Teaching a Cat to use a cat Flap

[suz29]

Hi all, we have two house cats (baldies) who normally only go out in the garden in warmer weather. One of them goes to the toilet wherever she likes but if given the chance she will always run outside quickly go and then run back in. I have put in a cat flap for her but she wont try and go through it! She will go through it if you hold the flap up. Has anyone trained their cat to use the flap and how. Thanks!

How long have you had the flap?

I started with holding the flap open for my cat when she wanted to go out, then once she was used to that I started pushing her gently so that her head opened the flap, then pushed her through it. Once she worked out that she could push it herself she was fine.

My MIL used food to encourage her cat through the flap - she started by propping the flap open, and leaving some food outside. Once the cat got used to that she put the flap down, but left the food there - it didn't take long for the cat to work out how to get out.

I used a length of sellotape to hold the cat flap open and then gradually lowered the flap down day by day so that the cats learned to push it open until eventually they would push it open on their own! HTH

WWB beat me to it -

cat food on one side + hungry cat on the other = mission accomplished

alternatively put the cats outside and shut the door, then they have to come back in through flap.

pils are vets...this is how they told us to do it..You half peg the cat flap open (using a peg) so that the cat gets used to having to bump her head on the flap as she goes out. Then you can lower the peg daily so that the open gap is smaller. Then you just leave it shut.
Worked a treat on our cat anyway