Rescue insists on a cat flap

[autumndays2019]

How normal is this??

My local cat rescue insists on a cat flap if you re-home a single cat and work out of the home.

They have turned me down post home check when I reiterated that I won't be installing a cat flap into my large double glazed French doors. I know it can be done by buying another glazing unit for the door but I don't want to do that!

This is after 30 years of having large and small animals, cats that lived happily until their late teens (without a cat flap), lovely dog pts recently that was vv old.

I don't want a cat flap - cat will either be inside or outside depending on what they want to do that day!

Do you only have one door to your property?

The rescue I volunteer for has the same requirement. It's because it is far safer for a cat to have a way back into the home while you're out. If they can't get home, they are much more likely to wander off and stray, cross roads etc since there's not much of an incentive for them to stay in own garden and wait around for you to return... And obviously if they are chased by another animal or threatened by a human, having a microchip catflap gives them a way to escape and get back in. Many cats also feel much more relaxed in general when they can pop in and out when they want to and not have to wait.

If your cat is out when you leave for work, are you suggesting they just stay out for however long you're gone, whatever the weather?

Catflaps can also be installed through windows and walls if there's a suitable location for that.

Depending on the circumstances we too insist on a flap. Definitely for timid cats and probably in your case where you wouldn't be around to let the cat in. But it also depends on the cat, and on whether you have a shelter.

And yes, you can also put them in walls.

We recently tried to adopt a rescue cat. We live near a road..a 30 zone, like a huge percentage of the population. We were told to cat proof our garden..at a cost of £400. we've always had cats..it's the luck of the draw whether they get killed on the road or not. (None ever have, as they tend to go towards the fields at the back.) They told us we were a lovely family with a home..but we weren't allowed to adopt. I looked online and got a cat from a woman who had become disabled and could no longer care for him. I find these rules silly, especially when so many cats are waiting to be rehomed.

The rescue I got Haribo from didn't insist on a cat flap but I did say I would get one if I had to replace the door (a long way off). But I did say that I would get him a cat kennel and leave the greenhouse door ajar with a chair in there for him. I only work 2 1/2 days a week and my DP's job is flexible that he can pop home if necessary and I can pop home in my lunch hour too.

I'm hoping he will be like my old tabby "if you're not back by 8.15 you will be out all day". He would be sitting on the doorstep to come in when I left for work

Small shed with a flap?

I wouldn't put a cat flap into French Doors. We have a cat flap through a wall. I wouldn't think it's reasonable for a cat to be shut out of the house all day while you're at work though. We had a doddery old gentleman cat in a house without a catflap who was mostly an indoor cat and only went outside when we were going to be around for hours and would be able to let him back in whenever he wanted. The local rambunctious young upstart cats who thought they owned the neighbourhood were too much for him so he never stayed out for long.

I don’t want and won’t be having a cat flap installed through walls or French doors.

I work full time but flexibly so at least one day a week at home and a short day another day. I have bought a shelter with a self heating pad and only work ½ mile from home, so, as declared on the endless forms - can pop home at lunchtime if I think I need to I.e cat out in the morning when I leave and it’s not nice weather.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Oh well, I might have to buy a cat which seems ridiculous given the number in rescues!

I misread your post and thought they insisted on a flat cap.

Cat rescue places are often completely draconian. They have an idea in their heads of where they want the cats to go and if you deviate from that they cannot handle it. Doesn't matter if you've got years and years of happy healthy animals behind you. Often rude, always patronising. It's really silly. I don't bother with them any more and just take in local kittens if I want a cat.

We have never had a cat flap in 30 years of having cats! All cats happy healthy and lived to a good age.

You are right not to get a cat flap installed in your doors. I did 20 years ago for my rescue cats and it cost £250!
Also if you sell your house the new owners might not want a cat flap so you have to store the original pane in case you need to change it, and a 6ft panel of glass is difficult to store safely!

There was a recent thread on here that reached hundreds of posts, full of people who had had difficulties adopting animals from shelters. I was one of them and eventually gave up and got cats elsewhere. They are now living the life of Riley in my apparently substandard home....

It's a real shame that shelters are so draconian. I grew up with cats. One house we lived in had a cat flap. The others did not and the cats would just cover the glass doors in muddy paw prints when they wanted to come in. They were perfectly happy either way.

apparently substandard home....

This made me . Flipping heck, I have got everything sat waiting for this cat which will be one in a line of well cared for animals here.

The questions - what will you do about flea and worm treatment? - talk to my vet - vets aren’t the best people these days things have changed; what will you feed? Dry food and something fresh - dry food isn’t good for male cats or urinary health; what will you do when you go away - either lovely neighbours for a weekend or cattery for longer; where will it be during the day? In my enormous kitchen diner with seating area to begin with - my house is too big to give it the run of the place while it’s new.

Agree patronising. I hope this lovely little kitty finds a good home I don’t even want a kitten.

Madness.

Don't give up on getting a rescue - you seem to have found an unreasonably strict one, there will be other, more reasonable, ones. Both my kitties have been rescues and I have never had a cat flap - and it was not required from either of the rescues, as they were just delighted I was taking one of the many, many kittens they had off their hands. Try another rescue!

Have you tried Battersea? They’re happy to rehome to people in flats if you’re taking a kitten or a cat that was previously a house-cat and if you’re not local they will accept a reference from your vet instead of doing a home visit. So they might not be too picky about your lack of a cat flap. We’ve had 2 cats from there and they’ve never asked us any of those patronising questions.

@autumndays2019 I wrote a post covering a lot of those points last night. I think the thread was entitled "remind me about kittens" or similar. I can't link it from the app.

For worming and flea treatment we used the in-house people at pets at home. The only issue we had is that we needed to know weights, which we didn't before we got them!

I wonder how they’d cope with mine.. he’s terrified of cat flaps.. doesn’t want to push through them or if it moves itself he’s 3 streets over screaming demon.
He sleeps in a log store till we get back if he doesn’t come in when we’re leaving.. usually will if it’s wet or cold out. Most of the rescues here will only rehome to indoor only homes.. even with ex farm cats, one was actually caught taking back cats they’d found had gotten out (totally denied that it’s theft and the cat may have gotten out by accident in some cases)

"Vets aren't the best people to talk to " classic

We had "do you live near a road" , yes because we don't have a helicopter pad

Ours sleep in the woodshed or under a hedge.

Totally understand why you don't want a cat flap, I am the same. We have always had cats and never had a cat flap - it's never been a problem. The cats are inside when we aren't home, we open the door for them to go in and out as needed when we are home. The cats seem quite happy.

Not all rescue centres are like this. We adopted two kittens from the RSPCA in August. They asked me a few questions on the phone and then said I could come and collect them - not having a cat flap certainly was not an issue. Like a PP said, it seems crazy when there are so many cats and kittens that need rehoming.

Good luck with your kitty search!

I've never had a cat flap. Don't actually know anybody who has ever had one, tbh.

One DTwatCat had a complete breakdown at the notion of passing through a flap to take a dump in the covered litter box, so was never going to use a similar Implement of Evil to get outside (took the flap off, she happily used the box).

The other DTwatCat is too stupid to comprehend that windows can be used for coming in through as well as for leaving the premises. He might sneak out of a window, but then always walks around to shout at the door to be let back in.

They go out first thing, then they come back in through the open door when it's time for me to leave - breakfast time doesn't happen before then. And no self respecting TwatCat is going to pass on breakfast in favour of sitting outside where the wind might blow or a crow might look at them funny. Same thing at night - they come in at dusk, the door gets shut, they know the garden reopens at 6am the next day.

Fluffy Arsed TwatCat has to come back in after ten minutes, anyway - she can't go to the toilet out there because the ground is cold and draughty, whereas the litter box is secure and cosy. And bits of grass and puke apparently belong on the single bit of carpet we own (on the stairs) - she couldn't possibly hurl outside and leave the carpet untouched.

Strangely, they (and all my previous ones) have managed to grasp the concept of a door and that if it's open, you can go out, if you're called or a tin is opened/packet rustled, you come back in again.

My rescue cat was from the RSPCA. They checked the house but didn’t insist on a cat flap. They were more concerned about busy roads. This was a few years ago though.

Thanks everyone. I think they are barmy! If they think this little cat will have a better home somewhere just because it has a cat flap they are fools.

I live in the grounds of a big house, dead end road with a dozen houses, ten acres of parkland outside my door ... but no cat-flap. Having said that I have lived on a very busy road with three cats before and they never went over the high fence.

The man had paced the distance on the private road that leads to my house from the (not main) road.

Despite their advice I will just buy what I need from my lovely vet, I like to support him, small rural surgery with really reasonable fees, very pragmatic man.

My garden is newly landscaped, doesn’t have much natural shelter which is why I have bought a cat shelter with a self heating pad! In case a cat chooses not to come in before I leave for the day!

Battersea is 250 miles for me so that isn’t happening!

Honestly, I have cared for horses, dogs and cats all my life! Patronising indeed.

Not for me, but mine came to me as an indoor cat. He doesn't need to be as it turns out he isn't FIV (long story!)
TBH I wouldn't be happy having a cat outside during the day if I wasn't home so my cat goes out in the morning, comes in and stays in until I'm home then goes out again