Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi All,

I have two cats - Scampi and Aslan. I've had Scampi since he was 5 months old and he's a confident little 2 year old now who absolutely loves exploring outside. I've got a cat flap that goes through the wall of the house (rather than through the door/window). Scampi has figured it out and it's not an issue for him at all, he goes in and out of it without any problem.

Aslan is a different story! He is about 6 now, I got him when he was 5 and he hadn't really had any proper care or a nice, loving home (he was rescued from someone's back garden where he and his brother had been living for a year as the family had moved away and left them). He is an absolute sweetie and such a softie. But he has very little confidence. He has become so much better, and now loves going outside and exploring with Scampi. But he refuses to use the cat flap. He watches Scampi go in and out, and has had a good few sniffs, but wants nothing else to do with it. It's fine whilst the weather is ok, as I can have the back door open, but this is going to be an issue during the winter! I've tried using treats, but he is perhaps one of the few cats that doesn't like treats - unless the food is in his food bowl, he's not interested. I've tried closing the door on him outside and encouraging him to come through, but he'd much rather sit at the back door getting wet than coming through! He looks like a big cat as he's very fluffy but he's not actually that big (certainly bigger than Scampi!), he just won't use it.

That would not be a problem, except he's discovered he really does like exploring outside, and goes stir crazy at night as he obviously has to be locked in the house. It would therefore be lovely if he could learn to use the cat flap and come and go as he pleases, but I'm out of ideas as to how to encourage him to even try it. Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
Thank you
Rhiannon

If you tape the flap in a fully-open position, will he go through the hole then? I'd start with that, maybe using chicken, tuna or whatever he really likes. If you can get him going through the "tunnel," to start with, this would be better for you than leaving the door open.

Once he can use the tunnel, next step might be to tape a piece of string to the flap, so you can control it. When he is outside, pull the flap to the inside and lower it just a little, so it strokes his back as he comes through. Then a little more, so he gets the feeling of his back pushing it out of the way, and he learns that it will move. The only trouble with this is, it makes the flap one-way, so you can't really leave it like this.

When I adopted two shelter cats (Rocky and Bridie, who had always lived together) I had a cat flap installed in my back door - I expect your flap in the wall isn't quite so easy for you to access. Bridie used the flap quite happily, Rocky didn't seem to know what to do with it. Being a new flap, the draught excluder was quite stiff, and it did take a positive push. Bridie used her nose to push it open. I wanted to teach Rocky, but didn't want to force his head into it. So I'd get him in front of the flap, pick up both his front paws and push those against the flap till it opened. He got the idea from that, and still uses a paw rather than his nose to open it. Six months later Bridie died, and after a couple of months I brought in a new kitten. She worked the flap out for herself, and now frequently charges through it at full gallop.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on. He's a beautiful boy!

I've had one that wouldn't learn to use the catflap, and with her it was made even more difficult in that she was very nervous and hand shy as well, i couldn't just reach over and push it for her which might be one option for you to try.

One trick I did try that was partially successful was to use a clothes peg to hold the flap part open. I don't know if it would work with one that goes through a wall instead of a door as it isn't something I have seen so I'm not sure quite where the flap is. You start with the peg right at the top of the flap so it is held fully open and then as they get used to going through it slowly move the peg down so the flap is partially closed and they have to push it a little to get through. The big problem I found with this technique is that the flap can only be used one way when the peg is holding half open, and as I have three cats you could always guarantee that one cat would be on the wrong side wanting to go in or out.

If Aslan isn't scared of sticks a length of dowel might be used to push the flap a little for him to get him used to going through it. It's something we used to do as we had one cat that was just lazy and if we were in the dining room would just stare at us with big blue eyes until we opened the flap for him.

Freyja, my nervous little girl, finally learnt how to use the cat flap a couple of years ago when we were trying to catch her to get her to the vets for her vaccinations. The catflap had been locked and a board put in front as one of the other cats was going as well and we didn't want him disappearing down the garden. In the end after both myself and my OH had been torn to shreds trying to get hold of her, we gave up, I reopened the cat flap in case cat number three (Tiggy) wanted to go out while we were at the vets, and the next thing I knew Freyja was through it and down the bottom of the garden. I left it pegged open the rest of the day so she could get back in easily (I don't mind shutting a cat inside, I couldn't leave her shut outside not know if she could get back in). Once she was back in side that evening, I took the peg off and left the flap to see what happened. She never looked back and ever since has happily come and gone as she pleases. I don't recommend fear and chasing a cat around to try and incentivise it to using the flap, but it does show that once they have worked it out, even a reluctant cat can remember how to use it.

Thank you, both. I have tried holding the cat flap open for him, but with one hand holding the cat flap open it makes it difficult to try and hold the cat! I think you're both right, in that I need to somehow keep the cat flap open and hopefully let Aslan explore it himself. I am sure once he realises there are no monsters in the cat flap and he can come and go as he pleases, he will use it all the time.

I will let you know how I get on...let's hope he learns before the winter!!