Cat flap or not

41sunnydays · 2021-08-23T22:56:40+00:00

What are peoples views on cat flaps and are they needed? We live on a busy main road, but have a nice size house and a garden. Kittens coming up to 6 months and have been in the garden for a couple of hours but staying near by. We don't currently have a cat flap and had bifold doors installed 12 months ago. Whilst I want the cats to have access to the garden I also worry as we have foxes and rats in the area, plus lots of traffic, so in two minds about whether we install a cat flap - would have to be in the wall on the utility room or just manage access. I work from home full time so am usually home anyway, but it would be mean when we are out or away the cats would not be able to go out and would have to continue using the little tray Grateful for any advice!

PumpkinKlNG · 24/08/2021 01:03

Everyone I know with a cat doesn’t have a cat flap, I honestly don’t know anyone that has one including myself. But my sister wanted to rescue a cat and they wouldn’t let her as she didn’t have a cat flap 😳 (she just bought a kitten in the end)

Chickpea22 · 24/08/2021 01:16

We have always had a cat flap. Live near busy road in London. Our is off our utility. The only place we haven’t had a cat flap was in a rental for 6 months. It was a total pain in the arse. For context we have had several rescue cats. Ours is a microchip recognition one so only ours can get in.

violetbunny · 24/08/2021 02:02

If you live near a busy main road, would it be an option to catproof your garden?

Miliao · 24/08/2021 05:41

That’s odd, I have three rescues and no catflap, the rspca said it wasn’t a requirement.

PumpkinKlNG · 24/08/2021 08:16

It wasn’t the rspca it was a local one maybe they have different requirements

twinningatlife · 24/08/2021 08:31

I bloody wish I had a cat flap! And it's top of the list for when we eventually move house! 3 out of 4 of our cats are fine and happy to come and go through the door once in a while but one little shit darling has ruined all the seals on my windows, the curtains etc because if we don't get up quick enough to let his lordship in/out through "his" window he gets destructive

Original poster

41sunnydays · 26/08/2021 13:30

@violetbunny

If you live near a busy main road, would it be an option to catproof your garden?

How would / could I cat proof the garden ?

OP posts:

Original poster

41sunnydays · 26/08/2021 13:32

My worry is definitely if we go on holiday for two weeks - they won't be able to go out ?

OP posts:

Pashazade · 26/08/2021 13:41

We have a cat flap through the wall (so a tunnel in effect) foxes are unlikely to use it. We had one come in during the building work when there was just a hole but the moment the space was inhabited properly again that stopped. Couldn't live without it. We are on a busy road but the flap opens onto the back garden, plus parkland and multiple gardens. Have had one on to the drive at the previous house. We've lost a cat to being run over at both locations (same road) but the sensible ones stay away from it!

bizboz · 26/08/2021 13:44

We have a cat flap but don't live on a very busy road. We are all out during the day so more comfortable knowing that the cat has access to the garden. She doesn't like to use a litter tray either. It's also useful if we go away and have someone in to feed her as she can still go in and out as she pleases. Mine is a particularly lazy, home-loving cat though and never ventures far so we don't worry too much about when she does go out. We did once have another cat come in through the cat flap during the night though!

bizboz · 26/08/2021 13:45

Ours is no way big enough for a fox to come through. We have a regular fox visitor to our garden and it's never tried to come in. Same with rats...

BigWoollyJumpers · 26/08/2021 13:46

@PumpkinKlNG

Everyone I know with a cat doesn’t have a cat flap, I honestly don’t know anyone that has one including myself. But my sister wanted to rescue a cat and they wouldn’t let her as she didn’t have a cat flap 😳 (she just bought a kitten in the end)

Everyone I know does!

Cats are happiest and healthier with their own controlled access to the outside. We have a chip one which keeps intruders out.

Foxes and rats are not an issue, they keep out of each others way. You may get mice as presents though.

Snailhaterz2 · 26/08/2021 15:14

I have a microchip catflap so other cats can't come in. What I wish I'd done was get the really flash version which can also control which cats go out - they're advertised as being for multi-cat households and would be invaluable at the moment when I've got 1 cat which isn't allowed out and 1 which is. Even with the one I've got you can effectively stop cats going out overnight, which would be very useful if you had a keen hunting cat, for example. It's worth pointing out that I also have a litter tray, as I didn't want to piss off my neighbours when I first moved in - and this tends to get used more by older cats, or indeed any cat in foul weather. And, stops your neighbours hating on you...

Coogee · 26/08/2021 15:24

We have a cat flap. I think everybody I know who has a cat has one too.

However, we don't live near any busy roads. We have a microchip one at home and just a flap at our holiday place in the middle of nowhere. Foxes and other cats aren't a problem. Rats would have to be suicidal.

Jaylox · 26/08/2021 16:19

@Snailhaterz2

I have a microchip catflap so other cats can't come in. What I wish I'd done was get the really flash version which can also control which cats go out - they're advertised as being for multi-cat households and would be invaluable at the moment when I've got 1 cat which isn't allowed out and 1 which is. Even with the one I've got you can effectively stop cats going out overnight, which would be very useful if you had a keen hunting cat, for example. It's worth pointing out that I also have a litter tray, as I didn't want to piss off my neighbours when I first moved in - and this tends to get used more by older cats, or indeed any cat in foul weather. And, stops your neighbours hating on you...

Just a warning that the multi-cat flaps are basically useless for the scenario you've described... One of our two cats isn't allowed outside either, and we recently got the Sureflap Connect so the other one could still go in and out freely. We set the indoor cat's permission to 'indoor only', but within a week he'd figured out how to break out by tailgating his brother through the flap (in fact, I'm pretty sure they colluded!).

PumpkinKlNG · 27/08/2021 22:27

Well I honestly don’t know anyone with one 🤷‍♀️ Mine uses the window as does everyone else I know, I would get one but when I looked into it they were very expensive so I prefer the cat to use the window.

Coogee · 28/08/2021 15:08

I had a dog flap at my last house. It was useful when I locked myself out.

Paranoidandroidmarvin · 28/08/2021 16:20

I have one. It is through the conservatory wall So more of a tunnel than a flap. When we move soon. I will need to get another one fitted. My cat doesn’t use a litter tray so I need one ASAP.

RavingAnnie · 28/08/2021 16:55

If you are allowing your cats to go out, get a cat flap. You'll just be constantly letting your cat in and out all day otherwise.

Cats love to do this thing where they get you to open a door and then just sit there. Or they want to go straight back out after you've just let them in. (And that's partly why I love them! 😬). So you are setting yourself up for a very frustrating time.

No cat flap also means that if you let them out and they don't come back by nighttime or you going out, they are stuck out there.

Get a microchip one so you don't have all the neighbourhood cats also coming in.

ChittyChittyBoomBoom · 30/08/2021 15:56

Has anyone had problems with cats bringing birds and mice in through a cat flap? It really puts me off getting one 😬.

TableNiner · 30/08/2021 16:50

We’d have a nightmare without one. Before we got it our cat would be wailing constantly to be let out (or in) and the back door is downstairs. We’d be trying to watch TV and this would go on all evening, in, out, in, out. He still yells at us through the front window sometimes, to let him in the front door as there’s no cat flap. Cats always seem to be on the wrong side of the door. To be fair our cat never hesitates once the door is open like some do.

I have been cat sitting this week and the family do not have a cat flap. The cat likes to eat little and often. I go twice a day, letting the cat out all day and getting it in overnight. If he’s out he can’t access any food. It’s ok at this time of year but not sure about which side of the door he’d be on during colder weather in the day. I’m sure he’d love to be able to pop in and out. Much better if you’re away or out for the day.

We do get live mice and birds brought in.

TableNiner · 30/08/2021 16:52

Just to add my cat can break out of the locked cat flap, which is a whole other thread.

loopylindi · 30/08/2021 17:01

We've got the microchip variety of cat flap on the outside wall of our conservatory and a regular one in the kitchen door . This can be set so they can get out but not in, which means any little extra 'presents' get left in the conservatory. Cat behaviour indicates the presence of such a gift if it's still alive (not for long!) but hiding.