Cat door training
Are you tired of listening to the cat is meowing
up a storm or scratching up the door to get in.
Let us look at some simple solutions to this
problem. Let us take a look at some of the training aids to help train your cat
to alert you to come in.
Put a small bell on a string that hangs down from
the door. This will allow the cat to play with the string and ring the bell.
This is a good learning tool to help both you and the cat. Bells come in a
variety of different sizes. A small one would be the prefect size for a cat to
play with so they are able to ring the bell. Bells are very inexpensive and can
be found and purchased most stores. Craft store have them and are very
inexpensive. String should hang down long enough so that the cat can reach it
with out jumping at it or having to use the door for support. You can put a
small amount of catnip on the string or in the bell. This to will attract them
to play with the bell. Get catnip in a spray, smell this will help attract them
to the bell.
Teaching the cat to use the bell is another thing
that you will have to do for them. This is so they learn how the bell works to
play with. The sound from the bell will warn you kitty is ready to come inside.
When you put the cat outside you will want to keep
an eye out for them coming in and show them to ring the bell. Once your cat
rings the bell, you want to reward them with a good healthy snack. As you help
the cat ring the bell you will need to open the door allow the cat to come in
with a reward right as they can get in.
Let us look at another way of training a cat to
use a cat door to entrance and exit in. You can find cat doors and entrances in
most large pet stores, on the web, or ask you vet where you can purchase a cat
door. The doors are small enough so that a cat can get in and out when it wants
to, and frees you up from having to attend to the cat going in and out. One
simple suggestion is make sure your cat is not going to run off before
installing the door.
These doors can be installing right in your door,
or possible next to your door for a wall mounting. This is something that you
will have to look at before purchasing a door for the cat. Measuring the size
of the opening is also important to look at before purchasing. You will want to
know the size that you are able to fit the door in. You also will want to
measure your cats’ height and width. To know what size of opening you will need
to get. When measuring the width make sure, you allow at least a couple of
inches more than the width of the cat. The height from the shoulders to the
back of the front legs this will give the right height. With the many different
types of doors, sizes, quality, and sizes, a search in store or on the Internet
would be a great place to start looking.
Let us look at the training for the cat to use the
door. A cat will not automatically use the door. Hold the door open and allow
the cat to come in and out freely with a reward of a simple small snack on each
side. This will give the cat a chance to know that they are able to do this.
This could take time for the cat to use with continue playing with the cat over
a period, soon they will be entering and exiting on their own. Something that
you will not want to do is by using the cat’s nose and pushing the cat though
the door opening. Open the door and allow them to come in and out.
Once the cat is using the door you will experience
the freedom of sleeping though the night, not having to stop what you are doing
to let your cat in and out, and possible no more kitty litter or mess where
they should not be doing.