Anyone got a cat but no cat flap?

fiesta04

"I am a big cat person"

Just open the door.....no need for an alarm if you have lions or tigers!!

Sorry couldn't help myself.

F4

Dumbe

I've never had a cat flap either.

Cat goes out while getting ready for work .. Bring him in before leaving, out again if he wants in the evening, in before bed...

Cats are in my opinion adaptable enough to learn and accept your routine

I wouldn't worry too much about a cat flap , in the short term if money's tight..

Gloomendoom

snailmail wrote: »

the problem we have is ALL the neighbourhood cats want to live in our house. we already have 3 neighbours cats practically live with us and a 4th that sneaks in the windows (the dogs are terrified of him...he is evil lol!)

if we had a cat flap I think the cats would take over!

We had that problem so we just had an 'out' cat flap. When he wanted to come in, our cat would just bang on the window. If we'd gone to bed, he'd climb up the front of the house and bang on the bedroom window.

Fridaycat

We have 5 cats and no cat flap through choice (we could easily fit one if we wanted to).

The main reasons being that I don't want my cats going out at night (I know they can be locked but have seen the frustration of cats who use a cat flap freely and then don't understand the concept of it being locked); and also I don't want other cats coming into the house and all the problems that causes - microchip ones perhaps overcome this though I have heard of clever cats "tailgating" the chipped cat in, and then not being able to get out - nightmare scenario if you're out at the time!

Spirit_2

We have never had a cat flap.

We have two cats who hate each other and have to keep seperate. One cat sleeps in the garage and goes out to play during the day when we let him out in the morning. We have stables he can shelter in if the weather is poor or he climbs up a fence across aflat roof and in through DD's bedroom window to sleep in there.

Other elderly cat stays in during the day and on summer nights goes out through the kitchen window for a little while. An alternative route back in is that she treats the hedge outside as a ladder and climbs up it onto a porch roof and in through our bedroom window. This is her preferred route when she has caught some poor creature. In the winter I pop her out (literally find her, pick her up and take her outside) for an hour in the evening but she does not stay out and comes and sits on a window ledge to be let back in.

Both cats have access to litter trays when they are indoors.

bazster

Two cats (three not so long ago) and no cat flap. We open the door frequently. And grumble a lot.

Mrs_Z

We have a cat flap but if we didn't I would look into fitting one to the shed and up cat beds in there so that the cats would have somewhere dry to shelter.

Working full time, I would let them out am and back in when back at work.

There are cats though who prefer the indoors!

Silaqui

Thanks everyone, so it does kind of work for some of you. I feel really bad as there will be nobody in the house from 8am till about 5pm, I can't help but feel cruel leaving a cat out for that long.
I guess I could leave it indoors with a litter tray then let it out in the even but then it would be cooped up all day and I wouldn't see it in the evening when I'm home!

I'm trying to picture the house (not got keys yet haha) and can't think of any upstairs window that could be accessible, and I wouldn't want to leave a downstairs window open.

Does anyone know if it would cost a lot to fit a flap in a brick wall? Would a builder have to do it?
x

Silaqui

Oh and lol at big cats haha I think if I had a tiger or lion I'd just open the door for it, I wouldn't risk upsetting it!

bazster

Silaqui wrote: »

Does anyone know if it would cost a lot to fit a flap in a brick wall? Would a builder have to do it?
x

A keen DIY'er could do it, although cutting holes in brick walls is difficult without the right equipment. No structural issues with a catflap-sized hole.

However, given the thickness of exterior walls, you're going to finish up with more of a tunnel than a hole, and given the contrary nature of cats there is no telling in advance whether puss would be prepared to use it.