Asking help with interior walk-thru cat door

Can anyone suggest an effective way to teach older cats a new trick?

We installed a pass-thru with a two-way flap to our basement door.

Up til now, we have left the door partially open so our cats could go into the basement to use the cat pans. So far they haven't taken to "flipping the flap".

Thank you in advance for any ideas.

You need to show them how it works, and offer treats on the "other" side, to entice them through at first. It doesn't take long for them to get the idea.

We have several kitties at the shelter where I volunteer who've been there for years, but still won't use the catflap to go out on the sunporch. We've never really tried to work with them on this, because there's plenty of human traffic to open the door for them -- so I don't really know what I'm talking about, but...

Maybe you should leave a favorite toy half-in and half-out of the flap, to help them see how it works. And how 'bout gathering the kitties on one side of the flap, then having someone place a good smelly treat of some kind on the opposite side?

Ha! Great minds think alike, eh?

Simply leave the cat flap up for a few days till they get the hang of it. Then drop it back down.

Hi, I'm new to the site and having similar problems with my cat. We got her from a rescue home in june - she's about 3 and a real sweety. When she first started going outside she refused to go through the catflap. I started off letting her in and out but then we discovered that if we tied the flap open with some string she would happily come in and out on her own - i think its the squeezing though the flap that bothers her. Not a problem in june, but we just had our first flurries of snow this morning and an open catflap is not a good solution for winter! We replaced the catflap around three weeks ago with one that had a clear door, so she could see what was on the other side. She will now come in from outside ok - but she won't go out from in! Over the last few weeks I have tried everything -treats etc. Since she doesn't have a litter tray any more (she stopped using it entirely as soon as she was allowed outside) Im getting worried that she may start peeing in the house. I let her out morning and evening - is this often enough? I work from home so I could put her out more often, but she doesnt want to go out most of the time (she hates the cold) and I just end up chasing her etc - which I dont want to do as she is quite a nervous little thing anyway.

So - how often do cats wee? If she HAS started weeing in the house I'd smell it - right? Any help would be much appreciated!

With winter approaching, keep her inside and add two litter pans. That will stop any accidents that you might have in the house.

Originally Posted by hissy

With winter approaching, keep her inside and add two litter pans. That will stop any accidents that you might have in the house.

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Thanks, but I'd rather let her out - at least when the weather is still sometimes sunny - she still likes climbing onto the shed roof on the milder afternoons! I don't mind having a litter tray or two as well, but the system we have at the moment *seems* to be working. I was just concerned that morning and evening wasn't frequent enough - when I let her out during the day I tend to go out with her and she doesn't seem to be going to the toilet then. I'm also worried that she might already be peeing in the house and I just can't smell it - I have been conducting "sniff tests' under the bed, behind things etc but so she seems to have behaved herself so far. Is twice a day normal?

You could leave one litter box next to the door inside and another outside...