Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect my cats to use the flippin, soddin, bloomin catflap!

71 replies

LowFatMilkshake · 21/02/2007 15:14

We got it installed last year before we went away so our neighbours could look after them without waiting for them to come in and out while we were on holiday. 8 months later and we are still holding the damn thing open for them both!

The older cat even uses it like a door knocker, pushing it open to make a noise to let us know he wants to come in so it's not like he can't work it!

Any tips for getting cats o use one by themselves?

OP posts:
hairymclary · 21/02/2007 15:15

i'd ignore them til they use it

Original poster
LowFatMilkshake · 21/02/2007 16:13

We've tried thatm but they just stalk you round the house mewling in at you throug the windows - it's almost a horror movie with cats!

OP posts:
Whoooosh · 21/02/2007 16:15

I always tape mine open for the first few weeks with a cat who isn't used to it-and then,once they are coming in and out,get rid of the tape.
I also always have see through ones as I do have one particularly thick cat.

Original poster
LowFatMilkshake · 21/02/2007 16:21

Might try that when the weather warms up - but right now I have a young baby who is nearly lways just above floor level in his chair and we are open plan - so he's get a bit chilly! Our's is also see-through

OP posts:
FluffyMummy123 · 21/02/2007 16:21

Message withdrawn

Original poster
LowFatMilkshake · 21/02/2007 16:22

LOL - Interesting I have only ever seen that for ducks!

OP posts:
Whoooosh · 21/02/2007 16:23

When we had a sausage dog the cats refused to use his flap-they were far to superior for that
We ended up with dog flap and cat flap side by side-daft,with ramps all over the place to help the dog with exceptionally short legs.
If he ever tried using the cat's flap he would get a short,sharp smack on the chops.

tissy · 21/02/2007 16:23

our cat will sit hopefully by her flap for ages until we take pity on her and hold it open for her. It's quite funny, really, but we do know she can use it, as we let her out into frontdoorworld last thing at night, and in the morning she's curled up by the radiator.

She's just fecking lazy, and won't do it herself if one of her slaves is around!

Do your cats respond to the sound of a catfood tin being hit with a fork? How about letting them get hungry, put them the other side of the flap and make the noise, maybe the desire for food will win them over!

FluffyMummy123 · 21/02/2007 16:23

Message withdrawn

FluffyMummy123 · 21/02/2007 16:24

Message withdrawn

Whoooosh · 21/02/2007 16:25

And people say cats are stupid....

"Dogs have owners,cats have staff"

tissy · 21/02/2007 16:31

no, cats are not stupid, ours can tell the difference between the sound of fork on plate (usually not worth bothering about) and spoon on pudding bowl (likely to contain something being eaten with cream). She gets it right every time

KTeePee · 21/02/2007 16:32

This reminds me of the Mog story!

FluffyMummy123 · 21/02/2007 16:32

Message withdrawn

boredwithwaitingforminiMOSSY · 21/02/2007 16:32

Is it a normal cat flap or one of those magnetic ones where the cat wears a special collar?

Whoooosh · 21/02/2007 16:38

I thought someone had come in and "stolen" dd when I couldn't find her (aged 19mts at the time).I searched the whole house and then I could hear her-she had "escaped" out of the blardy dogflap.
Scared the living daylights out of me.

My cats drove me up the wall with the magnetic cat flap-We had it in the conservatory right next to the sofa-the little blighters would sit outside,knowing that by being within range the damn thing would keep making a noise.

longwaytogoandabitfurther · 21/02/2007 16:38

my kids loved my friends dog flap when they were smaller it was between kitchen and study they always climbed in and out of it - bless!

motherinferior · 21/02/2007 16:39

They're cats. They don't do reasonable. They do Sneeringly Commanding, punctuated by vomit.

Our cats have been known to use the catflap - although the big bugger always gets stuck and has to flail his legs about madly - but prefer us to open the front door. They stand outside yowling. Mr Inferior has been known to stop eating his tea and go to let them in.

FluffyMummy123 · 21/02/2007 16:40

Message withdrawn

motherinferior · 21/02/2007 16:42

Our cat sits outside on the dustbin and looks reproachfully at us when we come home. He has a perfectly good catflap, dammit.

motherinferior · 21/02/2007 16:43

A friend of mine used to have a cat who was so thick - and we're talking by cat standards - she had to be shown how to use the catflap every day.

ernest · 21/02/2007 17:14

me too, had a cat who didn't use it. Tied it wide open, so she was really enjoying running in and out every 2 minutes. She was in & out constantly. Then I untied it and hse gradually started to use it, as she's got used to enjoying the freedom. Just be strict and don't open for her after you untie it again, or they'll go back to lazy old ways

Upsadaisy · 21/02/2007 17:21

Cats are royalty don't you know.....catflaps require effort and pushing don't you know

Jamantha · 21/02/2007 18:23

In laws have a hole in the wall in their utility room so that cats can get in from the garden easily and they still refuse to use it. Even if it's raining they will sit outside waiting for someone to appear at teh dining room door to open up for them, rather than take shelter in the utility room (from where there is a cat flap on the internal door into the hallway)

SydneyB · 21/02/2007 18:29

My cat has a catflap that he used to use quite happily until my DD came along. Now, his speciality is sitting outside the catflap staring in mournfully where he can see me feeding DD. He then wails and scratches until I finally put DD down and open the flap for him. ADD I think!