# Bertie won't use the cat door any more



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

Hello All
My kitten Bertie is about 13 weeks old and has been going outside for nearly 2 weeks now. He only goes out when we are at home and we bring him in before we go out. 
We eased him into going outside by first only letting him out when we were in the garden with him, and then we'd go inside and leave him out. We showed him how to use the cat door from the first time, by leading him through it a few times with a toy. Until about Thursday last week he was absolutely fine with using it, and ran in and out all the time when I was at home. When I went to open it in the morning he would be there waiting and jump out as soon as I opened it. 
Then I noticed that he started shying away from it when I opened it and let it swing to show him it was open. I carried him to it and held it open but still he was reluctant to go up to it. 
Thinking he didn't actually want to go out I left him to it, but he was meowing by the people-door and the windows, so I let him out the front door. Our house has full-length windows along the front of it, and the front door is actually French windows. 
He stayed out a while and then started meowing on the other side of the door for me to let him in. I tried to lead him around to the cat-door (which is in the back door) with a toy but he wouldn't go through it. 
This has been going on for a few days now and he keeps coming up to the doors and windows and meowing rather than using the cat door. He still shies away from it when I take him to it and is reluctant to follow a toy through. I've tried ignoring the meowing and not letting him in but he just stays out then and waits until someone uses the door and shoots inside before you can stop him. I feel mean leaving him out because he doesn't seem to get the message to use the cat door!
I start work next week and want him to be able to go out during the day when I'm not there, but if he won't use the cat door it won't be possible. He clearly wants to go out, and likes being out, it's just the issue with the door. 

Does anyone have any ideas why he might have changed his mind about the door? Or how I can coax him through it again? He will occasionally go through when prompted, but never of his own choice. 

We're going to the vet to have his final kitten shots on Friday so I will ask her then too, but I wanted to see if anyone else has resolved an issue like this too. 

Thanks in advance!


----------



## W2Dee (May 16, 2011)

He changed his mind because you opened the door for him, when he first refuged. Now he wil keep trying and trying and cats are very persistent.
You have to be strong and just leave him outside ( I know this sounds cruel) when he gets hungry or cold he'll get in.
When he is outside for a while you can try getting him in with treats. And if he uses the catdoor reward him with treats.

Oh and sometimes cats don't like catdoors because other cats have easy access to the cats house. I am going to buy a catdoor which opens with the cats microchip.


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

It's possible Bertie got bonked by the door. Perhaps he started to go out, hesitated and it swung back and hit him in the face, or something like that. Seems something about the door has him spooked. It may be a good thing as at times_ other animals_ will come in the door, like racoons, skunks, and other cats. There's another thread about a neighbour cat that comes in through a cat flap and now the visitor cat or resident one is pooping in the house inappropriately. My suggestion is to fasten the cat door so that it doesn't swing, while you're at home so Bertie can go in and out when he wants.


----------



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

I have seen him get his paw caught in it once, but he got it out himself before I got to him, and continued using the door all that day. It wasn't til a couple of days later that he seemed spooked by it. 

We live in NZ and there are no raccoons or skunks here! Nothing except possums and you don't get those in the city so much. (It's also a rabies-free country). Only ever seen one other cat in the neighbourhood, once, and never seen any in our garden. 
We can't get a microchip door cos we live in a rental house. The current cat door was already there, and it's a plastic swing flap, so there's not much I can do about fastening it cos he wouldn't be able to use it. I can't just keep the front door open either cos it's getting to winter here and pretty cold!

The good news is he used it today to go out with very little prompting, and came back in all on his own. So maybe he was just taking advantage of how easy it is to get me to do what he wants!


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Oh good, sounds like he solved your problem for you. I didn't notice you were from NZ, sorry about the racoons and skunks mention. I know you don't have those animals there.


----------

