cat door bell - bonkers or not?

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Access to our back garden is via conservatory. We are planning to move in the next year or so so don't want a flap in the double glazing. It couldn't go through walls as they are raised above garden level. Cats would need to go up 60-80 cm to access it. Prefer them to go out the back as the nearest road in that direction is much further. I work from home but often in a different room. Dgirl cat is fairly lazy and isn't out long. Dboy scratches at door and often I do hear him. I check regularly anyway. I was wondering whether I could train him to ring a bell. A sort of Pavlov's dogs in reverse.

Before anyone questions why we got cats if we can't put cat flap in. They adopted us as they were starving and wrapped everyone around their little paws!

[thecatneuterer]

I love the idea. Good luck with training cats to do anything though!

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Dd1 likes a challenge! I have found this which might work. He always paws at the same spot.

[BibiBlocksberg]

What an awesome find OP, seriously considering getting one of those sensors now (not able to fit cat flap here & fed up sleeping with a bunch of penguins as his lordship has to have the only access window open all night :))

Came on to suggest a pressure activated doormat bell but from what i remember they are not particularly waterproof.

Can't wait to be 'ding-donged' out of bed 17 times a night :)

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Fortunately once he is in he is in for the night but particularly in the summer he has a clubbing lifestyle and is often late. It will be good preparation for when the dc are older! He has been caught out a few times but curls up and waits for someone to emerge. It is partly his fault because even if he is in the garden he will only come in if he wants to.

[HelpfulChap]

For a clubbing-lifestyle cat the bell should always play Feline Groovy.

[BibiBlocksberg]

:) @ 'Clubbing Lifestyle' shouldwestayorshouldwego & 'Feline Groovy' HelpfulChap :)



Got a nightly 'clubber' here too, he even brings mates back, wouldn't be at all surprised to smell bacon cooking & a large suspicious looking 'cigarette' doing the rounds soon when they wake me up at stupid o'clock :)

[Pipbin]

Our cat flap goes through a wall an comes out about 6 foot up due to a slope. My girl has a set of shelves to jump down.

[IAmAPaleontologist]

We don't have a cat flap, cat just yowls outside the door or if the bathroom window is open he performs an acrobatic stunt and climbs in. The window frame and the cistern of the toilet are covered in mucky paw marks. I'd love to know if he could manage a bell! Though sometimes he decides he is going to stay out all night and I don't much fancy the idea of being woken up at 2am by the doorbell

[BibiBlocksberg]

Pipbin - 6 foot? That must have been the most expensive cat flap ever fitted? Kudos :)

IAmAPaleantolgist - that's what i'm worried about....ding dong, ding dong, ding dong....all night long....a surefire way to a rubber cell vacation while wearing a white jacket, rocking back & forth & repeating 'it's four in the fecking morning' 'pleeeaaaase, someone, anyone, make it stoooooop' :) :)

[Pipbin]

Pipbin - 6 foot? That must have been the most expensive cat flap ever fitted? Kudos
We didn't fit it. It goes out of our kitchen on ground level and then appears 6 ft up in the garden.

[Pipbin]

Here it is. It comes out under a lean to.

[BibiBlocksberg]

That is genius pipbin, love it! My kingdom, my kingdom for a cat flap!

Early night & amnesty on open windows has been declared here on account of exceptional 'brass monkey's outside' - be interesting to see how long it'll be before the furry clubber tries to overrule me on that decision :)

[Pipbin]

She loves it. Doesn't stop her bringing livestock in though.

[abbsismyhero]

i put bells on my back door to warn me if the toddler was attempting a break out my cat used them as a door bell for me to let him out it was basically a string with bells attached tied to the handle he would rattle them for attention