Cat Door Training

Are you tired of listening to the cat is meowing up a storm or
scratching up the door to get in.

Let us look at some simple solutions to this problem. Let us
take a look at some of the training aids to help train your cat
to alert you to come in.

Put a small bell on a string that hangs down from the door. This
will allow the cat to play with the string and ring the bell.
This is a good learning tool to help both you and the cat. Bells
come in a variety of different sizes. A small one would be the
prefect size for a cat to play with so they are able to ring the
bell. Bells are very inexpensive and can be found and purchased
most stores. Craft store have them and are very inexpensive.
String should hang down long enough so that the cat can reach it
with out jumping at it or having to use the door for support.
You can put a small amount of catnip on the string or in the
bell. This to will attract them to play with the bell. Get
catnip in a spray, smell this will help attract them to the bell.

Teaching the cat to use the bell is another thing that you will
have to do for them. This is so they learn how the bell works to
play with. The sound from the bell will warn you kitty is ready
to come inside.

When you put the cat outside you will want to keep an eye out
for them coming in and show them to ring the bell. Once your cat
rings the bell, you want to reward them with a good healthy
snack. As you help the cat ring the bell you will need to open
the door allow the cat to come in with a reward right as they
can get in.

Let us look at another way of training a cat to use a cat door
to entrance and exit in. You can find cat doors and entrances in
most large pet stores, on the web, or ask you vet where you can
purchase a cat door. The doors are small enough so that a cat
can get in and out when it wants to, and frees you up from
having to attend to the cat going in and out. One simple
suggestion is make sure your cat is not going to run off before
installing the door.

These doors can be installing right in your door, or possible
next to your door for a wall mounting. This is something that
you will have to look at before purchasing a door for the cat.
Measuring the size of the opening is also important to look at
before purchasing. You will want to know the size that you are
able to fit the door in. You also will want to measure your
cats’ height and width. To know what size of opening you will
need to get. When measuring the width make sure, you allow at
least a couple of inches more than the width of the cat. The
height from the shoulders to the back of the front legs this
will give the right height. With the many different types of
doors, sizes, quality, and sizes, a search in store or on the
Internet would be a great place to start looking.

Let us look at the training for the cat to use the door. A cat
will not automatically use the door. Hold the door open and
allow the cat to come in and out freely with a reward of a
simple small snack on each side. This will give the cat a chance
to know that they are able to do this. This could take time for
the cat to use with continue playing with the cat over a period,
soon they will be entering and exiting on their own. Something
that you will not want to do is by using the cat’s nose and
pushing the cat though the door opening. Open the door and allow
them to come in and out.

Once the cat is using the door you will experience the freedom
of sleeping though the night, not having to stop what you are
doing to let your cat in and out, and possible no more kitty
litter or mess where they should not be doing.