Patio doors are specially created to give pets easy access to get in and out of your house. With the constant need for a pet to go outside to do their business, having these doors are now essential for every pet owner.
Cats are natural adventurers, and they might want to go outside and roam often. A cat patio door ensures that your feline companion won’t disturb the household when they want to start a new quest.
The patio door ensures the safety and convenience of both your pet and your family. However, some cats aren’t used to the idea or haven’t used one yet. Here are some tips on how you might get them to be friends with the patio door:
Introduce Them to The Foreign Object First
Anything new to your home will be foreign to your pet and may even scare and stress them out. Therefore, before installing the pet door, you must first allow your cat to adjust or be familiar with it. You can do this by taking the door out of the box and leaving it near where it would be installed so that your cat can be quickly oriented. After all, pets are intelligent and can figure things out themselves.
Keep The Door Open
It would be best to lift or keep the cat patio door open for a few days to familiarise your cat with the mechanism. Leaving the hole open will allow them to recognise that it is an opening they can use to go out and in of your house. Do this until your pet can confidently use the door as much as they’d like.
Enticements
Getting your cat to take the first step towards the opening can already be a challenge in itself. However, sometimes your pet needs some encouragement like:
- Their Scent:
Rubbing your cat’s scent all over the patio door will help them figure out that the door is for them to own and use. Fortunately, this smell transference also means that the door is now your pet’s marked territory.
- Their Toys:
You can hang their favourite chew toys in the frame of the door. Alternatively, you may also stand on the other side of the door and encourage them to get through using their toy.
- Their Favorite Treats:
A treat can first be used to encourage your cat to go near the door. Then, once your pet can approach the door with ease, another family member or a person who your pet trusts can encourage your cat to go through the door also with the use of treats. Finally, remember to reward your cat for every successful attempt. This process has to be repeated a couple of times to get your cat accustomed.
- Their Favorite Herbs:
Certain herbs such as germander, sage, and catnip have smells that can entice your cat into going through the door. So don’t forget to give them some when luring them through the patio door and a little bit more as a reward.
Push the Door for Them
Cats who are more likely to learn from visual examples can be taught how the door works when you push the door yourself.
Once your cat gets the whole idea of the cat patio door, you can now lower the flap or door gently on their back or behind them as they exit and enter to get them to get used to the feeling. As usual, the praise and treats for every successful trip should not be forgotten.