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

Original poster

Cat can get out through flap but not back in. 5am protests.

20 replies

EachandEveryone · 14/12/2019 11:08

My poor stray ginger. I cant have another night like this. Hes a real scaredy cat. Jumps at his own shadow. The girls tolerate him so we let him sleep and eat here. Trouble is the flat has a mutual cat flap ingo the shared all. He can get out but has no idea how to get back in. It was freezing last night and he is so noisy my girls never make a sound! I let him out as he was shouting into the main hall were he has his second bed and food station and told him that was it if he went out through the catflap i would be asleep. I went to the loo at 4am and the minute the light went on i could hear hum howling to come back in. I let him in when to bed then he screeches to get out of the flat into the hall. This happened three times.

How can i help him get back in? Its so cold now.

Cat can get out through flap but not back in. 5am protests.
OP posts:
undercoveraessedai · 14/12/2019 11:12

Is he around during daylight? Can you prop the flap open to show him how to use it to come in?

TheLidoOfThighs · 14/12/2019 11:13

Teach him by posting him through from both sides.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 14/12/2019 11:19

No it wont work he would really panic if i started to push him. He gets out he just cant get back in🤔

OP posts:
undercoveraessedai · 14/12/2019 11:30

Wave a treat on the inside while he's on the outside?

Mine learned to use their flap by accident so I'm not a lot of help but he's such a beautiful boy!

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 14/12/2019 11:34

and told him that was it if he went out through the catflap i would be asleep.

Did he not listen to you? Typical cat... 😂

I've had to teach one cat how to use the cat flap. It took a lot of flipping the door with him on one side and me o the other with a treat. It sounds like he wouldn't be impressed with that though. Would leaving a heap of tasty treats inside whilst he's on the far side work?

What is different about coming in through the catflap?

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 14/12/2019 16:44

The trouble is that hes scared of everything the slightest movement. Hes well fed from me and loves me. If i throw he whimpers, he wont play or doesnt kniw how to so i cant tempt him through it.

He really is lovely and i feel bad he cant be with someone full time 😕

Cat can get out through flap but not back in. 5am protests.
OP posts:
Original poster
EachandEveryone · 14/12/2019 16:45

Omg I meant if I throw him a treat

OP posts:
ginghamstarfish · 14/12/2019 16:51

You need to have someone petting him on the outside, you on the inside waving smelly treats and calling him, opening the flap and showing him. Repeat ...

Fluffycloudland77 · 14/12/2019 20:31

Has he been castrated?

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 14/12/2019 23:37

Yes weve done all that. The first time he ever came in was when he had a huge abcess on his face that needed seeing to. Our lovely CN sorted him out.

OP posts:
TheLidoOfThighs · 15/12/2019 09:34

I’ve re-read you posts and you talk about him shouting to get out as well as in, so I can’t quite picture what the set-up is with cat flaps. Is the cat flap between the communal hall and the outside, or is it between the flat and the communal hall? Depending on where it is, could you take the flap off completely? Or tape it open until he gets the idea that it works both ways.

smartiecake · 15/12/2019 09:38

We sellotaped our catflap open for a few days and used treats to get our rehomed cat to go through. He much prefers us opening a door but he does use the catflap if we are not in and also during the night.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 15/12/2019 21:18

Cat flap mutual hallway to outside. He has a bed in that hallway so if only he would get himself in he could be in bed now instead out in the rain.
My flat has a door and i have no issue letting any of my cats in and out to the mutual hall.

Cant leave it open as we look after other strays and i cant have them letting themselves in.

OP posts:
TheLidoOfThighs · 15/12/2019 21:28

But couldn’t the other other strays let themselves in already? Or have you microchipped him?

Dazedandconfused10 · 15/12/2019 21:29

Our cat was like this. Took him being outside and me and a bag of dreamies inside and he worked it out pretty quickly!

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 16/12/2019 11:52

No they have shown no interest in coming through the flap so far.

He was waitng outside today.

OP posts:
Original poster
EachandEveryone · 16/12/2019 16:37

Hes really happy in his hallway den.

Cat can get out through flap but not back in. 5am protests.
OP posts:
HeatedDryer · 16/12/2019 16:42

Aw you are such a lovely cat slaveSmileSmileSmile
No ideas how to help though, sorry

TheLidoOfThighs · 17/12/2019 07:41

If they haven't tried to get in then you could try taping it open and see what happens and whether he gets the hang of it? They may be not coming in because they see it as other cats' territory rather than because they don't know how to use a cat flap. Once he's been through with it taped right open you could gradually increase the slack in the tape, so the door is semi-closed but still open enough for him to push it the rest of the way. Then repeat until he will push it from a completely closed position.

He looks very happy!

ifonly4 · 17/12/2019 10:10

I used to literally get down on my hands and knees and hold the cat flap open, and coax them in that way when I was cat flap training.

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