The cat didn’t like the little sky blue flap in the big white door because he couldn’t see what was waiting behind it on the other side. Stepping into the unknown was scaring him.
So he continued waiting patiently for humans to open the big white door to the cool and shady veranda, even though he knew that his favourite ceramic bowl was placed on the other side, filled with juicy biscuits, and his little belly was rumbling with hunger.
Sometimes one has to overcome one’s fears to enjoy independence and freedom.
... or how do I train a silly old cat to use a cat flap?
12 comments:
Leave it opened up for awhile first so the cat can see through it.
I have one in a wall so my cat can go from one part of the house to the other.
He will go through it even when the door is open.
-B
ahhhhh, that is so cute! Bluenoser has a great point, open it so he can see his food and put treats on the sill of it, so he gets us to "pushing it" open....he'll learn....ahhhhh, I'll have to tell Lily!!
Can't help with the cat training, but this is how I trained my dogs:
Put the cat on the other side of the door, and they'll figure out any way to get to the other side to chase the cat.
Surprisingly effective!
aww, too cute! What a great picture too! :)
cute kitty. cats are silly creatures. it's funny that kitty won't go through.
what b said. leave the flap open. that should entice him.
aww ... clearly, it takes a while to overcome one's fears and step into the unknown - even for a cat!
I like bluenoser's suggestion - not so scary if you can peek at what's ahead. :-)
One of the Cutest Posts Ever.
My torty doesn't just sit at the door - it's just loose enough so that she can bang on it with her paws, which she does until somebody lets her through.
Oh - the door leads to the cycling room, and she's my "coach"
Who's training whom here? ;^)
Great post. I think this happens a lot. We are waiting for someone to open doors for us when we just need to make the effort to open the door for ourselves.
Am I the only one mean enough to shove my cats through the flap? They really liked that, as I'm sure you can imagine.
Great pic! I used to train dogs professionally and Bluenoser et. al. have it right but I would add a couple things to make it easier for the cat to learn this new challenge.
1. An enticement such as a favorite food, a dangly toy or something that gets the cat to move to get the cat to move through it a few times at first. We have a couple cats and one is very food motivated and the other can't resist any kind of moving string.
2. Close it slowly so the cat has to start pushing it out of the way but only a little at first. I'd do it in four or five steps; fewer if the cat catches on quickly, more if it resists using the door each time you change the gap.
Good luck!
He is like me - a creature of habit. Why confuse him. Just open the door :)
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