So, the PetPorte arrived the day after ordering (thank you Pet Supermarket), and DH installed it. Easy enough to do - certainly from my point of view, as DH did it all.
We registered both cats with the reader, and then we tried to get the cats used to it. Stoopid cats. They've had catflaps of one sort or another all their lives. They've had catflaps which click when it registers a magnet all their lives. But they both decided they were Dubious about this one.
Firstly, it has a little porch out the front. Initially I thought it was like a little rain shelter, then I realised that the porch houses the reader (*slaps forehead*). The Cats found this A Bit Disturbing. The reader reads the microchip, then there is a *click* as the lock is disengaged enabling kitty to go through. Or in the case of our cats, allowing the cats to look suspiciously at the lock for just long enough for the lock to re-engage, before they try to go through the flap.
So, we played post-the-cat. Each cat, several times. The cats didn't think much of this game. We soon tired of it, and were confident that the cats would be fine. We could see that the reader was working.
Sometime later, we called the cats in. Isabelle arrived first, but wouldn't come through the cat flap. I shook the treat jar. She got close enough for the *click*, then just gave it a Look. It *clicked* again (locked) so she tried to come in. Obviously she couldn't get through. It *clicked* again (unlocked), so she snigged it for a moment, then pushed her paw through. She wouldn't follow it.
We tried offering food. Paw in, no cat following.
I went outside, came round to the cat flap, and pushed her through.
Later, she went out. And she came in again. So far so good.
.....
This morning I was lying in bed, DH was in his study. I heard a pathetic mewing. I thought it was the radio, although I couldn't really see the relevance of a cat on the news. I sat up. Cat still mewing. Ran downstairs, and saw Washburn sitting at the kitchen window mewing pathetically, and scraping the glass.
It was quite a feat, as our window doesn't have a windowsill on the outside. When I opened the door I saw that he was sitting on the back of a chair. Sooo cute, and quite funny, but not very amusing from his point of view.
He came in and was very affectionate, devoured his breakfast but kept breaking off to give me a cuddle. I suspect he'd been out all night. I took him round to the catflap, and heard a convincing *click*, so it seemed to be working OK., but I wanted to check. Wash ran off as I was trying to post him a second time. I followed him. He got faster. I got faster. He ran into Next Door's drive. I went after him. He gave in and rolled over. I tickled him, and left him.
I came in and saw Izzy sitting by the catflap. Had the catflap really unlocked for Wash, or had it unlocked because it saw Izzy?
Much, much, much later that day, Wash appeared at the french windows in the kitchen. He pawed and pawed to be let in, so I scooped him up and walked round to the cat flap. Wash struggled manfully (catfully), he clearly did NOT want to be posted again. The cat flap definitely clicked, and I encouraged Wash to go through. He wasn't a happy kitty.
Let's see what happens at Kitty Tea Time.
Izzy, meanwhile, is coming and going without any trouble.
We registered both cats with the reader, and then we tried to get the cats used to it. Stoopid cats. They've had catflaps of one sort or another all their lives. They've had catflaps which click when it registers a magnet all their lives. But they both decided they were Dubious about this one.
Firstly, it has a little porch out the front. Initially I thought it was like a little rain shelter, then I realised that the porch houses the reader (*slaps forehead*). The Cats found this A Bit Disturbing. The reader reads the microchip, then there is a *click* as the lock is disengaged enabling kitty to go through. Or in the case of our cats, allowing the cats to look suspiciously at the lock for just long enough for the lock to re-engage, before they try to go through the flap.
So, we played post-the-cat. Each cat, several times. The cats didn't think much of this game. We soon tired of it, and were confident that the cats would be fine. We could see that the reader was working.
Sometime later, we called the cats in. Isabelle arrived first, but wouldn't come through the cat flap. I shook the treat jar. She got close enough for the *click*, then just gave it a Look. It *clicked* again (locked) so she tried to come in. Obviously she couldn't get through. It *clicked* again (unlocked), so she snigged it for a moment, then pushed her paw through. She wouldn't follow it.
We tried offering food. Paw in, no cat following.
I went outside, came round to the cat flap, and pushed her through.
Later, she went out. And she came in again. So far so good.
.....
This morning I was lying in bed, DH was in his study. I heard a pathetic mewing. I thought it was the radio, although I couldn't really see the relevance of a cat on the news. I sat up. Cat still mewing. Ran downstairs, and saw Washburn sitting at the kitchen window mewing pathetically, and scraping the glass.
It was quite a feat, as our window doesn't have a windowsill on the outside. When I opened the door I saw that he was sitting on the back of a chair. Sooo cute, and quite funny, but not very amusing from his point of view.
He came in and was very affectionate, devoured his breakfast but kept breaking off to give me a cuddle. I suspect he'd been out all night. I took him round to the catflap, and heard a convincing *click*, so it seemed to be working OK., but I wanted to check. Wash ran off as I was trying to post him a second time. I followed him. He got faster. I got faster. He ran into Next Door's drive. I went after him. He gave in and rolled over. I tickled him, and left him.
I came in and saw Izzy sitting by the catflap. Had the catflap really unlocked for Wash, or had it unlocked because it saw Izzy?
Much, much, much later that day, Wash appeared at the french windows in the kitchen. He pawed and pawed to be let in, so I scooped him up and walked round to the cat flap. Wash struggled manfully (catfully), he clearly did NOT want to be posted again. The cat flap definitely clicked, and I encouraged Wash to go through. He wasn't a happy kitty.
Let's see what happens at Kitty Tea Time.
Izzy, meanwhile, is coming and going without any trouble.
