Cat door success!!

[Gemini]

When we first started to let our cats go outside we fastened the cat door open by means of a bungee cord around the kitchen door handle, hooked onto to two ( in case one breaks) stout rubber bands around the open cat door .
When they are both in for the night we remove the device and lock the cat door until morning.

For some time we have been trying to encourage them to go in and out via the cat door not fastened open.
Poppy, the much smaller cat managed it a while ago but Moses,a big boy tended to just sit and wait for us to either open the door or fix the cat door open.
After some time of pushing him through he did master going out. We began to despair of him ever coming in by himself.
Today he has gone through it both ways more than once.
We have made lots of fuss of them and given them treats.

We are very relieved as having the cat door standing open all day and evening was making the house cold!

[Oma]

Gem
Sometimes it just doesn't click with them, then all of a sudden it's like they have always done it🤣

I remember when Storm was about 2 and DD came in to find him with the cat flap around his neck where he had tried to get through and just ripped it from the door, he looked so proud of himself 😁

[Daisy]

Gem, well done. Your encouragements and patience have paid off. I be Moses is delighted with the freedom it gives him.

Oma, it's quite funny when puppies grow and don't realise they can no longer fit in certain spaces. It must have been very funny seeing Storm wearing the cat flap like a necklace.

[Gemini]

Oma I would have loved to see that

That reminds me of many years ago, when DDs 1 and 2 were small. My then BIL and SIL came to stay with their 16 month old son. We weren't used to boys and it was a bit of a culture shock in our very small house
Amongst the many escapades he got in to that weekend was trying to follow our cat through the cat door and getting his head stuck
I was inside anxiously trying to get him back whilst his mum was outside in fits of laughter!!

[Nanto2girls]

Well done to Poppy and Moses.

I have seen videos on Youtube with dogs and children getting the cat flad stuck round their necks.

[Oma]

This is how it started , he eventually pulled the whole thing off and had it stuck around his neck 🤣🤣

[Daisy]

Oma, he's a strong dog!

[Oma]

He was only about a year old here ,
When he was a tiny pup he could squeeze through but kept on trying as he got older 😁

[Daisy]

Oma, I remember Rusty having problems when he and Clyde were puppies. He was bigger than Clyde and when they were chasing each other in play Clyde could easily escape by going into spaces too small for Rusty - under OH's wood turning shed was the favourite. . It's a wonder Rusty never actually got stuck

[Oma]

They forget how big they are 🤣

Gem
Is Moses still using the cat flap or was it a one off😁

[Gemini]

Oma, yes he is! He is glad if he finds the back door open on warm day, but confidently uses the cat flap whenever he needs to

[Daisy]

Gem, that's a relief. Well done Moses. xx