Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

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

Original poster

Tips for dealing with a feline escape artist...

26 replies

BookWorm45 · 30/01/2023 18:11

Any clever ideas you could share on how to deal with our feline escape artist ?

We have a young male cat, we think part Bengal (was a rescue). We keep him in at night as otherwise he does tend to wander - also after an episode last year where he went missing for a few days.

We have a lockable catflap set up for his own chip - typically he headbutts the cat flap and we were concerned he'd break it. So we put a couple of plastic boxes in front of it, which have some storage items in, hoping he'd give up at night when he couldn't actually see the cat flap. Sadly no, we came down this morning to find he'd managed to slide his paw behind the boxes and hook into the cat flap (therefore moving the boxes and toppling them). Now we're on another trial tonight of putting heavier things in the boxes, to make it harder for him....

So what other things can we try, to deter him from making a break for it overnight ? Or without making our back kitchen door like Fort Knox ?

OP posts:
Original poster
BookWorm45 · 30/01/2023 18:12

And to make sure I pay the "cat tax", obligatory pic: he'd ripped a box apart here and was just about to leap up as I took the photo.

Tips for dealing with a feline escape artist...
OP posts:
ItsOnlyWordsInnit · 30/01/2023 18:17

Is the catflap a Sureflap? If so they have some gizmo that you attach to the flap to make it difficult to hook open. It’s not sold separately though, but I believe they will send you one free of charge if your cat is outwitting the Sureflap. It’s something to do with ‚thumbproof‘.
I‘m not sure you can outwit a Bengal who wants to escape though - they‘re such clever thugs! But so gorgeous (talking of which, where’s the mandatory photo?)

ItsOnlyWordsInnit · 30/01/2023 18:18

Oops, you posted the cat tax at the very moment I was bewailing its absence. He‘s besutiful!

MushMonster · 30/01/2023 18:21

He is beautiful!
Not sure what to advice! We have one that used to sneak outside as we opened the front door to get in! It was impossible to catch him. Now, he has become calmer and stays in, just because he wants to.

Toddlerteaplease · 30/01/2023 18:21

I don't have any advice, but yes stunning. And I'm impressed with his intelligence and persistence!

IceyDicey · 30/01/2023 18:23

He’s gorgeous. To answer your question we put a board over the cat flap and then wedge it in with a chair.

Lindy2 · 30/01/2023 18:23

I ended up gaffer taping a strong piece of cardboard over the front of our cat flap when she needed to stay in. I used lots of tape.

Stacking thing infront didn't work because the little bugger just did an ariel attack and slid down between the cat flap and the barricade.

Theoldwrinkley · 30/01/2023 18:33

Has he been neutered? Tends to make them calmer. But a feisty cat can outwit most people.

She333 · 30/01/2023 18:49

Try to get him into the routine of dinner (out second or third dinner depending how well he has you trained) at same time every night - a big play session jumping chasing and catching a trail or string type toy for 15 mins, followed by final dinner so he's tired and full. Then toasty bed (I've been known to put a hot water bottle under their blankets, it's a cat magnet).

After a few days the routine will settle in and he'll sleep all night. Until the next dinner installment.

Orangesare · 30/01/2023 18:59

Our cat flap has a piece of plastic that slides in to block it which worked well in the past. Cat is now too old to bother changing her routine.

Pashazade · 30/01/2023 21:15

I have to slide an entire boot box in front of ours! Solid piece of wood and a heavy chair......but something that sits flush, held in place by something else.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/01/2023 21:41

Our departed Bengal did the same. We used a part empty calor gas canister in the end.

They never give up.

Original poster
BookWorm45 · 31/01/2023 08:20

Thanks all for your replies. Good to know I'm not the only person with a determined escape artist cat !

I think we will trial using a larger plastic box - the sort which are wide and deep - which should block access to the cat flap. We'll have to put some heavy-ish things in it. I expect he will chew on it but hopefully shouldn't be able to move it.

(Until I had this cat, I'd never imagined quite so much chewing would happen -it's like having a young dog ! furniture corners, ornaments, pens, you name it, it all gets chewed on.)

OP posts:
BoxOfCats · 31/01/2023 09:27

We have a cat like this. She managed to hook her claw under the Sureflap and break out, so I contacted their customer service team and they sent me a part to swap out to prevent that. It does work, but it doesn't stop her trying to claw at the flap which is still very noisy and disruptive.

The best solution I've been able to come up with is to lock her in the bedroom with me at night. She has a litter tray and a small food/water dish in the ensuite. She seems to accept this happily and goes to sleep without trying to break out. I suppose I could just shut her in another room at night, but I love my night time kitty cuddles.

BoxOfCats · 31/01/2023 09:29

Oh and just to add, she definitely prefers doing her business outside so only uses the tray once every couple of months! Generally she just sleeps through the night.

AnnaMagnani · 31/01/2023 09:44

We operate an airlock system - once he's in, he isn't allowed back in the room with the back door.

When people come in there is a process of opening and closing doors to make sure no wandering cats have snuck in.

He also has a tracker collar and appears to vaguely understand he only goes out with it on - in the morning he'll stand with his neck stuck out waiting for it.

He's kind of got the idea that once he's in, he can't go out after dinner but he still tries it on every night.

gogohmm · 31/01/2023 11:44

How do you get your cats to go out??? We have a homebody who refuses to go outside unless we accompany her and it's light Confused won't use the cat flap, won't use a litter tray and instead uses the carpet!

AnnaMagnani · 31/01/2023 12:07

We have a stress head who initially would only go out if both DH and I accompanied her for support.

She still doesn't go much beyond the patio but we notice that if she doesn't go out and get to be a cat, even for 5 minutes a day, she is much more stressed (and the stress related bladder issues come on)

I'd worry that yours not using the cat litter would be a sign of behaviour or bladder issues.

Toddlerteaplease · 31/01/2023 13:33

As a owner of two dozy and not very bright Persians, I'm in awe of these cats with more than one brain cell.

Mueslikid · 02/02/2023 07:11

It’s always been eye-opening how much weight a determined cat can move if they want to - DH joked recently we should enlist ours to help while we were struggling to move the washing machine.

We block the cat flap with a heavy box with non stick strips stuck to the bottom. Otherwise it would just be slid out of the way, but the friction solves it. Only problem is I can’t slide it either! I have to pick it up to move it out of the way.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 02/02/2023 08:02

gogohmm · 31/01/2023 11:44

How do you get your cats to go out??? We have a homebody who refuses to go outside unless we accompany her and it's light Confused won't use the cat flap, won't use a litter tray and instead uses the carpet!

It sounds like behavioural issues to me rather than anything else.

Nervous cats often have bladder issues.

Has she been trained to use a litter tray? I assume you've tried lots of types of litter and tray?

Ohdearnotagain76 · 02/02/2023 08:11

I have a bengal and he's a nightmare. I wanted to keep him in with my main coon and Persian but never happened, he'd jump from windows and use to get out so I decided to let him out and now he's fine, it's more of the adventure he loved. So once he won and he was allowed out he was never that bothered, although he does still go out but not for long. Try leaving toys out over night, boxes and tunnels and things he can climb. Our cats also all love love so in summer we put a bowl of water on a few old towels and they play in that, bloody hard with the linger furred cats. We also use dog luck mats with some food and this keeps the occupied for a while. Bengals are so intelligent you have to give them things to do

Circumferences · 02/02/2023 12:50

gogohmm · 31/01/2023 11:44

How do you get your cats to go out??? We have a homebody who refuses to go outside unless we accompany her and it's light Confused won't use the cat flap, won't use a litter tray and instead uses the carpet!

It can depend on the outside environment?
My two go out when it's quiet but won't go out if they can hear a passing car. Delivery vans are their worst nightmare and they come running back, but then go out again once it's gone.

Cats can be anxious and precious about noises.

Circumferences · 02/02/2023 12:52

Our cat flap has a round handle that you turn and it locks it in three different ways, it'll lock so it won't push out, lock so it won't push in, and lock both ways, or just be open both ways. It works with our cats but we don't own a part Bengal!
They are super clever and super strong so well done you 😉

whirlyhead · 02/02/2023 12:55

My catflap is in a corner (deliberately as cats don't like catflaps that open up outside with no protection on either side as a predator might get them) and I put a 5 kilo dumbbell in front of mine if I don't want my lot getting out.

Not that they go out at night anyway. They're all too busy monopolising the bed and stealing my pillows.