The Cat Thread

Received wisdom & personal experience suggests avoid pushing your cat through, or your cat will decide that catflaps are inherently evil.

Or, in Earthloop's case, that Earthloop is inherently evil.

I said goodbye to my (ex's) cat last night - I don't think she's going to last until the next time I see her.

:(

O dear TW2, sorry to hear that... :-(

I don't have a problem if it will take her weeks to learn how to use the flap, but my question is do I keep opening the door for her? If I do, she will only expect this to continue and never use the flap. If I don't, then this doesn't seem fair to her as she is not "allowed" to go out...

She is allowed to go out- through the flap.

If you keep opening the door for her then you are quite correct- she will have zero motivation to tackle the cat flap.

She'll learn to tackle the cat flap in due time, and the neighbour's and their neighbour's... particularly if they serve better food. Just leave her to it.

you can be on the other side of the cat flap with a treat... open it a little the first time and she'll come through, back through the door with another treat and let them open it

show them it moves etc, should be quick enough

ime bribery works best for cats to come to you for vets, drugs etc chasing/pushing cats will only end badly

I have done all sorts, she just attacked me again today when I had treats in 1 hand and th other hand holding the flap open...

Go to the other side of the cat flap, then she'll have to go through it to attack you.

exactly.. bribery works every time. sometimes you have to suffer

Go to the other side of the cat flap, then she'll have to go through it to attack you.

That's what I did. I was on the other side of the flap. If her paw could reach to the treat the she attacks that hand, if her paw couldn't reach the treat she attacks the hand that is holding the flap and stands there staring at the treat. She would rather not have it than having to go through the flap. Is a catflap really that scary?

Equip yourself with a stick (available for free from your local park) and use this to hold the flap open.

You should then be free to wave a variety of treats at your mog free from the danger posed by said animal.

I have also done that. I have a bit of spare wood left from making her step, so I use that. Funny how she won't attack the wood. I thinnk she just want to attack my hands... Currently I am using that to hold the flap open permanently as advised by Battersea for a few days (not at night, I dont think) see if she is more wiling to go through the hole...

Only after much shoving did we realise that the flap was locked

LOL!

If I don't, then this doesn't seem fair to her as she is not "allowed" to go out...

What are you talking about, "allowed" - it's a *cat, *not a dog!
: ]

she attacks that hand (...) catflap really that scary? (...) Funny how she won't attack the wood (...) she just want to attack my hands

I "raised" sombebody elses cat once who couldn't spend much time with it back then,
she was a bit sheepish when young and we used to "fight" (me trying to "attack" her with "the hand" etc.)...
It was all fun and games, but eventually she really developed a kind of fear of hands.
Took me a while to make her realize I wasn't trying to "fight" her when I was going to pat her.

The moment of truth, my partner had to open the door when it got dark and she came running back in... cats are funny things... Should have gotten a dog... :-P

http://laughingsquid.com/how-cats-see-the-world/

well apart from the fact that we are there to serve them...

How have I missed this quality thread???

Anyone feed theirs raw meat?

cats are funny things... Should have gotten a dog... :-P

/thread

Quite a stunning cat...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bob-cat-rescued-drugs-nobody-2017566

I would.

what wouldn't you ?

some Bishkek beauties

http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2013/oct/20/cats-kyrgyzstan-bishkek-in-pictures#/?picture=420469185&index=0

Why are sphynx cats so popular in shows and stuff? I am sure they are lovely cats, but a bit of an acquired taste, no?

I've no idea what sort of temperament they have, but they certainly don't look like your typical moggie. It's probably their very strangeness that's the appeal.

If I am honest with you here, I am slightly terrified by their look, but then look isn't everything... Just had a quick look on wiki, it sounds like their need a fair bit of looking after: limited exposure to sunlight, and bathing regularly due to the lack of hair etc... Hum.... Interesting... Still I perfer a hairy cat.