# cat flap training



## Evurr (Apr 17, 2009)

we have recently introduced 2 new cats to our home, one is a year old and the other six months.

We had hoped that the "putting their paw against the flap and pushing" would work but it hasn't. The younger one seems brighter than the older tho.

We've tried giving treats etc but it't not working.

How did you train your cat to use a cat flap?


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## morgmonster (Jun 8, 2010)

I know some people wouldn't recommend it but we ended up pushing them through headfirst ... I would say though, our cats were confident and not nervous of the catflap, they just didn't seem to know what to do with it, even after we opened it and tried to encourage them through with treats on the other side.

before you get to that stage though... First get some treats, go on the other side of the door from the cat, open the flap, and show the cat the treats, talk to it "come on fluffy, here you go, treeeeats!" etc... Hopefully he'll come through the flap, do this a few times, in and out, and he should learn that the flap is there to go in and out of. 
Next is getting them to actually open it themselves which is a bit harder, if they can see you with the treats on the other side that may entice them to try, otherwise, opening the flap a crack so they can smell the outside and let them do the rest - especially if the flap has a strong magnet to keep it closed, some cats' pathetic little attempts aren't enough to overcome it at first!

Anyway this was the point that we started posting the cats through nosefirst as they just weren't even trying to open it themselves ... they weren't distressed by this at all and usually as soon as their nose could smell the air they went the rest of the way by themselves. But if your kittens are nervous or scared of the flap, I really wouldn't try this!

ETA - i see you say one cat is brighter than the other, well same with ours, one is really stupid, but she did figure it out in the end and it didn't take that long! So good luck!


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## Evurr (Apr 17, 2009)

Hiya

Thanks for all the info. They're not scared of it, just either not getting it or lazy. It's Katie more than Scruff. 

We have tried the treats/toys route. We've "posted" her through and even pushed it with her paw, with this she'll do the rest with her nose. She knows that this is where she comes in and out as we have taped the flap open and she comes and goes through that fine. 

It's purely getting her to do it herself.:confused1:


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## Becksie (Sep 24, 2008)

I started off by leaving the flap open and one of us standing either side of the door and dangling his favourite toy so he could see it and get the idea of jumping through.
This went well and he got the idea then did it with the flap down, he was fine going out but getting back in was a problem as he couldn't work out the idea of putting his head down so the magnet would open the lock. i had to lift him with his head down and feed him thru.
So then I left him to it, refused to open the door with his meowing so if he wanted to go in and out it would only be him doing the opening of the flap.
This took 2 days of intense cat flap training! mainly as I don't own the sharpest knife in the drawer!


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## Evurr (Apr 17, 2009)

bless him

She let herself out this morning but found the dry part of the garden while it was raining rather than come back in.

Have to confess most of the training has been done on the "going out" side so maybe she doesn't realise that it goes both ways... but you'd think she would have spotted that Bryn and Scruff are managing to get back in :confused1:

Do you think they made a whole set of "blunt knives" :lol:


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Oh Gosh, I think Mitzy is another part of the set of blunts!
She still has not figured out the cat flap at all...even though she sees all the others coming and going freely and is desperate to get outside!
I can't believe my luck really as I was worried about how to handle the situation before she was spayed. 
She has 3 days of house rest now post op, then I too will begin intensive training!


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