cat flap on shed?

twinkletoes

Anyone heard of putting a cat flap on your shed?? we have two outdoor cats and we were going to build them a little house for them but then heard of the shed thing...is this a good idea??...dont want any cat wee smell in shed!!!....

Dinner

twinkletoes wrote:

Anyone heard of putting a cat flap on your shed?? we have two outdoor cats and we were going to build them a little house for them but then heard of the shed thing...is this a good idea??...dont want any cat wee smell in shed!!!....

I did that a couple of years ago for my one. The only problems were that she couldnt figure out how to use it for about 6 months, and for a while a stray kept going in and stealing her food but now everything is grand. There's very rarely any smell of anything in the shed so once there is a litter tray or something there shouldnt be a problem.
We put the bed on a sheet of that aero board stuff to help insulate it too.

whiskeyman

twinkletoes wrote:

Anyone heard of putting a cat flap on your shed?? we have two outdoor cats and we were going to build them a little house for them but then heard of the shed thing...is this a good idea??...dont want any cat wee smell in shed!!!....

I've done it - it's no problem.
It's a great idea imo.
Only took around a day for my cat to get used to it.
It keeps the shed door closed and keeps it warm and protected from wind/rain.

ferdi

yeah use aero-board for a lovely snug cat. we have a cat-flap on the shed for years, once they figure out how to use it its grand.

twinkletoes

Thanks everyone! One more thing...one of our cats is a tom.....will he mark his territory in there???!!! We will be getting him neutered but not for another month or so..

whiskeyman

twinkletoes wrote:

Thanks everyone! One more thing...one of our cats is a tom.....will he mark his territory in there???!!! We will be getting him neutered but not for another month or so..

He'll probably mark his territory anywhere he can
That's going to leave an awful smell if its in a small shed.
Best get him neutered asap anyway.

LegacyUser

Arabel wrote:

The only problems were that she couldnt figure out how to use it for about 6 months, and for a while a stray kept going in and stealing her food but now everything is grand.

Get one of the staywell flaps with the magnetic keys. It is like a smally ball of metal that you put on their collar. When they go up to the door .. open sesame!! When stray goes up to the door .. close sesame.
My pair have got used to it now ..

That is how you can make sure only your cat can use the hotel facilities.

I found that the ones in Argos were the cheapest. Staywell 932 was only 30 something euros and it came with 2 keys.

I would tend to phase out the litter tray altogether! I mean, start by leaving it inside the shed then move it outside the door of the shed. Then, get rid of it altogether!!

As for the spraying thing .. yep .. especially if not neutered. Although they will still spray even when neutered.

Tabitharose

depends on the age of your cats how long it may take them to get used to using a cat flap - I got my cat one of those covered in litter trays, but she refused to use it until I removed the flap & left the way in totally open, as she was quite old when I got it.

Wokie

We put cat-flap in shed last year...cats got used to it no problem at all (at 7yrs old)! We did have a problem with a stray getting in and stealing food but with a bit of vigilante chasing off by other half and the cats...he/she decided not worth hassle:D

Arcadian

bubby wrote:

I would tend to phase out the litter tray altogether! I mean, start by leaving it inside the shed then move it outside the door of the shed. Then, get rid of it altogether!!

Yeah get rid of the litter tray, let them do their business in next door kiddies play pit instead and then start complaining when somebody poisons the cat. Responsible pet ownership:(

LegacyUser

Arcadian wrote:

Yeah get rid of the litter tray, let them do their business in next door kiddies play pit instead and then start complaining when somebody poisons the cat. Responsible pet ownership:(

Ahem .. forgot to mention. There is an area at the top of my garden where the cats use. I turn it over regularly .. used to have a shed there.

Don't like the idea of putting a litter tray in a shed that's all.

Arcadian

Oops, my bad

Out of interest do you add anything to the latrine area to help break things down or just turn it over? How many cats use it?

LegacyUser

Not at all .. my bad. I didn't explain it properly.

I just get a spade and turn it over. I would be interested in knowing about anything that would break it down faster though. It is a good point.

There are 2 cats using it. They rarely leave the garden though. If they are not in the house they are playing in the garden.

I have a cat flap on the kitchen door, and they only have access to the kitchen when I'm not in. I used to have a litter tray in the kitchen (man the smell!!), then I moved it outside, but when it rained it was awful! So, I gathered the idea with turning the earth at the top of the garden was better.

jaggiebunnet

i find the cats love to use the bark covering on the ground when they go to the loo, they dig it up and pretty much turn it all over by themselves...

LegacyUser

:0 Confirms one of the theories I had. I had originally thought that bark would look nice at the top of the garden .. with nice plants - but then it clicked that the cats would probably use it. No point in barking it, if they enjoy the regular clay in my case

Sigma Force

Still waiting for hubby to fit a cat flap onto our shed for our rabbits, it leads out into a secure run. The cats should figure out how to use it pretty quick esp. if they smell some nice foor in the inside. Neuter the cat rthat sprays and neuter/spay the other if not already done, it will cut down on the smell and also stop them providing the local area with unwanted litters.

Tabitharose

bubby wrote:

I would be interested in knowing about anything that would break it down faster though.

Don't know about that - if there was something it might make the area not so appealing to your cats though - there is a thing you can get that you set in the ground for disposing of dog poo though (you have to scoop it up & put it in & cover the unit up) and it should work for cat poo too - pet shops do them for around 40 quid