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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Rehoming without a catflap

47 replies

Ilovecrumpets · 28/12/2017 09:01

Maybe a silly question but I’ve no way of putting a cat flap on my house but I’d really love to have a cat in my life again. Someone is home the majority of the time and I have a wooden playhouse in the garden that I could put a flap and warm bed in.

Would this be a barrier to being accepted by a charity for rehoming do people think?

OP posts:
mimibunz · 28/12/2017 09:08

Please don’t adopt a cat and then make it live in the garden! Can’t you provide a litter tray? Cat flaps aren’t required for adoption.

TheSecondOfHerName · 28/12/2017 09:09

You might find a charity that would match an indoor/outdoor cat with you despite the lack of catflap, especially if someone will be home most of the time.

If not, shelters sometimes have cats they would like to rehome to an indoor-only home for various reasons (e.g. FIV).

TheSecondOfHerName · 28/12/2017 09:11

The playhouse idea would only really be suitable for a feral cat who has never lived indoors, or a stray who has been living outside for a long time. Even then, you'd have to heat it in winter.

DragonsAndCakes · 28/12/2017 09:11

We lived for a year with no cat flap, we just made sure it was in before we went out or went to bed. Would you be willing to do that?

Paperdolly · 28/12/2017 09:15

We have never had a cat flap for our cat. She's 11years old. We leave a litter tray indoors if we go away for the weekend and the neighbour looks after her. She finds shelter all over the place if she needs it and seems quite happy.

dementedpixie · 28/12/2017 09:18

We don't have a catflap. Cats are allowed out when we're in and tend to be in when we're out although I have left them out fir a couple of hours before when they haven't been in when I've needed to leave. They are in overnight. Maybe OP means that in the event of the cat being outside when no-one is home there is a shelter it can use until she gets home

treaclesoda · 28/12/2017 09:19

We've never had a catflap. It's fine. She always comes in at night, but sometimes when we go out to work she wants to be off on her adventures. The garage is accessible for her when the house isn't. I had actually read the OP that way? Rather than making the cat live outside, that she could provide some shelter outdoors for times when she's not at home?

thedevilsavocado · 28/12/2017 09:22

We rehomed a cat recently and don't have a cat flap. The lady who did our home visit was fine with it but we do have someone at home most of the time. Our cat doesn't go out much anyway although this might change in the warmer weather. It does mean we have to do a lot of litter changing which is smelly and expensive, so bear that in mind!

GrooovyLass · 28/12/2017 09:47

I don't have a cat flap. I have cats who ask to come in/go out of doors. A lot. I keep them in at night.

Why get a cat if it has to live in a playhouse? That's not really a pet.

OliviaStabler · 28/12/2017 09:53

I don't have a catflap and have rehomed from an animal charity. Cat lives indoors and gets let out.

ClareB83 · 28/12/2017 09:54

I don't understand why it's impossible to have a cat flap. I put mine in a double glazed patio door. Could equally have gone in a window. Don't you have any doors or windows?

treaclesoda · 28/12/2017 09:56

I don't understand why it's impossible to have a cat flap.

Rented house?
Upvc back door?
Listed building?

There are quite a few possibilities.

PaperdollCartoon · 28/12/2017 09:58

ClaireB83 because if you live in a rented property you’re not allowed to just put holes in windows and doors.

We’ve never had a cat flap (rented properties) and it’s no problem. We just let them in and out, keep them in when it’s very wet or cold. We have two litter trays and they also go outside. They’re used to waiting by the door for someone. But we have had ours from kittens so they’ve never known any different.

ClareB83 · 28/12/2017 10:32

You normally need to ask permission to have a cat if you're renting. You could ask at the same time about replacing a window pane to put in a cat flap. Keep the old pane and pop it back in when you move out.

Works with upvc too. My cat flap is in a upvc double glazed patio door. Glazer made me a new pane with a hole in it, we kept the old pane for when we move out.

Listed might be trickier, but is there a small window you can leave open a lot of the time? We did this in the first flat we had a cat in.

I'm just really anti no cat flap as I have to listen to next doors poor cat meowing at all times of the day and night in cold weather to be let back in. Goes on for hours.

If you're home a lot and your cat has a routine it's not so bad.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 28/12/2017 10:32

Catflaps are now required by Battersea if you are going to adopt from them.

Sparrowlegs248 · 28/12/2017 10:33

You don't need a cat flap. Lots of people donto have them. You can let the cat in/out when you are there. The playhouse is a nice idea for when you aren't in. Leave a litter tray for when the cat is in overnight.

Marcine · 28/12/2017 10:36

We don't have a cat flap - cat only goes out when we're here and stays in at night or when we're out.

Playdohnut · 28/12/2017 10:39

I can't find anything about that on their website, Grumpy - do you have a reference for that?

Our first rescue cat came from Blue Cross and we were only allowed her if we kept her in overnight. We didn't have a cat flap, it wasn't a problem. They did a home inspection too.

FluffyWuffy100 · 28/12/2017 10:45

I don’t think the OP means the cat would live outside in the summer house! Just that if the cat happened to be outside and not inside when people went out, it would at least have access to a warm dry Judy hole until people got back to let the cat back in the house.

Lots of people don’t have cat flaps and just let the cat in/out themselves. It would be fine.

Although did you know you can have a cat flap put in glass and also thru outside walls? There are lots of cat flap options you might be able to have one.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 28/12/2017 10:49

@Playdohnut
We are on their list for 2 kittens at present - having adopted 2 from them previously 7 years ago. We have been told by them that we must have a cat flap and provide proof before we can adopt from them.

MentholBreeze · 28/12/2017 10:50

We never had a catflap, cat was fine, we let him out and in as needed.

The people who rent my house at the moment have a cat - they took double glazed aluminium back door apart and replaced the lower panel (it can be put back again when they move out, so it's not a problem) so they could have a cat flap.

Personally I think that when people are living in towns, there's a lot to be said for having indoor cats.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 28/12/2017 10:51

I'll assume that this probably only refers to adopting outside cats from them Grin

TheSecondOfHerName · 28/12/2017 11:13

It's not just Battersea, other charities have also moved towards requiring homes to have a cat-flap.

NAWT checked that we had a cat flap (although they didn't ask for proof).

I think the RSPCA also ask about catflaps now. Not sure about Cats Protection.

ILoveDolly · 28/12/2017 11:15

Cats Protection let us rehome without a catflap but we are currently planning on getting one and told them so I guess that's different.

ILoveDolly · 28/12/2017 11:15

You could get an indoors only cat