Please talk to me about cat flaps.

[GrouchyKiwi]

DH's kittens are 9 months old now so we're looking at getting a cat flap installed (I can't wait to have my utility room back again - it currently has an annoying baby gate on it to keep DD2 away from the litter tray).

But I can't decide where to put the cat flap. Our utility room door, where we originally thought we'd put it, is panelled wood so I think it would be difficult to install a cat flap there as there would be different depths. The other option is to put it in the glass patio door of the kitchen/diner.

Has anyone got a cat flap in a panelled door, and if so was it easy to install? I think we're going to have to get someone in to do it anyway because we're both rubbish at that kind of thing.

But if we put it in the patio door would the cats get past a thick curtain ok to get to the flap? There's quite a draft from the door so I have a curtain over it in Winter.

We have a cat flap in a glass patio door. Part of the glass was replaced with a panel and the flap is in that - it did have to be professionally done. The cats have to negotiate both plantation shutters and blackout curtains behind that keep the warmth in in winter and they manage.

We got a catflap that works on the cats' microchip: collars are a safety issue (and they kept losing theirs anyway), and in the short time we had the cat flap just open access a neighbouring cat started sauntering in and eating their food even when we were sitting round watching it!

We have big foldy slidey doors all across the back, so our cat has three catflaps to avoid this area.

He has one from a stable door into the futility room, and then he has two in the futility room, one goes to the front of the house, one to the back. The back one in the futility was quite high up on the outside so DH built him a ramp.

Sometimes other cats try to come in and terrorise him and steal his food, so we have a cunning capture technique where we adjust the flaps to let them into the futility but then they can't get out, until we let them. That usually frightens them enough not to return.

Out of interest, what will you do if the cats like to go outside but would prefer to toilet inside ? (All my recent outside-going cats have been that way inclined - although they obviously might have been caught short at some point - and I've had to maintain internal litter trays for them.)

It's a possibility.

Out cat flap is in a panelled door but the man who made the door for us put the cat flap in (helpful I know). Cat can manage the door curtain/s easily. And yes to the micro-chip cat flap (Staywell) to stop unwanted cat parties when you are away. Or even when you are at home.

Hm. So it might be best to get a joiner or someone in to assess the door (I want some other work done anyway).

There don't appear to be any other neighbourhood cats at this time - we're in a new development. So we should be ok with a normal catflap. But maybe it's better to get the Staywell one. It's not crazy expensive.

cozie I hadn't thought of that! I have seen them do their business outside and my plan is to migrate the litter box outside for a couple of days before we remove it entirely; hopefully this will work. Or maybe replace the litter with soil first.