We've suspected for a while that we have a VC (Visiting Cat). On previous occasions we've noticed an increased food consumption, and sometimes That Smell. Nothing like that, this time.
The last time this happened we went through a couple of magnetic cat flaps. A relatively inexpensive one, which was activated by a magnet - any magnet. This worked reasonably well, wth two minor drawbacks. The first was that we could hear the poor cats collar magnet being attracted to the cat flap each time one of them tried to come through the door. It was quite useful in some ways, as it meant we always knew when one of the cats was coming in or going out. The other drawback was that the magnets on the collars were, rather strong magnets. This meant that if Wash walked past something metal, like a skip, we'd hear this *clunk* as his magnet got attracted to it. Whenever he walked past the bar stools in the kitchen we'dhere *clunk*(pause) *clunk*, as the magnet got attracted to the stool legs. And the magnets were quite powerful. it's a good job we didn't have any Robin Reliant owners nearby, as Wash 's magnetism would have pulled them home! The last straw was when Wash came home with a humugus nail stuck on his collar - he could so easily have garotted himself.
So, we switched to the much more expensive coloured magnet system. In order to gain admittance, a cat not only has to be wearing a magnet, but it has to a particular magnet. The collar magnets for these were very expensive; I know this because we had to replace Wash's collar/and or magnet more times than I care to remember. In the end, we bought a Loc8tor and strapped that to the collars as well so that if Wash lost his collar, we had a chance of finding it. (And, of course, we could find him if he went missing. Assuming he hadn't managed to remove his collar of course).
But this was quite a lot of hardware to be carrying. We discovered a catflap called a PetPorte, which uses a cat's microchip to determine who can come in and who cannot. We ummed and aahed about it for a it. The problem of the Incoming Cat seemed to have resolved itself, so we took off the magnet. We swapped the cat flap back to be the cheaper version, and just covered up the magnet so that it was open to all.
But now, it seems, we have a VC again. Wash and Izzy have been taking turns to keep watch. And last night, in the middle of the night, all hell broke loose as VC had apparently got in the kitchen and a cat fight ensued. It was a horrible way to be woken up, and when we got downstairs VC had gone, leaving 2 cats with the most enormous bushy tails. And bits of cat fur all over the floor.
So we've finally got round to ordering a PetPorte. It'll be here in the next couple of days, I'll let you know how we get on.
The last time this happened we went through a couple of magnetic cat flaps. A relatively inexpensive one, which was activated by a magnet - any magnet. This worked reasonably well, wth two minor drawbacks. The first was that we could hear the poor cats collar magnet being attracted to the cat flap each time one of them tried to come through the door. It was quite useful in some ways, as it meant we always knew when one of the cats was coming in or going out. The other drawback was that the magnets on the collars were, rather strong magnets. This meant that if Wash walked past something metal, like a skip, we'd hear this *clunk* as his magnet got attracted to it. Whenever he walked past the bar stools in the kitchen we'dhere *clunk*(pause) *clunk*, as the magnet got attracted to the stool legs. And the magnets were quite powerful. it's a good job we didn't have any Robin Reliant owners nearby, as Wash 's magnetism would have pulled them home! The last straw was when Wash came home with a humugus nail stuck on his collar - he could so easily have garotted himself.
So, we switched to the much more expensive coloured magnet system. In order to gain admittance, a cat not only has to be wearing a magnet, but it has to a particular magnet. The collar magnets for these were very expensive; I know this because we had to replace Wash's collar/and or magnet more times than I care to remember. In the end, we bought a Loc8tor and strapped that to the collars as well so that if Wash lost his collar, we had a chance of finding it. (And, of course, we could find him if he went missing. Assuming he hadn't managed to remove his collar of course).
But this was quite a lot of hardware to be carrying. We discovered a catflap called a PetPorte, which uses a cat's microchip to determine who can come in and who cannot. We ummed and aahed about it for a it. The problem of the Incoming Cat seemed to have resolved itself, so we took off the magnet. We swapped the cat flap back to be the cheaper version, and just covered up the magnet so that it was open to all.
But now, it seems, we have a VC again. Wash and Izzy have been taking turns to keep watch. And last night, in the middle of the night, all hell broke loose as VC had apparently got in the kitchen and a cat fight ensued. It was a horrible way to be woken up, and when we got downstairs VC had gone, leaving 2 cats with the most enormous bushy tails. And bits of cat fur all over the floor.
So we've finally got round to ordering a PetPorte. It'll be here in the next couple of days, I'll let you know how we get on.
