1 of my 4 cats doesnt want to learn how to use a cat door

[missinasworld]

Hi everyone, my name is Missina and I have 4 adult male, indoor cats. Back in August I wanted to move all the litter boxes into the garage and out of the house, and add a cat door. So I installed a Petsafe Big cat door since some of my kitties are rather large (not fat, just large). I tied the door up for over 5 months to accustom the cats to going in to the garage for their litter boxes and food (food on one side and a half wall separates the litter boxes and washer/dryer). The cats got use to it so I started to untie the cat door and allow the cats to push through the door on their own. Then I locked all 4 cats in the garage and pretty much told them they could only come in through the cat door. It worked wonderfully, for 3 of my 4 cats. My oldest cat, a black and white tux named Stray, is the only cat who will not use the cat door. He has now been pretty much stuck I the garage for almost a month. He has food, water, toys, temp controlled environment, and everything he could need so do not feel to bad for him! I have sat down a few nights and tried to temp him through the door with treats, Tuna is the ONLY thing that worked. I got him to push through the door twice with tuna fish. But each time I put him back through the cat door, he acts like its locked and cannot get back. He is crying at the door right this very minute and sniffing at the door like he expects me to tie it up. He watches the other cats run in and out it all day but he does not follow. I’m not sure on his age as he was missing most of his teeth when I found him 5 years ago as an adult, best estimate was 5 years ago that he was at least 3 to 5 years old so he anywhere from 8 to 10, or more years!

I just do not know what to do to get him going in and out of the cat door. I do not want to leave the cat door tied up forever because bugs can get in, also it defeats the purpose of having a cat door that keeps the cat boxes outside. Now keep in mind I scoop all 3 litter boxes twice a day and use cat litter that doesn’t smell to bad, but I have a super senensative nose and I do not want anyone coming to my house and smell cats! So If anyone can offer some ideas on how to better train this old man, I would be very appreciative!

And this is an old photo of me and Stray (so named because I was NOT suppose to keep him after I saved him from being hit by a car..but I have "Sucker" written on my forehead that only animals can see)

furcoat.jpg

• missinasworld
• Mar 7, 2014

Thanks for reading!

Missina, Stray, Apollo, StarBuc

 

[kitty queen]

Can you tie it up just a couple inches so he has to push it just a tiny bit. Maybe having it go from comp!etely open to completely closed confused the poor guy. Maybe he didn't "get it" like the other cats did.

Try tying it up an inch or two and bribe him to come through from both directions and see if he can figure out to push it up on his own.

 

[susank521]

Hello Missina and Stray. What an adorable picture! Just so you know... I'm pretty sure I can see "Sucker" on your forehead, too.

Is the cat door clear and flexible?

I've had a bit of experience with this type of situation. I've got 27 cats on my property and they all have to go through some type of "door" to access housing, and/or food, and/or litter boxes, and/or catio. Of course they didn't all take immediately to the idea. Some things worked for some, some things worked for others, but here's a couple of things that I can remember trying that did work for at least one of them:

1) Tie the door up again for a few days to get Stray used to going back and forth through the opening again. Then lower the flap and with him in and you out (or vice versa) hold the flap about 3/4 up for him and entice him through. Lots of praise and pets when he comes through. Do that as often during the day as you can. The object is to get to the point where you allow the door to touch, then rub, across his back as he comes through. From that point on, everyday continue to hold the flap lower, working towards holding the flap up just high enough so that he can duck his eyes under it, meaning you allow the flap to touch, then rub, across head and ears. Once you've made it that far, and done that a couple of times, with just a little more encouragement he'll hopefully come through by himself.

2) Tie the door up again. Attach clear 2-1/2" wide plastic strips (medium weight shower liner), one on the left side and one on the right side of the opening, so that they hang over the opening. After a couple of days, add 2 more strips. Continue slowly adding strips to make until the entire opening is covered. Once the opening is covered start with the first layer of strips, start adding another layer. If at anytime will adding the strips he stops going through then take some of the strips down until he starts going through again. The idea is to slowly get him used to "pushing through" the obstruction.

3) Make sure he's watching when one of the other cats come through the flap and get lots of praise, hugs, and pets.

4) This is more for the youngsters, but you can hold the flap up part way and play with him with a string toy, you in and him out, letting the flap down enough to touch his paw, back, when he follows the toy through the door.

Good luck!

 

[missinasworld]

Thanks Susank521 for the ideas. I have tried some of these already. the door is clear and made of hard plastic that does not flex so tieing it up part way does not really work so well. I think he is just afraid to let it touch him so I have been using tuna to convince him it is not going to hurt him. right now all  my cats have colds so he is not up to much of anything. I took back a rescue kitty and she had a cold and even though she is on the patio, my cats got it. So I will let him have a few more days to rest up and then I will try again. this is just soo frustrating. I had to door tied up for 5 or more months. he is not afraid to open cabinets and go inside them!

Missina

 

[susank521]

I'm sorry everyone has colds and hope they all get well soon. You had found a home for the kitty, but they ended up not wanting her?

If you can't entice him through the opening I have kind of goose-stepped one through. I held the door up with one hand and with my other hand under their chest walked/drug them through the opening, allowing the door to rub down their back. That, by itself, didn't do the trick, but used in combination with other methods might help.

The door already smells like the other cats, so that's not the problem. Poor Stray, maybe he just doesn't get it. Once one of my cats was following another too closely through the flap and got popped on the nose, and we had to start over with her to convince her that the flap wouldn't hurt her.

 

[missinasworld]

 

[susank521]

Oh I am so sorry! That is heart-breaking. But I'm so very, very, very thankful that you saw her picture. Poor baby girl. You're a cat angel!

I can see why you love your vet. What an adorable picture of your kitties. Stray sticks out like a sore thumb.

Beautiful and unique wishbone on Apollo.

 

[stephanietx]

Quite honestly, I'd put a box inside and call it good.  Sometimes, especially older kitties, need to be catered to.

 

[missinasworld]

 
Quite honestly, I'd put a box inside and call it good.  Sometimes, especially older kitties, need to be catered to.

But if I do that, then my dogs eat cat poop 

. So he has to learn. but training is off for right now until he gets over his cold.

Missina

 

[betsygee]

We brought home four elder cats last year who had always been indoor cats and had never seen a cat door before.  When we built them a catio, we put in a cat door so they could get from inside the house to the catio.  Two of them got the concept right away, one was slow but got it after awhile, but the last one was like your Stray.  He just wasn't getting it and at 17 he was an old cat not wanting to bother to learn new tricks! LOL  

What finally worked for me was I would go into the catio and call Travis (he'd be inside the house) to come up to the door.  Then I put treats down on my side of the cat door, making sure he saw the treats.  Then I'd hold the door up and let him come through and get the treats.  The next time, I'd do the same but would let the cat door touch him on his back or head as he came through so he'd get used to the feel of it on his body.  I did that several times with him until one day I put down the treats, and then just barely lifted the door to get him started and then I gently let go so he pushed about 95% of it open himself.  It took awhile but he finally got it.  Now they all come and go like pros.  

 

 

[missinasworld]

I just wanted to post and let everyone know that today for the FIRST time Stray used the cat door ON HIS OWN! It took over a month but I guess he got so ticked off today that the other cats were allowed inside the main house, that he hit the door a few times and pushed on threw. I woke up and found him in the house. So I stuck him through the cat door again and watched him come inside. And then I did it a 3rd time just to be sure. I also fed the kitties and he went back out in the garage for food..he is a cat that thinks with his stomach!

 I am very happy and proud of him.

Below is a video showing him using the cat door. he was pretty ticked off at me for making him go back in the garage again.


Missina

 

[betsygee]

Yay!!!  Good boy!  

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Wohooo! Good job Stray!!

 

[susank521]

Awwwh! Way to go Stray!!

He is adorable.