Snickers is now about a year old.....and can't get enough of the outdoors! (Not surprising, as she started life in a feral family.) I began introducing her to our neighborhood in July of last year (she was about four months old), by letting her on my deck and installing a cat door in the screen of the sliding door.
Gradually, her outdoor world has expanded so that she starts her explorations early mornings (usually between 6 & 7 a.m.) and returns around 4ish in the afternoon. I go out and whistle her up and say hello a few times during the day.....she's great at coming to my whistle!
In late March, she had proved so reliable about returning home without being called, I finally decided it was time to install her smart cat door, the Cat Mate Elite ....especially since, though it is warming up, it wasn't energy efficient to leave a door open for Snikers......also mosquitos are revving their engines.
I had ordered the door mid last year, so I'd read about the different settings......I was selecting a setting that will let her come and go between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m........but will only let her come in between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.....we do have critters like coyotes who love to snack on the neighborhood small animals.
Now, it was time for training! Getting her to figure out that she could leave by this new opening was a cinch! Any escape route was fine by her!
DAY 1: put the door in training mode (meaning it doesn't need to read her tag to unlock the door....it simply swings open to slight pressure) and tape it wide open.
Enticing her back in was the challenge! After all, escape was her main goal......coming back in was only for wusses that needed to eat and find a warm lap. I found that cat treats left on the door ledge and the rug just inside were really helpful here.
DAY 2: Next came her pushing the flap open after a demonstration by me, where she watched most attentively......again, out was easy. Coming back in the kitty treats had lost their appeal.......so I resorted to her favorite toy....the Kitty Aerobics wand.....kind
of a rubbery spider on the end of a steel wire......that did the trick!
We were in this mode for about two days....and she caught on that this was her door......until we upped the ante........
DAYS 5 -- 10: Now we were going for her activating the locks (with her tag). Biggest hurdles here were that Snickers needed to nudge the door with constant pressure for 2 to 9 seconds before the door would 'recognize' her and drop the locking pins.....which, of course, made a rather loud clicking noise....... which, you guessed it!, would make her back away from the door.
Trusting the cat's self-interest in leaving and returning were my biggest hurdles.....I did not let her out or in by any other means....except for a couple of nights where she wanted to carouse into the late hours.....like any teenager, running around after curfew was irresistible!
MANY DAYS LATER: We have succeeded in Snickers using her door consistently. I thought her training was complete! Silly me!
At first, she thought I needed to be nearby for the door to work.....took her about two weeks to figure out, she had the power!
Next, she finally figured out that she could come and go at will during certain hours.......she could actually come in for a snack! She didn't have to worry about being trapped inside with good daylight out there to burn.
YAH! Now, I think training is complete. Whew!!!
I love it that she has the independence to come and go. Being outside chasing bugs and leaves...and digging in gopher holes makes her so very happy!
Now she knows I'm not outside just to bring her back indoors, we're having great fun walking on our trails through the redwoods.
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