How long did it take you cat

[GorgeousLadyofWrestling]

To figure out the cat flap?

It was installed nearly a week ago and they’re still acting like it’s a portal to another world.

We have four. One of them has just about worked out she can push the flap up to come in. She hasn’t worked out she can do the same to go out. The other three are even more useless, and just sit next to it and wait for me to shove them through head first.

They will happily shove their heads in any kind of dark hole they find like a cardboard box or the time we took the panel off the bath and they wouldn’t come out. But this is apparently mystifying them.

Are you training with treats?

Cat in front of cat flap. Other side push it open and offer treats, pssppsss so that they come through.

Repeat a few times one way & the other.

Show them cat flap opens a few times (reminds them). They'll use it in no time.

I had to prop our cat flap open for a couple of days, I used string to tie it open. Once cat was coming in and out I gradually lowered the gap bit by bit until finally it was closed.

We had to post our first cat through it a couple of times. The second cat just took a look & went straight through it. Mind you he occasionally pretends to forget how it operates & bats it with his paw for several minutes.

@Cookerhood mine likes to use its doorbell functionality instead. Stands close enough to make the lock click, repeatedly, until obliging cat butler opens the door

My cat can use the catflap, but needs encouragement. I shout to her as she meows sadly that she can't get in. Shes been doing this for maybe 3 years? Its a good job i adore her.

The kitten went in and out immediately, she had been eyeing up outside for ages and was crazy to go out. I've never seen such a happy cat.
The older rescue cat not so much. I had to bungee the cat flat open for three months before she would go out of it and another 6 months before I could take the bungee off. Turns out she just doesn't like anything touching her face including me and the kitten. Belly and anywhere else is fine.
They can't get out of my garden.

"It was installed nearly a week ago and they’re still acting like it’s a portal to another world."

This made me laugh, and reminded me of the Muppet Babies opening the closet door 😁

Would it work to Train them before breakfast and bribe them with a LiKeLix?

We've never had a cat flap so feel free to ignore that idea!

We propped ours completely open (string and a Velcro sticky pads), once he was happy coming in and out we lowered it a bit so he had to push it, then lowered it completely. Maybe a week

We've just been through his with our elderly cat, he used to use one like a pro, then due to house moves etc he's had a gap of 8 years and just last week got another one, I thought he'd be absolutely delighted and race through it like he used to, no!

Installed on Sunday, massively suspicious and wouldn't entertain it until Wednesday, now on about day 10 he's steadily increasing his use of it. Would still prefer us to open the door if we're there, but will use the flap if not! I'd say we're about 70% there, but he is 16, and cantankerous!

We just 'showed' him how to use it, and let him to it!

Installed ours a year ago. She still hasn’t figured it out. We’ve done treats, propping it open, trying to shove her through, absolutely no interest. She prefers to have me open the door 100 times a day. When we went on holiday for 2 weeks last summer (with a cat sitter coming twice a day), we thought she’d use it eventually, but no, she just sat in the house for a fortnight. And gained 1kg we’re still trying to get off.

Right away. We got them to go through it a couple times and then left them outside and they had no problem using it to get back in. After that is was fine. Fairly laid back cats though.

Two years and she still can't use it. I've now accepted that it's just being used as an expensive bespoke window.

In fairness it's a bit too high for her, if I'd know it would be so high (because of the type of door) I wouldn't have had it installed. Plus she goes out for only about 2 minutes a day so it's no hardship to just open the door for her.

My late departed Oberon had a collar that would open the cat flap. However just before it opened it would make a very slight little click. So Oberon preferred to just sit next to it clicking so we would have to open the flap for him.

My cat used to cry at the open back door to be let out 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh god,
One of our cats, had him 2.5 years, has never worked it out. He watches his fellow cats use it in awe, and can't work it out. A few weeks ago I pushed him through, it's two separate flaps with a small tunnel (goes through the wall to outside) and he literally stopped turned himself around and came back through (god knows how he turned himself around he's a bit cat!!
So, I'll be keeping tabs on this thread for some pointers lol

Mine was quick but he was a kitten. ‘Portal to another world’ is very funny though.

@Heliss

My parents had really nice wooden bi fold doors with a deep wood panel at the bottom. So not only did the cat flap have to go one of the huge glass panels, but he also built them a set of steps for the garden side and a wood platform/box for the inside.

they could use it really quickly (same day) [ one motivated by food & humans insude & one. By adventure outside] but BOTH preferred the human touch & would sit meowing until a slave appears. Which involved moving the platform out of the way to open the door 🙄🙄🙄that soon got removed!! But despite the fact it made the inside side a bit high they were still fine with it when there wasn't a slave on hand!!

Very quickly. We don't have a cat now, but we have actually had dog flaps for over 20 years. We had my DD cat while she was moving house,we were keeping him in. I was on the conservatory,off the kitchen,he watched my dog go out,and obviously thought "hold tight", he had never had a cat flap. My neighbours got an adult rescue cat, kept him in for a month,then he took a few weeks to come in on her own accord

Ours is in an external wall, so it's a tunnel. MrCat does not like tunnels. We had to persuade him through using treats. 3 years on, he still eyes it up very suspiciously Every Single Time before using it.

MrCat only uses the tunnel if the staff do not open the door for him. Let him in by the door even once, and he will expect it every single time. You have to be well hard and ignore him. Even though I love him and willingly sit under him - I am Sparcatus!

Cat 1 - smart cat. Sussed in a few days but bit scared of the loud clicking when we upgraded to a microchipped one.
Cat 2&3 - had been watching Cat 1 for months (they were kittens and did not have microchip permission yet) so when they were finally allowed they were ok almost immediately.
Cat 4- refuses under any circumstances to use one. He has an outside kennel that we have to prop open the flap for or he won't use it.

@FloofCloud I would tape the inside flap open and have one person the other side with a high value treat and just keep shoving him through without the second flap he'll probably keep going if the treat is 'good enough' Don't introduce the second door until the first isn't an issue.

Thanks for the early-morning LOLs, OP!

Hope your DC figures it out soon

His 3yo (twin) sister worked it out quickly enough but he is beautiful but dim so it took him a few weeks. My 15 yo can go out but reckons she can't get back in so creates a mournful mrraaoow to get let back in. We lock the catflap at night to stop her getting out. The twins can get back in but can't get back out.

You can get cat flap steps Cat Flap Step - Unique Floating Pet Step for Cats I have a small brick staircase on the outside for mine due to the design of the step/door.