All outdoor cats must be able to access their home environment for three main reasons:

For safety and shelter

Cats need to quickly return to their home whenever they need to, especially if they feel under threat from

• Other cats in the neighbourhood
• Other wildlife such as foxes
• Humans
• Weather. A change in weather can happen at any moment, so it’s important that your kitty is not “stuck” outside, waiting to be let in.

For food

Cats like to graze throughout the day. If they have easy access to their own food they won’t go looking for it elsewhere. When cats are hungry they will attempt anything to feed. Not only is this dangerous but they could wander and wander in search of food and before they know it they are lost. By ensuring constant access to their food, you are also encouraging them to stay close to home.

For Water

It’s vital that cats can get to clean, fresh water that’s safe for them to drink. By allowing your cat to come and go, they won’t attempt to drink water that's not safe and could harbour something nasty that could hurt or harm them.

Different home environments

Broadly speaking, there are four ways for outdoor cats to access their home environment:

1. The Cat Butler
2. Open Windows
3. Outside Shelters
4. Cat Flaps

The Cat Butler

These are primarily homes where people are at home all day, for example homemakers, people who work from home or those that have retired. Every cat dreams of having a full-time kitty butler available to cater for their every need and desire, including letting them in and out on demand. And in again. And then out again. Rinse and repeat. It’s always nice to have “staff”.

Open Windows

There are home environments that choose to leave a downstairs window open to let their cat come and go as they please.

Please note that we really don’t recommend you do this.

Firstly, if a cat has to jump through a slightly open window it could hurt itself, or worse if the window slams shut on it. Secondly, leaving a window open in your home might invite unwanted guests, whether they be human or furry. And thirdly if you have home insurance it could be void if something was to happen and you had deliberately left a window open.

Outside Shelter

Creating a shelter outside might seem like a good solution for someone that doesn’t want to install a cat flap or even allow access to the home at all. Whilst we understand this concept, if your cat is facing a threat, that threat can still access your cat in an outside shelter. Also, if you leave food and water in the shelter other animals and cats will access this, so there's no guarantee that your cat will actually get the food and water it requires.

If you must use an outdoor shelter however, perhaps to support a feral or semi-feral moggie, or for when a cat-flap is simply not an option, please consider the construction of your shelter very carefully. If it's not correctly insulated, then if it’s baking hot outside, the shelter will be baking hot inside, and if it’s freezing cold, your shelter will be freezing cold. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that provide excellent guidance on making shelters out of things like plastic storage containers and foam material.

In cold weather, regardless of how well insulated, you must provide bedding that won't freeze, such as straw. Hay, for example, is a terrible choice as it will soak up moisture, go mouldy, and freeze in very cold conditions. We're sure we don't need to draw you a picture of what would happen to a cat who falls asleep on a bed that freezes during the night.

Cat Flaps

Provided you are allowed to fit one, cat flaps are generally the easiest and simplest solution for cat access and there are models for every budget.

A cat flap gives your cat the option to come and go as they please rather than having to “ask”. If your cat is fully in control, they feel happier in their environment, it promotes outside stimulation and helps to keep your cat fit and healthy. It also allows your cat easy access to the outside if it prefers that to a litter tray.

Types of Cat Flaps

Manual 2 Way

This is your basic cat flat: no frills,just a simple flap that opens both ways when your cat's head pushes it, allowing your cat to come and go as it pleases.

Unfortunatley it also allows access to all cats, not just yours, so if you live in a highly populated cat area it might not be the best solution unless you're happy having the occasional visitor.

Pros

• Cheap and simple

Cons

• Allows any cat into your home

Manual 4 Way

This is the same as the two way cat flat, with the option of setting it to open, closed, exit only or entrance only. This allows you to have more control of when your cat can access the great outdoors.

Pros

• Cheap and simple

Cons

• Allows any cat into your home.
• If you have set it to allow your cat in but not to get out, unwanted furry visitors might be staying a while!

Magnet

A magnet cat flap comes with a magnetic collar tag, meaning that the cat flap will only open when your cat gets close to the flap and it "senses" the collar tag.

Pros

• Your cat should be the only cat able to open and access the flap.

CONS

• If your kitty loses its collar with the tag, they will have no access until it's replaced.
• It's still possible to get unwanted visitors if they happen to also have a magnetic collar tag.

Microchip

These cat flaps are operated by reading the cats microchip when your cat comes to push on the flap. You can program multiple cats in to the reader.

Pros

• Your cat or cats will be the only cats able to access your home.
• No collar tag to lose

Cons

• A bit more expensive than the other kinds, but in our view definitely worth it.
• Need to monitor and change the batteries regularly or they stop working.

Size of Cat Flaps

Every cat is different and that includes size. For your cat to have a happy, confident experience with its cat flap, we highly suggest that the right size for your cat is purchased. Nothing worse that having a large moggie that has to squuze through a small cat flap and then refuses to use it. If you have a Maine Coon for example, you might need a small dog flap!

Where Can I Fit a Cat Flap?

Then can be placed into a wide variety of different materials and thickness. Usually they are installed in the back door area of your home as this is generally the safest area for your cat.

They can be installed in pretty much any door, even ones with sealed unit double glazing*, and can also be installed in walls if necessary. It needs to be fitted down low down at a height that’s comfortable for your kitty to access. If despite your best efforts they still struggle to reach it, you'll might to build them some steps!

*For sealed unit glazed doors, you'll need to have a new sealed unit made with the correct sized hole pre-cut. Most glazing firms can organise this for you and whilst it's not especially cheap. it's not prohibitively expensive. You will normally need to purchase your cat flap first though, so that the company can make sure they cut the correct size hole.

How To Train Your Cat To Use A Cat Flap

Sadly cats don’t really like flaps! So slow and steady wins the race.

Introduce The Cat Flap

When you purchase the cat flap, take it out of the box and wrapper and let kitty have a good sniff and explore. They will also sent the cat flap so it’s familiar for them by rubbing against it. You can always grab a towel and rub down kitty and then rub the cat flap.

Open The Cat Flap

Tape open the cat flap so it stays upright allowing kitty full access without the flap. If you have a scared, timed or frightened cat they will appreciate this. Go slow and steady.

Bribe them with Treats

Sit on the floor in your home and one of you is hold the cat flap upright on the floor, the other holds treats or something yummy like tuna or dreamies either side to entice the cat through safety.

Keep going back and forth, back and forth until they are going through the cat flap quite happily in both directions.

Take It Slowly

Repeating the process above a few times daily for a week or so will make your kitty feel confident moving through the flap. Please be advised that every cat is different and some will come on quicker than others, some will need a little longer to get the idea. We always suggest going at their pace. Never force your cat through the opening, this will only discourage them.

Lowering The Cat Flap Door

Cats hate flaps so now comes the tricky bit. Lower the flat just a little and encourage the cat to come through. If your kitty has a few days with a slightly lower flap and they seem happy start to lower it gradually each day until the cat flap is fully down. This process should be done slowly so that they don’t become discouraged. This might take you a few weeks but your kitty will thank you for taking it at their pace.

Installing The Cat Flap

Now that kitty has confidently got the cat flap down you can install it and your're ready to rock and roll. It might be worth noting that if you have a slightly scared or timid cat, install the cat flap and tape open the flap so that they have a little time to access what’s outside before they leave. Have the flap open for a week or so until kitty feels confident then bring down the flap.

If your cat or kittens have never been outside before, we suggest that you read our guide to introducing your cat to the outside world first and integrating these two together.

When To Install

We highly recommend not installing a cat flap until your cat is ready to go out. If you have kittens please don’t install a cat flap as they will find a way out! Once the kittens are of age, fully vaccinated and neutered, then it's time for the cat flap.

What If I Have A Cat Flap Already?

Before bringing a newly adopted a new cat, tape up your cat flap, preferably with heavy duty tape so it is secure and your cat can’t escape. You might have adopted a cat that’s used to a cat flap and we don’t want them leaving for the first few weeks until they are fully settled in their new environment. Don't rely on just locking the cat flap shut: as some cats are master escapoligists and can find a way to open them. Ask Chris our Webmanager! 

If you can't "seal" the flap because other cats in the household need to use it, you'll need to find some other way to keep your new arrival on house arrest. This usually involves "airlocking" the room with the cat flap for a few weeks. Not ideal but sometimes needs must...

Kittens

Please, please, please, tape up the cat flap with heavy duty tape.

It’s essential.

Kittens use their very tiny claws to prise the flap open, and can and will get out. You need to ensure that the cat flap is like Fort Knox so you don’t wake up and find your new furry babies have escaped! Believe us it’s happened. It's not great when a newly arrived an adult cat gets out, but with kittens it's utterly devastating. 

When your new cat or kittens are ready to start using the cat flap the concept is exactly the same as above, but training will take place either side of the door instead of in your living room.