Answer: A cat door or flap is small light-weight ‘door’ approximately 6 inches squire, feted into an opening in one of the external doors which ideally gives occurs to garden. It allows the cat free entry and exit to relive itself outdoors and to take exercise. It is also possible fit a cat door into a wall but, because this involves considerably more work, this is usual.
The opening should be three to four inches above the ground and situated the wall away from the bolts used to fasten the main door. If necessary, baffles can be fitted around it on the inside tom further frustrate would-be burglars. Don’t be attempted to make the opening too large, children and small adults have been know to entire, uninvited, through an opening measuring 12 inches by 15 inches (30 cm to 40 cm).
Two main types of cat door are commercially available, both of which are hinged at the top. One can pushed open from either side, the other always the open outwards and therefore can only be pushed open from the inside. The latter type is designed to keep out stay cats who do not know how to open it from the outside. Consequently your cat will need to learn how to left the flap in order to re-enter the house.
Some cats learn almost instinctively how to use these doors, but if training is necessary then it is best to began at about three to four months of age. Initially, the hole can be left without the door fitted, or with the cat door permanently fastened open with string or wood blacks, so that the cats gets used to going out (to explore and play) and to come back in (for food and sleep). Calling him from first one side and then the other may help to persuade him to use it. Then the flap can be gradually lowered on the successive days to reduce the opening, so that eventually it has to be persuade or lifted with a paw for the opening to appear.
