Izzy seems to be coming and going through the PetPorte with only a bit of fuss. She chooses to try pawing the French WIndows (FW) in the kitchen first, and then only using the catflap if we aren't around. This is pretty normal behaviour, both cats have us well trained and we usually open the FW upon command.
Wash is proving more problematic. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting working in the kitchen, and Wash wanted to come in. He pawed and pawed at the window. In the end, I went to the lobby (other side of the house) where the cat flap is, opened the window and called him. He came, he saw, he would not go through the cat flap.
I got his dinner out, and tapped the bowl on the floor by the catflap. He peeped through the clear catflap, the mechanism, *clicked* and he jumped back ,startled. After many minutes, during which time my knee began to really ache, I have up, went and caught him, and helped him through the cat flap.
In the evening, he pawed and pawed the glass of the FW, and in the end DH took him round and made him come through the cat flap. He got a cat biccy for coming in with only a little bit of help.
We discussed again whether to turn it off so that there would be no click, until they got used to it. We decided against it, as we'd only end up with the same problem when we switched it back on, and he's been going out through the flap without any fuss. Well, without any help.
We were convinced we had sorted it out when he came through the catflap with DH behind him, but without DH having to physically push him. Or hold the flap open.
...
At 4.15 this morning, we both woke up with a jump as we heard a cat mewing. DH got up and went downstairs. The mewing had stopped, but DH didn't come back to bed. I got up. No idea where Wash was. We used the loc8tor, on silent mode, to try and find him. He didn't register at all. We gave up and went back to bed. I coudn't sleep.. Izzy came and jumped on the bed. The clock flicked over to 5 am,
Well, clearly I did sleep because I woke up again at 7.30 to hear DH saying "hello Wash, when did you come in?" . Wash was asleep on the end of the bed.
Is he OK with it now? No idea. I'll update you later!
Wash is proving more problematic. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting working in the kitchen, and Wash wanted to come in. He pawed and pawed at the window. In the end, I went to the lobby (other side of the house) where the cat flap is, opened the window and called him. He came, he saw, he would not go through the cat flap.
I got his dinner out, and tapped the bowl on the floor by the catflap. He peeped through the clear catflap, the mechanism, *clicked* and he jumped back ,startled. After many minutes, during which time my knee began to really ache, I have up, went and caught him, and helped him through the cat flap.
In the evening, he pawed and pawed the glass of the FW, and in the end DH took him round and made him come through the cat flap. He got a cat biccy for coming in with only a little bit of help.
We discussed again whether to turn it off so that there would be no click, until they got used to it. We decided against it, as we'd only end up with the same problem when we switched it back on, and he's been going out through the flap without any fuss. Well, without any help.
We were convinced we had sorted it out when he came through the catflap with DH behind him, but without DH having to physically push him. Or hold the flap open.
...
At 4.15 this morning, we both woke up with a jump as we heard a cat mewing. DH got up and went downstairs. The mewing had stopped, but DH didn't come back to bed. I got up. No idea where Wash was. We used the loc8tor, on silent mode, to try and find him. He didn't register at all. We gave up and went back to bed. I coudn't sleep.. Izzy came and jumped on the bed. The clock flicked over to 5 am,
Well, clearly I did sleep because I woke up again at 7.30 to hear DH saying "hello Wash, when did you come in?" . Wash was asleep on the end of the bed.
Is he OK with it now? No idea. I'll update you later!
