Do you have a cat flap?
 

We have two cats, who we initially kept inside, but now spend time outside as well (finally got rid of the kitty litter tray). Currently we have a window left open for them to come and go.

This is obviously not an ideal solution. It is in my housemate's room, and it's quite cold at the moment, it's a security issue, and it lets other cats in. My housemate doesn't really want to have to let the cats in and out, and doesn't think they are smart enough to not poop inside if they have to wait for us to let them out, so we are thinking of getting a cat door.

My question is, do you have a cat flap? If so, what advise do you have with regards to this? Anyone have one of those magnetic doors that only lets your cats in? I had heard these had their problems, not letting the cat in when it should, and such. How long does it take to teach the cat to use it?

Any advise/opinion/comments would be welcome.

the only major problem i'm aware of with cat doors is you get raccoons and other critters coming into your house.

Raccoons less an issue here in New Zealand, but there are a lot of other cats in the neighborhood that we are trying to keep out.

you can get radio collar activated doors. only animals with the radio collar will be allowed in.

example:

http://webapps.easy2.com/cm2/flash/g...ge_id=35778414
https://partners.radiosys.com:4449/O...2&beginIndex=0

The best option may be to get a one way cat door - let them out but not back in. My father does this with his cats, and it works very well. The cats have learned to sit on the kithen windowsill when they want to come back in, and they have several sheltered places to wait outside if nobody's home.

Unfortunately, my housemate doesn't like the idea of them being locked out if we're not around (we're going away for a week).

We're going with a magnetic cat door, which should just let our cats, wearing a magnet on their collar, in. Has anyone ever had one of these? Any problems?

I have, that's what I linked. I know many people who use them for dogs. It is just a matter of training the cat to use it.

We have one that lets our cat get from the kitchen to the basement (where his cat pan lives). His food dish also sits at the top of the basement stairwell, so that he can enjoy a snack without the dog gobbling up all of his Purina Kitty Chow. He was reluctant to use it, at first, but after shoving his ass through it about fifty times, he got the idea.

We've got exclusively indoor cats and exclusively outdoor cats. The majority of the cats could be indoor/outdoor, but we have one albino cat who has to stay inside because the sun's too much for his skin. He's got a nice thick, luxurious coat, but it's still not a good idea.

lololol.

our cats are indoor kitties so I can't provide a ton of data here. I haven't heard of animals sneaking in your cat door though. I guess if there are a lot of strays and stuff nearby it would be an issue but it's pretty tame here. I would just install the door and see how it goes!

We don't have a cat-flap, and I think I'd be a little creeped out by a big hole in the door that any cat-sized critter can wander in.

Our cat just decided she doesn't like the litterbox, and meows to go outside. Which is pretty annoying, but not as annoying as dealing with a few pounds of poopy sand every couple of days.

I disagree...I moved into a rather unfortunate situation. My roommate has this cat that has decided it will cry outside my door whenever it wants to go outside or vice versa and cry outside the windows until someone lets it in. Usually this doesn't bother me but last night at 2am I was trying to go to sleep and the damn cat decided it was just going to sit outside the window and cry. I open the window and it won't come in. Just sits.

/WRISTS
I have class at 8am so needless to say I'm up at 7am. My roommate said if I just left my door open at night AND the window it wouldn't be an issue. However it's my room that I pay rent for and her cat. I should not have to cater to her cat! Right? I totally agree with you on the window thing as well, I told her I didn't want to leave my window open because it's at the front of the house which faces a rather busy downtown street...thus a security issue. (also she mentioned in the past the cat had a bad habbit of bringing in "presets" and hiding them around the house, that must be a fun suprise!)I'd much rather deal with cat crap in a box (which is also located in my bathroom) then the stupid cat crying at 2am to be let in and then clawing at my door at 6am to be let out. That shit is not gonna fly. Tempted to just drive the cat to the other side of the city and let it find a new home..

Curious to see how this turns out. How do you make a cat stop crying/bugging you in your area of the house? Usually I ignore it..which is probably what's just going to have to keep happening until she gets the idea. I've also considered putting sticky tape on the outside of my windows...I hear cats don't like it...