that she was quite worried about how Rosie would cope with the move, especially at her age and having been in the area for 10 years. Ever since they got the other cat, she had stopped coming into their house so in the end they put a cat flap into the garage and made her a bed there but of course she rather visited the neighbours, including us!

So I offered the neighbour to take Rosie when they moved and that was that. What I didn't realise was how difficult it would be to teach her that we are her home now and more importantly have the other neighbours stop letting her in and feeding her.

That's all well under control now, Rosie is fully at home with us and really settled but she is a very independent old lady and every time I change something in her routine I fear that she'll hate me and move out again, especially because she still likes visiting people...

[MarkB]

We have a regular cat flap that I have set on 'In Only' as I don't trust the youngest, Ingrid going out unsupervised - however, the other young one, Kasper, managed to work out how to claw the flap open from the inside! - it took him about 2 days to work it out and now he does it all the time. Thankfully theothers aren't that clever. Not sure that many cats are.

[Mrs Mac]

I wouldn't put it past her figuring it out...especially because the cattery she stayed at in April had a cat flap to her outside run that could be pushed from the outside to come in but in order to go out the cats had to pull it inwards! It was designed like that and the cattery people assured me that all cats were fine with this... very strange.

[Jacks]

young one, Kasper, managed to work out how to claw the flap open from the inside! - it took him about 2 days to work it out and now he does it all the time. Thankfully the others aren't that clever. Not sure that many cats are.

Yes this is what my Lara does, the minx, and I don't trust her an inch - she's always getting into trouble. The cleaner moved the barricades from the flap this afternoon and she did her usual trick and hubby had to grab her from the fence outside, little mischief!

[Lilith]

We have a regular cat flap that I have set on 'In Only' as I don't trust the youngest, Ingrid going out unsupervised - however, the other young one, Kasper, managed to work out how to claw the flap open from the inside! - it took him about 2 days to work it out and now he does it all the time. Thankfully theothers aren't that clever. Not sure that many cats are.

I wouldn't be too sure about that, Mark. I've found that in every household of cats there is sure to be one 'genius' - though it may answer to certain other words as well!

[MarrowFarmer]

Always set ours on one way form about 9pm until they are both in then we lock it. They seem to just know as they don't even try and get out until the morning. My only concern about one way is that next doors cat sometimes gets trapped in all night, luckily they all get on fine and he doesn't get stressed if he does get locked in.

[claire_lee]

We've used our cat flap on 'in but not out' mode at nighttime (dusk onwards) for some years and occasionally when we have been away overnight with few problems. we have had some problems with one of ours working out how to open it when its locked as well as the odd 'catch' (mainly strays - one of which came in during really snowy weather and stayed 3 days before moving on!). So if we do an overnight we move a piece of hardboard and a plant over the opening so that they can't access the flap to get a claw underneath and so open it.
WE started locking it when we got Kitty as company for Wolfie (pictured) he was the only one of our cats at the time that was interested in going out at night at the time but soon got used to it. Kitty and Mali who came along later can be quite naughty when it comes to coming in especially if they are out when the mice come out to play. However we have discovered that we don't get the morning corpse trail of victims caught during the night (which you usually tread on in bare feet also keeping the cats in until proper daylight comes is better for the bird population. And I can sleep better at night knowing our furries are safe in the house with us away from the foxes and other dangers....
- I'd also forgotten i was using this photo as my avatar - this is where Wolfie usually sleeps - its my pillow - at least in theory.....