So... Cat Doors

[neuralclone]

 I've just had a new cat door installed in one of my windows.  The problem is: how do I get my cat to use it?  Do any of my readers have any experience in this area?

(So far I've tried putting food outside the door, and rubbing some of my cat's own scent on it.  I've moved an old throw my cat likes to snooze on just under the door.)

Comments

[vilakins]

I've put food on the other side, and then helped the cat through. It might take a while to train some cats (my Sebastian was a bit slow) but they do get it, especially if they're outside and they want a meal.

[neuralclone]

The problem is, Missy is a very skittish little girl - so far my attempts to introduce her to the door have resulted in her running off. (Maybe she thinks it's some kind of mysterious portal leading to the vet?) *shrug* Hopefully she'll get curious enough to investigate it on her own.

Oddly enough, I had no trouble introducing it to a neighbour's cat - "Captain Cheeky" has decided that my place is his home away from home and he and Missy have become BFFs. With a bit of luck he might show her the way.

[vilakins]

I'm sure she will learn from watching Captain Cheeky; that's what Sebastian did in the end with our other two using it all the time in front of him. Our neighbour's cat also figured it out with no training, but sadly our cats don't really like him being inside their territory (though he hangs out in the garden just for the company) so we have a microchip reader cat door.

[vilakins]

I just remembered, for Sebastian we tied the cat flap back at first and gradually lowered it which might work for Missy, then finally when he still had to be coaxed through, I got fed up and took it off to see how he coped - and he started using it like the others.

[neuralclone]

I'm trying to figure out the best way of keeping the door open without damaging it - it's a perspex one set in a glass window, with a little magnetic catch at the bottom to keep it shut when it's not in use. (Missy was eyeing it warily last night from a safe spot on the back of the sofa.)

[vilakins]

That's what we had! We sellotaped the string the perspex cat door and taped the other end to the glass, then gradually lowered that end so Sebastian had to start pushing through.

[neuralclone]

OK, I'll give it a shot!