Alternative to cat flaps? (Also posted this in Pets section)

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

Don't know if anyone has this problem but we have 2 indoor cats and large heavy wooden doors that we are not able to put cat flaps in. They do all their business in the basement (we live on 4 floors of a large house) which means they always need to have access to it - which in turn means we have to leave the kitchen door open and the basement door open ALL THE TIME. The basement is more or less Arctic!
This is sooooo annoying because it means the house is freezing all the frickin time and never heats up! I have tried little door stoppers that close the door to a small gap - but it doesnt help.
Does anyone have an alternative to cat flaps in doors? Anyone else have this problem? Am i just doomed to a cold house and ridiculous heating bills? I am also reposting this in pets section.

[notapizzaeater]

Could you not put cat flaps In the internal Doors ?

We got rid of our litter tray last week after she'd not used it for a month and our cat just shouts at the back door to go out

[notapizzaeater]

I remember now seeing a cat flap in a kitchen window once - cold that work ?

[PaperFlowers]

Change the door to a thinner one? Don't know about cat flap alternatives (other than training them to open doors....), but if you need to have the litter tray in the basement and don't want to freeze, maybe it's worth fitting a new door.

And congratulations on your indoor cats - our neighbours have just got a kitten and the poor little thing yowls to come in (at our door) on and off all night.

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

Sorry - they are indoor cats so do not go out at all. We can not put holes in the doors inside - we are not allowed. The problem is the indoor doors of the house having to be open all the time It drives me mad having to have the kitchen door and basement door open 24/7 and the basement is literally FREEZING COLD so all the cold air escapes through that door through the kitchen through to us in the living room. bbrrrrrr......

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

ha ha Paperflowers

[notapizzaeater]

Could you not swop one door and fit a lap in that one and put it back up when you need to ?

Would those silly plastic flappy curtain things they have in cold rooms work ?

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

ooooh maybe - I love the big wooden doors but I am soooooo cold.

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

never thought of moving the cat litter trays - duh! that might be a fab way to get rid of the cold. i dont know how they will adapt to a new location as they have always used the basement in both our houses to do everything in.
ps - dont know what u mean as a charcoal filter?!

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

thank you - will look into that asap. i give birth very soon so hopefully the litter tray wont upset me so much but if i so much as catch a whiff it makes me physically sick. very squeamish and partner does it all but he is away all day at work. i only agreed to having cats if all their stuff was kept down in the basement where i never ever go.

[lljkk]

Why not put litter trays somewhere above basement?

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

could do lljkk but i dont like being near to it all and prefer it to be out of sight out of mind. only other place to put them would be an upstairs bedroom and i dont like the idea of that.

[PaperFlowers]

Ha ha - I didn't think of moving the litter tray as an option! Much easier

[lljkk]

sorry, Xposts, who empties the trays now and how often?

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

my partner does it all - not sure how often as he knows it makes me squeamish so he doesnt tell me about it. sure he does it very often.

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

i am probably overly sensitive to it all cause i am 8 months pregnant and we got them 8 months ago. when i have had my baby i assume poo wont bother me as much as i will be surrounded in it!!

[LeChatRouge]

My friend has a closed cat box a bit like these. She opens it once a day and fishes out any debris with a scoop, changes the litter couple times a week...doesn't smell at all. Tis in the downstairs loo.

[lljkk]

Well, PG you shouldn't be the one emptying anyway (toxop + bending over is a pain, I'm sure!)

If emptied promptly the smell lingers less, iyswim.
It's not nice for the cats to have to step around in it, either, so another reason to empty at least daily.
All I can think is you keep the door to basement as nearly shut as you can, but allowing them to push thru when needed, to cut down on draughts.

[Booyhoo]

do you have an under stair cupboard or little knook that you could fit a small door with flap onto anywhere in the house?

[Charleymouse]

You could always train them to use the loo.

toilet train system

If anyone knows a good litter tray for outside that does not let the rain in I would appreciate the advice as the one I have lets rain in and then makes the litter go soggy.

[PaperFlowers]

I KNOW -

[Booyhoo]

mine go outdoors now for their business but when i had the trays i emptied them as soon as i could after they'd pooed. i also bought the clumping litter so once clumped, wees could be lifted out too and i sprinkled bicarb on the whole tray after each time i lifted something out. it really helps to combat the smell.

[Booyhoo]

why do you need a litter tray for outside?

anyway, couldn't you buy a small dog kennel and out the tray inside that?

[MrsReiver]

Just be aware that charcoal filters trap the odour INSIDE a hooded tray, meaning the cats may be more reluctant to go in and use the tray if it's stinky.