How Do You Train A Cat To Use A Cat Flap?
April 10th, 2009 | 
Author: I’ve had my cat for ages now. She’s never used a cat flap before and we’re thinking of getting her one. How do you train a cat to use a cat flap? By the way, my cat’s like 8 or 9 years old. Does it make any difference to what age the cat is when you train her to use a cat flap? Thanks in advance!
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Hi FF,
You’re obviously a good cat owner if you’ve committed to her this long). Set the whole thing up to be a positive experience and your kitty will be coming and going in no time! 
I imagine that your cat, being naturally curious, will take to the cat flap of her own accord.
But, in case she doesn’t I would suggest the following:
If you can somehow chock the flap open, sit on the opposite side of the door to your cat. Call her gently and encourage her to come through. If you have some food that she is particularly fond of you could use it as a reward and reinforce her once she’s through by letting her eat it.
The reason I suggest chocking it open is it’s just one less thing to get used to initially. Get her comfortable moving through the space before you get her to the stage of actually having to push the flap.
I don’t think her age will make any difference at all. Just make sure you don’t force her to go through the cat flap, or push/ pull her (I’m sure you wouldn’t!
All the very best,
A fellow cat owner,
Red.
I have nine cats who have come to me at different ages, so some have learnt as quite young cats and others have been a similar age to your cat. I have seen no significant difference in the ease with which they learn to use the flap dependent on age, however I do have one cat who is now 6 years old and he just refuses to use the flap at all!
Some of my cats have taught themselves by watching the other cats come in and out, but others have needed a bit of help. I stand one side of the flap and my daughter stands the other and using tasty bits of food, e.g. ham or chicken, encourage the cat to go back and forth a few times. Hopefully, your cat will get the idea pretty quickly.
Good luck!
She’ll probably take longer to work it out being a little older, but she shouldget it in the end. Just get your partner, a frend etc to help, get a bag of your cats fave treats and stand with the cat one on either side of the flap and encourage the cat in and out using the treats. You will probablky need to hold the cat flap up for a while until your cat gets used to it. We introduced our ca to his flap at around 4 months, we have a double cat flap through a wall, but it still didn’t take him long to learn.
Good luck!
If you do get trouble from other cats get a magnetic cat flap- your cat wears a magnet round their neck and the cat flap only opens for them. I would leave off using it until your cat is used to the flap though a I think there is some delay in the reaction time- ie the cat has to wait a second before the flap opens. We brought one of these, but haven’t ever used it as my cat was so dinky the magnet was too unwieldy and heavy on his collar at the time, and we’ve never needed to as no other cats understand the whole double cat flap thing we have!
It is best to train a cat when it is young like any other animal, i think that is because it will take a shorter amount of time. Try shutting all the windows and doors and shaking her dry food and see if she can come in through the cat flap. Maybe try some wet food on the other side of the cat flap when it is breakfast time.
Good Luck!
Why would you want to?
How about keeping your cat safely indoors? It’ll be much healthier for your cat to be indoors where it’s safe from poisons, loose dogs, other cats, cars, wild animals, malicious people… and so on (the list of dangers is quite long). Indoor cats live much longer, healthier lives than outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats and it’s very possible to have a happy, well entertained indoor cat. It’s also entirely possible to train a cat to walk on a harness/leash for safe outdoor trips. Read more on why indoor is better as well as how to make a safe outdoor enclosure for indoor cats:http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac…http://www.geocities.com/heartland/point…http://home.hiwaay.net/~keiper/indoors.h…http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenc…http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/catrun...
well to the 1st anwerer..
i have a cat and a cat flap and many times i see different cats in my garden but they have never ever come into my house..
i usually see my cat with this other neighbourhood cat. But when i try to get my cat in the house because its cold he comes in and the other one just goes away..
i think you should put the cat flap in in the winter.
my cat is now 14 years old and i got him a few months ago..
when we put the cat flap in and opened the flap he kind of understood that he was meant to go through it..
what you can do is open the cat flap and on the other end of it put some food.then your cat will slowly understand that she should use it go outside..
Best in the summer and that is wedge it wide open.
The trouble with cat flaps is that they then invite the local stray tom in!
I had to bin some things due to cat spray from the stray that came in and then freaked out IN MY HOUSE!
well i dont know about how do u train the cat but i do know that she is 9 years old … so it will take a little longer and a little hard to teach the cat!!!!
I put a little catnip on the other side of the flap. Worked like a charm.