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The litter tray

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

Original poster

Is my kitten defective? How long did your cat take to learn to use a cat flap?

46 replies

Isitafaultykitten · 12/02/2025 11:38

So we have now had said kitten for 4 full months, and he is now 7 months old. He has been watching our adult cat go in and out of the cat flap regularly for the last 4 months, and he still has not worked out how to use it himself.

He is now neutered, fully vaccinated chipped, and absolutely desperate to go outside. We do take him out with us for short spells, and to be honest I am not desperately keen for him to be able to go out on his own, as he is probably still too stupid to be trusted in the outside world unsupervised. I am just curious as to how long other cats have taken to learn how a cat flap works. He sits at it and cries, he has put a paw through it when the other cat is playing with him from outside, but it is still beyond him to actually push it open and go through. Surely he should have worked it out by now?

OP posts:
TokyoSushi · 12/02/2025 11:39

I'm assuming you've held it open and pushed him through a good few times?

Octavia64 · 12/02/2025 11:41

My current cats are the most stupid cats I have ever had. It took months.

I pushed them through it a few times.

No dice.

So I used clothes pegs and pegged it completely open for about month (in the summer).

Then I slowly moved the clothes pegs down so they had to apply more force.

Never2many · 12/02/2025 11:43

My cats are nearly two and they’ve never been able to use it.

They can obviously use a flap as they have an enclosed litter tray, but they absolutely can’t use the cat flap on the door and no amount of pushing them through etc has made any difference.

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/02/2025 11:44

The cat I had as a child flat out refused to use it and it had to be propped open for him. He also expected to be let in to use his litter box and then let out afterwards. He was quite an inconvenient cat, although hygienic.

RatedDoingMagic · 12/02/2025 11:44

We have an adult cat who is now about 6 years old.

We taught her and her sister (sadly now deceased) how to use the catflap 5.5 yrs ago as follows:

Step 1 : tape cat flap open with duct tape. Human on each side calls kitten to come and eat a treat. Kitten learns to go through the opening and eat a treat.

Step 2: remove duct tape, human who is calling the kitten and offering delicious treats holds the cat flap open by a few cm but kitten has to push to get it fully open

Step 3: repeat without holding the cat flap open.

Yes they both learned how to use it.

BUT 6yo cat still sometimes scrabbles at the flap with her paws and we tell her to push with her nose and eventually she remembers how to do that, but it's still about a 20% failure rate.

Original poster
Isitafaultykitten · 12/02/2025 11:44

TokyoSushi · 12/02/2025 11:39

I'm assuming you've held it open and pushed him through a good few times?

Not yet, because to be honest, if he can't work out the cat flap, I can see him getting into trouble he can't get out of once he is out. I am not going to teach him, it has just surprised me how long it is taking him to work it out.

OP posts:
Original poster
Isitafaultykitten · 12/02/2025 11:47

From the replies so far it sounds like he might never work it out! I will eventually try to teach him, but not until he is a bit older.

OP posts:
Beamur · 12/02/2025 11:49

My youngest cats watched older cat using it. As soon as it was activated for them and we helped them through a couple of times they were away.
My older cat who adopted us absolutely refuses to use one.

biscuitsandbooks · 12/02/2025 11:52

You need to teach him how to do it - sooner rather than later really as if he does get out then he needs to be able to get back in!

101Kittens · 12/02/2025 11:52

He might just decide he's not going to use it. You'd be amazed at how many cats won't use litter trays with flaps or cat flaps. None of mine will use either.

One won't even push the door open to come inside if it's not fully open. (Another can use the handle to open closed doors).

They learn quickly that we are useful door openers.

Floralnomad · 12/02/2025 11:53

Some never do or won’t because half the fun is making the human get up to go to the door . When we were kids we had a cat who wouldn’t use a cat flap at home , just sat outside yowling to be let in but would happily go in and out of everyone else’s - he was regularly found in neighbours houses .

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 12/02/2025 11:56

One of mine never understood it. He’d just sit by the back door (two feet from the cat flap) and just wait for help.

My house rabbit only ever worked out how to get out, she never worked out how to get back in.

mumda · 12/02/2025 12:05

if you prop it open and sit outside (perhaps not the best weather for it currently) then he might come through to see you.
He needs to understand what it's for... and being shoved through won't do that.

Breadcat24 · 12/02/2025 12:40

I carefully constructed a cardboard wall with the cat flap in it blocking the sitting room door with the open cat flap in it.
Cat just jumped over it.
Put it in the door and she was fine

ThreeLeggedCat · 12/02/2025 12:59

You need to post him through it a few times with yummy treats on the other side. You’ll probably still end up being a door butler for him though.

missdeamenor · 12/02/2025 13:01

I had to take the plastic flap bit off. There's now a hole in my back door and it's a bit draughty but my cats just jump in and out now.

MyPrettyLittleBella · 12/02/2025 13:03

Oh bless him! I taught all my 3 cats to go through it but pushing them (gently!) through it a few times. He'll work it out. Mine has a bit of a tunnel so I suppose they just needed to be shown how to get into it and they they worked out that there was an exit at the other end.

Insidethelargeapple · 12/02/2025 13:08

We spent ages teaching our older rescue cat how to use it, one of us kneeling on each side encouraging her, to no avail. Then we looked at our wildlife camera footage that included the area just next to the catflap, and she was happily going in and out all night.
So she was just having a laugh when we were trying to teach her!

Springflowersmakeforbetterhours · 12/02/2025 13:12

Op have you not heard of dkitten tax?

Hotafternoon · 12/02/2025 13:16

Different cats but despite two of them being quite dim, I shoved them through a couple of times then got them back in by waving a tin of tuna at them through the cat flap clear door. Worked perfectly. 🐈

Thisismeme · 12/02/2025 13:16

Our learnt straight away but we did wait until 10 months so they were a bit wiser! We didn’t trust them outside before then. Currently have a 5 month old and won’t be teaching her for as long as possible.
We took them out using the back door and used treats to recall them. Then we pushed them through a couple of time and rewarded with treats.
Try again when he’s a little older

womanjustwanttohavefun · 12/02/2025 13:27

One of ours we've had for 5 years will only go out the cat flap- cannot use it coming in. She will literally sit outside in the rain all night rather than come in through it.
The other cat has started to copy this too and will wait for the door but does use it.

gatheryerosebuds · 12/02/2025 13:29

I suppose they don’t know what is beyond. Can you keep it open for him for a few hours a day to get him used to it.
some cats are genuinely “scaredy”

Toddlerteaplease · 12/02/2025 13:59

Why use a cat flap, when you have a human to open the door for you?

Toddlerteaplease · 12/02/2025 14:02

I was amazed the first time I took the late Magic and Maia to the cattery and they were straight through the flap. They were't the brightest.