New cat flap owner

[ValPC]

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Hello fellow cat chatters, I am new to this forum. I have had a cat flap installed in the wall of our new extension and have been reading your cat flap training ideas with interest. This morning I put her cat bowl of food into the tunnel and gently held on to it while she tried to pull it outside, I was distracted for a second and she pulled the lot onto the path and started to eat her food. I welcome anymore suggestions as to how to get Lily to go through the flap!

[Jacks]

Dear Lily! I have a similar situation to you - a cat 'tunnel' through a wall, as our only exit otherwise is glass patio doors.

We installed it last spring and spent all summer trying to get out three girls to use it. Only one managed to get out of her own free will, by prizing it up and contorting her head under - when it was locked! It's a microchip flap.

None of them would go through and come back. In the end we abandoned it for the winter and taped it up, putting the kitchen bin in front of it. This spring one of our girls decided to come in through it - when it was locked - and managed to push the bin out of the way in the process! She now uses it all the time. One other will now go out, but not back in, and the third looks at it and me as if I were asking a 'Lady' to use the tradesman's entrance...

I wish you every success with your girl and I have to say I'm impressed by your early results - so I think patience and lots of tempting with treats should do the trick!

[Good Old Bakes]

We just tied ours open with a piece of string and left it for a couple of days. It wasn't a tunnel one though, just in the door but I'd give it a try. Once they're used to coming and going through it, they'll soon learn to push the flap open when you drop it back down.

[Hazel]

We can't get Jess to use our flap and he's not the most handle able cat so shoving him through is not an option! We tried the string and he goes through fine with it open. A neater way though is to open it then put a clothes peg on the edge of the flap bit so it can't close. If you move the peg closer to the bottom of the flap the gap gets smaller. We have got Jess going in and out through the smallest of gaps in this way, but he still won't push it if it's closed!