Cat flap invader

tidus

Fitted a standard cat flat for our 2 cats a few months ago in our back door. So far so good.

Unfortunately a few weeks ago we came home from work to find a random ginger cat asleep on our spare bed, and we're having a job keeping him out - he is in the house more often than not when we get up and when we get home from work. We put him back outside but he just tries to get back in after a few minutes. He doesn't seem to be after food, he's friendly and well fed, so we think he maybe gets put out a lot by his owners and is just looking for shelter. We haven't fed him, fussed him or encouraged him. Now he gets into our cats beds too. He seems to be trying to move in.

The obvious problem is our own cats of course. The house is big enough that they don't always know he's around, but they hiss, spit and swipe at each other if they come into contact. Doesn't seem to put him off coming in however! Our femail seems to stand her ground and is not too bothered by the ginger, but our boy is a big softy really and I think he's getting a bit stressed.

We tried squirting ginger with a water pistol in the kitchen. He ran upstairs rather than out of the open back door! We tried squirting him after we put him out and it puts him off for a bit but then he comes back the next day, not seeming to learn.

So, I looked into a microchip reading cat flap, but our door is metal so they may not work. I don't really want our 2 wearing magnets, so that's probably out. Neither do I want to close the cat flap now our two are used to it.

I'm beginning to wonder if it might be better to just let him come and go and hope our cats learn to tolerate him. Anybody know if this is likely to happen? Or any other ideas how to keep him out? Or, has anyone fitted a microchip reading capflap in a metal door and got it to work?

shelly

We had the same problem quite awhile ago and it stressed our cat out so much that she took to peeing in the house.
I immediately looked into getting a microchip cat flap. Once she realised the strangers could no longer get it she went back to her old self.

I just googled for microchip cat flaps metal doors and found quite a bit of info.
If you scroll to the FAQ's on this page for the PetPorte it says that because the chip scanner is in a canopy that's suspended away from the door then any metal in the door is less likely to affect it.
The co that makes PetPorte has a free customer care number so you could call them to see how likely it is the metal may affect the flap. The number is 0800 046 1414.
We are on our second PetPorte (had the original and now the newer smartflap) and I can highly recommend them.


If you go for a Sureflap they say here that if fitting the flap into a metal door you need an oversize hole in order to operate.

HTH

sophieschoice

We had the same problem around 8 years ago but it was a black female cat.
She's still here!
Two of the others got on fine with her although there was some snarling/hissing/chasing at first. Our other female cat merely tolerates her.
It'll work out if you give it time.

picklepick

If you dont want a magnetic cat flap, you can also get ones operated using your cats microchip. Then of course, you also dont have to worry about them losing magnets. They are on the pricey side though!

Alisha2008

Just curious, why don't you want ur cats to wear magnets..? Mine do and it works very well. Also tried the infrarred one, but I wouldn't recommend this one, the catflap made a noise that scared the cats and the thing to wear on their collar was huge!

kazwookie

Magnet collars are the way to go, my DIL has one each for her to cats as next doors cats were coming in, now they sit out side and look in and that is all.!!

tidus

Thanks for the comments!

I don't like the idea of my cats wearing collars really, thats why the microchip reading flaps seemed a good idea.

Thanks for the number shelly. The PetPorte people say the flap cannot be guaranteed to work in a metal door, dispite the comments on that link you posted. I also phoned a website that sells them and they said they don't work well in metal doors, so looks like that ones out. The battery powered one apparently should work, but you have to have a heck of a big hole for a plastic mounting disc (basically its a case of cutting away more of the metal from the flap so it interferes less) - which I don't fancy either, I'm concerned about weakening the door too much.

Looks like its collars then, unless they learn to tolerate each other better. Ginger was curled up in Horace's cat bed this morning. Horace was sat on a kitchen chair looking annoyed.

Myrtle77

Can you not change your back door?

jess1974

Myrtle77 wrote: »

Can you not change your back door?

That will cost in the region of £300 why should she do that???

jess1974

We had this happening for a while, i think you should just keep turfing the ginger one out as soon as he comes in, or lock the cat flap for a few days, this might be enough to break the habit......

tidus

Yeah, could change the back door - but at a big cost.

As per the last comment, just going to keep putting him out and see how it goes I think. We lock the catflap for a while after already. He's just persistant.