Cat Flaps....Any Experience?

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My cat, Benny, happily uses his cat flap, but recently another cat has been sneaking in and stealing Benny's food.

Friends have nothing good to say about the cat flaps that require a collar for the cat.

Wondering if anyone here has experience of the flaps that read that cat's microchip, and thereafter only admit that cat.

Appreciate any reviews/anecdotes that members may have.

Thanks. :)
 
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Sorry I can’t help but thought of the new specsavers advert when I read this.
 
Sorry I can’t help but thought of the new specsavers advert when I read this.

Thanks for replying
I've it seen the ad....going to have to look out for it now!
 
Some friends had a microchipped cat entry door and it worked well BUT if the chipped cat sits near the flap, other cats can get in and nick the food. Not too drastic but when the resident cat leaves its position near the flap (maybe because of the uninvited visitor) the visitor can't get out... Not sure if they still have the flap (the cat is an ex-cat. :().
 
Yes, we thought next doors cat was coming in so got one, can't remember what make but has been in for 2 or 3 years now and been perfect. Has manual lock if you want to keep cat locked in or out. Well worth it
 
Yes, we thought next doors cat was coming in so got one, can't remember what make but has been in for 2 or 3 years now and been perfect. Has manual lock if you want to keep cat locked in or out. Well worth it
Excellent to hear. Many thanks.
I can't keep him in tbh....the last time I tried, he ripped the cat flap clean out of the door!

He's a rescue, and the only strict instructions were, don't try to keep him in, and he won't tolerate another cat in his home.

They neglected to warn he will kill anything with wings and devour all parts, and rodents will be similarly dispatched!

Love him to bits though.
 
Had our two cats fitted with collars that operate the cat flap. Never had any issues at all.

With regards to other cats getting in then being stuck in the house, ours just opened outwards without the need for any remote type effect, it was only when they wanted to get in, that it kicked in

You'd have to check with wherever you buy it from, but I think the majority of them work like that
 
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With regards to other cats getting in then being stuck in the house, ours just opened outwards without the need for any remote type effect, it was only when they wanted to get in, that it kicked in
 
Ok, ok, so it just needs wiring up to the mains then :)

That's a great video
 
Wondering if anyone here has experience of the flaps that read that cat's microchip, and thereafter only admit that cat.
We have two cats and we have a SureFlap DualScan cat flap.

It works well. It seems very reliable in that it always lets them out when they want to go out, and it always lets them in when they want to come in. I guess this means that the sensor that detects the microchip isn't too fussy about the exact position of the cat relative to the flap; as long as the cat is in a sensible position the flap will unlock.

Training the sensor to recognise your cats isn't as easy as it could be though. Basically you have to put the cat flap into 'learning' node and then hold the cat up to the sensor. Obviously there's a risk that they might object to that.

The DualScan feature is intended to allow you to be selective about which cats are allowed out. For example if you have an indoor-only cat and one who is allowed outdoors, you can program it so that only one is allowed out. (It will allow both to come in, so if the indoor-only cat gets out somehow, it can get back in.) When we bought it, we thought this would be a handy feature when one of the cats needs to go to the vet; just turn off her outdoor access a few hours before the appointment time and we know we'll be able to find her in the house. However, unfortunately it's not that simple; to restrict one cat's access, you need to re-train the sensor to recognise the cat as an indoor-only cat, which means grabbing the cat and holding it up to the sensor. (And the same again after the vet appointment to re-learn it as an outdoor cat.) In practice we don't bother with this feature.

If I were buying now, I would consider paying a bit extra for the WiFi enabled cat flap from the same manufacturers. The idea is that a simple mobile phone app allows you to enter the microchip numbers rather than having to hold the cat up to the sensor, toggle between in-and-out and indoor-only for a given cat, set curfew times, and so on. I think that would be really handy, but the product wasn't available when we needed to buy a cat flap.
 
I've got the Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap, works a treat. They work with both the microchip in the cat or can use an RFID tag on the collar, just in case you've got a mix. Think mine was about £60-70 from Amazon, was tempted to go for the next model up where I can program the entry times and what cat can come in when etc.. but it's overkill at the moment, could be handy if you have a cat that requires medication though.

Quick warning from my experience, Rechargeable batteries will trigger the battery-low LED regardless of whether they are empty or have a full-charge! This was with Duracell's, now just use standard Duracell's and get about 6 months out of it.
 
We used to have one with a magnet latch. It was too slow for one of our cats who just bashed through it when it didn't release fast enough and fired the door across the kitchen.
He also lost his collar more than once and once came home with a teaspoon dangling off his neck - not recommended.

We fitted one of these after a neighbours cat wandered into our front room and had a look around :)
https://www.surepetcare.com/en-gb/pet-doors/microchip-cat-flap
(Cheaper elsewhere)

Works on the cat's microchip, simple to program and can be locked in/out/in&out or not at all.
If another cat does manage to get in it can escape anyway unless the physical lock is rotated to stop all access.
Our cat often sits by the flap rowing with the neighbours Frenemy cat but he can't get in even if he tries to "tailgate" her coming home.
Not too bad on batteries, I use high capacity Ready to Go rechargables.
 
Quick warning from my experience, Rechargeable batteries will trigger the battery-low LED regardless of whether they are empty or have a full-charge! This was with Duracell's, now just use standard Duracell's and get about 6 months out of it.

FWIW I use these and that doesn't happen.
https://www.7dayshop.com/products/7...geable-batteries-2150mah-4-pack-7dayaagtg2100

Might be something wrong with the flap according to the product FAQ here...
http://solve.sureflap.com/product/1
 
Another vote for Sureflap here. No problems, easy to set up and good battery life.

Only allows your cat in ... unless he is being chased! (but the other cat can get out again.)

Benji has only had this problem once . I saw him coming and had stood up in the kitchen with my glass of water and he came flying through the flap closely followed by the black and white cat who he is always fighting with. The look of horror on the B & W on seeing me resulted in a quick u-turn and exit (too slowly to avoid the soaking though!) :naughty:
 
We have a microchip cat flap and it works perfectly, would fit one as a matter of course nowadays.

Stopped a big Tom coming in, eating and spraying.
 
Thank you all so much for your comments and recommendations.
I think I'm going to go with the microchip flap.
Benny's my only cat, so won't have issues programming for multiples.
Another vote for Sureflap here. No problems, easy to set up and good battery life.

Only allows your cat in ... unless he is being chased! (but the other cat can get out again.)

Benji has only had this problem once . I saw him coming and had stood up in the kitchen with my glass of water and he came flying through the flap closely followed by the black and white cat who he is always fighting with. The look of horror on the B & W on seeing me resulted in a quick u-turn and exit (too slowly to avoid the soaking though!) :naughty:
The cat that's coming in here is also Benny's nemesis....they fight often!
 
He'll try and convince you it didn't work, and you should do it a couple more times, just to make sure.
 
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