Moving to a flat without a cat flap

[Smerlin]

Hi all

Not sure what to do about this. Our boy is 5 years old and has lived his whole life in our current ground floor flat with garden and cat flap. He goes in and out as he pleases and is partial to the occasional mouse (!)

Unfortunately we are moving to a ground floor flat with a communal entrance and communal garden so no possibility of a cat flap. We struggled to even find somewhere ground floor we can afford so this is the best we can do.

What shall I do with him when I'm at work and overnight - shut him out or in? Presumably I will have to have a litter tray in case he needs it? He will be able to come in and out of a window but we can't leave it open all of the time as we're in London.

You can get outdoor cat houses if there's a garden you can keep it in but I'd keep him in at night so he doesn't get run over.

My MIL removes a house brick and places a cat flap over that. It doesnt look pretty but usually she has her sofa next to it so its sort of hidden. Then when she moves she puts the brick back and a little bit of plaster.

Housebrick or air brick? I don't think any of my cats could have got through a house brick sized hole

Houebrick, but maybe a couple.

Houebrick, but maybe a couple.

No buying so a cat flap in a window could be ok- never seen one before! Is a cat flap in a window ok security wise?

If you are buying I would get one put in a wall somewhere or window. Ours is going in out back door which is glass so having to get a whole new piece with a hole already cut into it for the flap. It's not cheap but it's preferable to leaving a window open

And don't forget to make sure it's a microchip flap

When we got our back door replaced, we gave the Sureflap to the firm and they fitted it all nicely for us in the corner of the door panel furthest from the handle so not even a gorilla could reach across and up to unlock it. The alternative would have been a patio door with a flap which would have cost ££.

Sadly we have no back door - just front door onto communal hallway but maybe a flap in the kitchen window might work. Nobody has an outdoor cat without a flap then? DH insists a flap isn't necessary

I have had outdoor cats without a cat flap, but depended on being able to let them out for a little while each morning and evening and they stayed in during the day. And in my childhood we never had cat flaps, just put the cat out in the morning and let it in at night. But I think we pander to cats more these days!

OP, you can get a builder in to fit a cat flap into one of the outside walls. Cost me £80; probably a bit more in London though, but still cheaper than replacing a window unit I reckon.