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Our cat is a feisty tortoiseshell and now she's mature she seems to be engaged in guerilla warfare with every other cat in the street (there are quite a few). The tom cats obv take shit from no one but that doesn't stop our little cat having a go when they encroach on her territory I think she wants to be the Alpha Female.
It's not so much an issue during the day but as you know cats are nocturnal creatures and the last few months there has been quite a bit of cat-based fracas during the hours of darkness. People go on about barking dogs but I can assure you wailing, growling, hissing cats are just as much of a PITA
I would like to install a one-way cat flap that allows our cat (and only our cat) to come in but not go out again. The cat flap would have to be installed in a nice and rather expensive kitchen door/window thing and I don't want to ruin the door or make a 'feature' out of the cat flap. The other option would be to have some kind of cat castle outside that our cat can take refuge in when things start to kick off 🙂
Any advice/suggestions most welcome cheers
When I fitted a cat flap, it had a settable lock which could be set to lock both ways, unlock both ways, or provide one-way access in either direction. Just a basic mechanical rotary catch.
Access was controlled with a little magnet on the collar. This works, but it will fail (obviously) if the cat loses the collar, or if other cats use the same system (as one magnet is the same as another).
You can also get ones which uses coded transponders, which is more discerning, but if I was fitting one again I'd get one that picks up the cat's ID chip. (Animals can be chipped so that they can [s]play imported games[/s] be identified if there's an accident or they get lost.)
No other door options? We put a cat flap in our glass patio door.
One of my friends had an issue with a stray tom coming in and spraying all over the place - after trying 3 other solutions she ended up with one of the ones that reads the cats microchip - this makes it even more unsightly as it's powered!
[url= http://www.acecatfurniture.com/Windsor-Cat-Tower?sc=40&category=3033 ]Cat Castle[/url]
like that?
Animals can be chipped
Matrix style so that she is instantly able to use esoteric forms of kung fu and karate would be best.
We've got the [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/SureFlap-Ltd-Microchip-Door-White/dp/B003EGIM3O ]Sureflap Microchip cat flap[/url]. Like the one above where it reads the microchip but it is run off batteries so no ugly wires to power it.
It also has the option to fully lock and unlock, out only and in only.
We just shut our cats in at night after we feed them, for the same reason. After a couple of weeks they got used to the routine and just come in of their own accord. Stops them killing so many rodents and birds too, as they did most of their hunting in the low light at dawn and dusk.
Sureflap + lots. Comedy moment when first installed - one of next door's 12(!) cats chasing ours, he sails straight through, chasing cat does Tom and Jerry stop using his head.
Fully programmable, works off micro-chips in the Cat's shoulders.
EDIT: You can even set the delay from activation / open to lock based on how quickly the cat needs to get in and the flap to lock to stop the chaser following.
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Hopefully, as per veterinary and RSPCA advice, your cat won't be wearing a collar, so an implanted chip controlled cat flap might be the answer. See if you can buy a spare panel for you door first, so at least you have a replacement to hand when you want to sell the house.
Edit: Didn't read whole thread as you can probably tell!
Quite like the idea of a chip-controlled flap many thanks fellas
"chip-controlled flap"
there's a Viz fat slags joke waiting in the wings for that line.
😆
we have one which works off the cats ID chip, full controllable access in/out and works from batteries. One cat uses it and the other refuses to so a complete waste of time as we still have to leave a window open for the thick one.
Kev
Erm hang on you mean that it's not instinctive for them to use the flap? You have to train them or something?the other refuses
I would go ape if I installed an Intel Core-controlled cat flap and the cat just sat there and looked at it
as per veterinary and RSPCA advice, your cat won't be wearing a collar
Links to this advice please?
Last I heard, the RSPCA's official recommendation was to use a collar with a quick-release mechanism, not to avoid them completely.
you mean that it's not instinctive for them to use the flap? You have to train them or something?
I trained ours by holding open the flap for him when he wanted to go out. Didn't take long to 'get' it, but the silly sod tried to open it by paw half the time (which wouldn't work as the collar was too far away).
*groan*
Our three use our Petporte Flap (like Footflaps').
It stops Barney from down the street coming in to leave his "calling cards".
Catflap aye great idea. Unsupervised access to bring dead/half alive/ still bleeding and flapping things in... At night.
No way.
Anyway, my cat likes that I open the door for her, it asserts her power over me, which makes her happy.
I keep her in at night anyway, as somebody says, they soon get used to it. She hunts at dawn and dusk then comes in for food and sleep.
If you don't want to cut a door panel how about a tunnel through the wall. I know of one in a converted barn. Its about 3 feet long!
Catflap aye great idea. Unsupervised access to bring dead/half alive/ still bleeding and flapping things in... At night.
Their website is down at the minute, but google "Flo Control". Tired of their cat (the eponymous(e) 'Flo') bringing presents home, they rigged up a cat flap with face recognition software. So it only allows access if a) the cat's mouth is empty and b) it's their cat.
Footflaps +2. Great idea - works a treat - for £99!
Worth it for the uninterrupted nights' sleep though...
Not found a cat flap which stops them bringing home gifts yet, this was last night's treat:
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A pigeon and a pack of yogurts?
one of these:
[url= http://www.pet-mate.com/uk/ShopOnline.aspx?Department_ID=1&Action=Home&category_id=288 ]Pet Mate Flap[/url]
main benefit is your cat has to unlock to go out or in... you think why do I want to lock the out...
our old flap only locked for the the in... this stopped most other cats in the street, but one cheeky moggy had learnt that if it tapped the flap hard enough it would bounce out enough to get a paw under and then then able to open fully to get in..
petmate solved the issue plus got option of microchip rfid under skin or coller rfid tag..
A pigeon and a pack of yogurts?
I know, bringing in yogurt packaging - ridiculous behaviour for a cat!