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microchip cat flaps and spooked kitty

5 replies

YinuCeatleAyru · 31/07/2020 11:44

cats are now just over a year old. once they had both recovered from spaying we started letting them outside. the cat flap is microchip operated but for the first few months we just unlocked it manually for set times and didn't use the microchip recognition aspect. we have now programmed it to recognise the cats and set it to let them out during the daytime but keep them indoors at night.

one cat is totally fine and it's business as usual but the other cat is totally spooked by the new regime. she doesn't like the click that the cat flap makes when it recognises her chip, so she approaches the cat flap and it clicks and she backs away. she can be coaxed through and goes out into the garden sometimes with a lot of encouragement, but then will hang around outside looking sad. if it's a meal time she might attempt to come in but will again get spooked and run off, and may eventually with a lot of calling and coaxing eventually tries again and gets through eventually.

just wondering if anyone has experience of a cat being like this at first and eventually learning not to be scared, or should we assume that she will always react like this and won't change?

OP posts:
YinuCeatleAyru · 31/07/2020 11:45

sorry there are far too many "eventually"s there

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madcatladyforever · 31/07/2020 20:25

My 19 year old has just used a microchip cat flap for the first time, she hated it and hollered everytime she wanted to go out but now she's got the knack she's in and out like a gazelle.
I was amazed she could learn how to do it at 19 but she's very good.

NoMoreFlowers · 01/08/2020 09:48

I think it depends on the cat. I spent weeks trying to train my previous cat to use the microchip cat flap and she never got the hang of it. I wedged it open, put dreamies in it to entice her, dangled toys through it but nothing worked. There's advice on the Sureflap website which is worth looking at.
I now have a new cat who uses it without a problem (had to have my previous cat put to sleep 😿). I didn't even show it to her. I had it covered until she was allowed to go outside and when I uncovered it she used it without a problem straight away. She's a rescue so I think she must have used one before. She's very clever 😸🐾

ponygirlcurtis · 01/08/2020 09:51

Yup, dreamies one side with the flap held open, just to get used to going through.

YinuCeatleAyru · 05/08/2020 23:24

she seems have got the hang of it now. thanks all.

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