About my 3 cats and the newly installed cat door

[Maru Kitteh]

We have our cats food and water station and their potty box in our utility room. We don't have central heat, each area is heated and cooled separately. It's more efficient plus it would just cost too much to convert this house. It's a freakin' ancient old victorian that we've been remodeling because spending insane amounts of cash, busting your ass and living in a construction zone is a blast baby. :sarcasm:

Anyway, in lieu of the fabulous shower curtain that was serving as a door before, we purchased a real one. Of course our cats lack opposable thumbs so we had to get them a cat flap so they can get to the buffet and the porta-pottie. We were a little worried that the fat one wouldn't be able to make it through but surprisingly enough he was the first one to make the adjustment. Today cat #2 is doing well but cat #3, THE DIVA, is still very reluctant and generally has a very nasty attitude about the whole thing. OK OK, she can be that way about everything but she spent over 30 hours in there because she didn't want to use the door. She needs to get over it.

Any thoughts?

[demnan]

1. Just make sure there's more than one box

that way she won't feel crowded when she does have to go. Good luck with your house.

[IndyOp]

2. Can you tape the flap up so that it is completely out of the way?

My suggestion is to get her used to the new system a step at a time.

First, tape the flap up and out of the way and let her get used to going in and out of the hole in the door. She can see through the hole and so will know that it is safe to go to the other side.

Then - after a few days when she gets really comfortable, tape up a half sheet of paper and let her go in and out using this 'small flap' -

Then - after a few more days you can go back to the standard flap arrangement.

Let us know how it goes... :)

[OnionPatch]

4. I was just going to suggest something similar

because a cat I had awhile back was just like this. He refused to go through the flap and into the garage and I really, really wanted his litter box out of the main part of the house. I taped the flap up all the way for a few days then once he was going in and out of it regularly, I taped the it so it was open just a few inches and he had to push just a little for a few days. Then I just removed the tape and he was cool with it. Pretty soon he was diving through that door like nothing. I think he actually ended up liking it. He would get the dog after him then dive through to make a clean escape. :)

[legally blonde]

6. I think that's a good idea

I had a similar situation with a swing door on the litter box. My cats just wouldn't use it. So, I removed the door for a while, then slowly introduced it back. Now they don't mind it at all.

[radfringe]

3. cat door story

friends of mine live out in the woods, they installed a cat door for their furry felines.

one night, they felt lumps jumping on the bed. at first they assumed it to be their cats - but then they heard the cats hissing and growling from the hall. How could that be when they felt the cats on the bed?

they flicked on a light. sitting on the edge of the bed were two raccoons - they came in through the cat door.

they managed to "chase" the raccoons into a empty room, once morning came they called the local animal control officer who captured the raccoons and released them far away from the home

my friends installed a cat door that operated with a transmitter on the cat's collar.

they had another encounter with raccoons a few months later - they have a sweat lodge, in the mornings they fire it up and go do their exercises/jogging etc, when they are done they go sit in the sweat lodge for awhile.

well, one morning after firing up the sweat lodge and doing their exercises - they go into the lodge and find a family of raccoons warming their paws over the fire... lolol

[IndyOp]

5. The Andes candies...

You know the little mints with green foil wrappers - Andes Candies. I used to keep some in the living room in a house I was sharing with a friend. One morning, before I had fully emerged from my bedroom/bathroom, she asked whether I had eaten the Andes Candies, and if so - why I had left the wrappers on the living table and floor. I, of course, had not eaten the candies. We looked around and spotted paw prints on the kitchen linoleum leading from the cat door to the living room - the raccoons had had a chocolate feast! I did not mind sharing the candies, but we did lock the cat door at night after that.

:-)

[Maru Kitteh]

8. Those stories are so funny! Update on cat door situation.

Everyone now uses the cat door. Thanks for all the suggestions about doing it in steps, using the tape. It worked out really well. They now use it to play with each other, just another way to increase stealth/tactical advantage. Silly kids.

Thanks for the great stories about the racoons! I don't know exactly what I'd do if I woke up and had two racoons on the bed. All I get in here are bats! Boy if THAT doesn't drive the kitties wild!

[IndyOp]

9. Good deal! Thanks for letting us know it worked out --

And, I wasn't surprised at all that your chubby guy was the first to learn how to use the door -- after all the FOOD was IN THE ROOM!! They are such funny bunnies aren't they?

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[BrklynLiberal]

10. On "Planet's Funniest Animals" last night they had a tape of a baby deer

following a cat into the house thru the cat door!!!!

[OnionPatch]

7. Lol

That's hilarious. Those are some tame racoons! I vacationed in a place once where they would line up on the windowsill and perform "antics" to get your attention and give them handouts. I'm certain they'd have come inside if they could have.