How do you manage a cat without a cat flap?

[LavenderLxx]

Question for those of you with no cat flap…

We have a nearly 2 year old cat. We have had him since he was 4 months old - neautered, vaccinated, microchipped. When we first started letting him out last year at about 7 months he happily just pottered around the garden and would come rushing straight back in when we shook the treats tin.

He is now nearly 2 and up until about a fortnight ago still only stayed in the garden. But then he finally discovered that he could jump on the brick BBQ and scale the fence! We tried to discourage this but quickly realised it was impossible so bought a tracker to keep an eye on him. He only goes into the neighbours gardens behind us and to either side. So far hasn’t made it as far as the road. But unlike when he was in the garden and he came back when we shook the treats tin he now ignores us!! The problem is we don’t have a cat flap and there is nowhere we can put one! Those of you with no cat flap are you just slaves to opening the door?! It’s been fine while the weather is nice and we’re at home just to have it open, but im
not sure what we do if we’re going out and he’s not coming back when we call! Do we just leave him out there! I know he’s a cat and he’ll probably be fine but I’m very anxious about him being out if we’re not home… Words of wisdom please!

Never had a cat flap.
If they want to come in then they jump up onto the outside window sill and mew pathetically.
If they want to go out they will stand by whichever door, front or back, and mew to be let out.

We had our adopted cat for 6 years before we installed a cat flap (well, cat TUNNEL!) in the back wall of our house as part of a whole home renovation. back wall is 45cm wide, so it’s actually two flaps with a tunnel in between!!!! Bloody thing cost a fortune as the tunnel comprises “tunnel separators” which the cat flap
manufacturers sell at like £9 a pop and we needed 8 of them! The lovely plumber on our job installed it as he dealt with ducting to the outside - so the foreman deemed installation of said tunnel part of his remit (tenuous). But our plumber loved cats so he did a great job.

The imperious wee bitch was reluctant to use it at first, preferring us to act as her concierges and open the back bifold. But she’s got used to it now (it admits only her as it recognises her chip).

It gives us so much flexibility. We’ve never looked back!!!

My cat comes to get someone when she wants to go out and we leave a window open until she comes back.

We have a cat flap but don’t use it as they catch mice sometimes and I don’t want them in the house! I just let them in and out. They stay in overnight. If we are going out we find them using their tracker and they normally let us just pick them up but they were a pain during the hot weather as enjoyed the late nights outside when we wanted to go to bed!

Ours bangs on front or back door to go out and for coming in, tracks us down in the house and bangs on the window to come in. It all works very well for him.

You just become a slave to them and realise being cold in winter from the constant door opening is less painful than the constant whining to go in/out every 5 mins

We have a catflap in the wall of the utility room.
Cat 1 used it straight away. Cat 2 took 2 years to start using it.
Last week we flea treated them but had to keep them indoors for a bit because it was raining. Since then Cat 1 won't use the cat flap. Honestly DS probably got up 10 x to let him in, yesterday!

Ours have never had a flap - we live near countryside and no way are they bringing their presents back into the house! They learnt pretty quickly that we go to bed and they are either in or out for the night, likewise for daytime! They are both happy cats!

Or shouts to be let in the front door, only to walk through the house to the back door and shout to be let out again!

I have crittal style doors and the cat flap is in the glass.

Love all these stories of owners being door slaves to their cats! Good job we love them!

what do you do if you’re away and you’ve got someone else looking after your cat? How does your door policy work then if someone is just popping in to feed the cat at the beginning and end of the day?

We’ve trained our cat to come in for treats. Every time we knock on garden door and he comes in he gets a treat, so he associates coming in with good things. I don’t work so leave the garden doors open in the summer but would never lock him out when I go out.

My bedroom window is permanently open unless it is really cold.

She does wail to come in or go out the door.

I had a landlady who put shelves on her back wall so her cat could climb up and go in the window.

Haven't RTFT but you could cat proof your garden so he can go outside but no further, we have done this due to various cat related disasters, I can't take any more stress/heartache.
There's groups on Facebook for cat proof gardens.
You can DIY it or get a company in, we got a company in.
Check out companies such as protectapet, felisafe, katzecure etc.
Good luck

Keep them in if you're going away

We just let him in when he asks. He knocks on the door or sits at the kitchen door peering in.
he has a little house in the garden in case we aren’t home. Always comes home unless it’s really hot and he’s 14 now we’ve had since he was 8 weeks old

This made me laugh 😂 😂

this is exactly what my cat would do 😂

as he knocks on the door to get in. He’s so polite 😂😂

we’ve even worked out he’s right handed as whatever ever side of the door he’s on he always uses his right paw.

our other cat seems so much more intelligent than him and doesn’t knock.

I’ve had cats my whole life OP and never had a cat flap, so I’ve learned to be very relaxed about them.

also I wouldn’t want a cat flap as they do catch prey and would bring it in if they could.

we have a little bed I. The greenhouse that one cat uses. But I don’t know what the other cat does when she wants in but we’re not in.

it sounds like your cat is really enjoying exploring so that’s nice for him at least 😊

We trained both cats to come back when we ring their tracker. Use a treat that they are mad crazy for and that they only get when they hear the tracker ringing. It's lovely to see them barreling back on the tracker screen once they get the call 😄. Cats are now 15 and 19, never had a cat flap.

This sounds like a great plan! How did you go about training them to do this?

Always had cats my whole life. Never had a cat flap. I’ve trained mine to come back at a certain time every day. This is to ensure they are not out at nighttime. Sometimes they come back earlier and I let them in through the window or door. They know where to wait they are patient. Mine are 12 now had since kittens.

Same - been a cat slave for over 30 years & never had a cat flap

It didn't take very long really. One was crazy for Weebox meaty treats, the other Dreamies creamy treats. Started just ringing the tracker in the house when l was next to them then immediately gave the treat. Did this a few times, then did it while they were upstairs whilst calling them at the same time and l was downstairs, waited for them to come down then gave the treat. Did this until they were consistently coming, then just used the ring. Next moved onto when they were in the garden ring whilst calling, then just ring etc. If that makes sense 🙂.

Mine either wait by the door (if inside) or in their little cat house (if outside).
Or they come and go via a slightly open window.

For clarity, I do have a cat flap but they're cats and sometimes they just can't be arsed to actually use it 😂

I won’t get a cat flap fitted because she hunts voles and I don’t fancy them being left all over the house!

She has a good routine, in the summer she goes out first thing and comes back in the evening, she always comes back to the sound of dreamies, I can count on one hand the times she’s refused to come back and stayed out the night.

She tends to stay in more in the winter, but year round when she wants to come in she comes to the patio door, it sets off the Ring camera and I let her in. I WFH so it’s not an issue, if I didn’t, I’d set up something comfortable for her outside if she got stuck out for a full day and wanted to come back in. If I know it’s going to rain and I’m going out I keep her in.

There are loads of different options for cat flaps these days. We've got sliding patio doors and didn't want to have one in the glass panel. So we got one installed through the wall just next to the patio doors. Cost £300 to install and it's a microchip one. Best thing we ever did for our 2 outdoor cats, they got used to it really quickly. When we're way the cat sitter unlocks it in the morning and then sets it to "in only" in the evening. Works perfectly.