From
the day Tina and Charlie were allowed outside, they were using a small kitchen
window as their way in and out, which got a bit cold during the winter. We
decided to look into a cat flap to be fitted in the back door, especially since
they are allowed out at night now too. The only place suitable for a cat flap
is the back door. Like the front door, it is a UPVC door so I had to take that
in account.
I
had heard about cat flaps that work with the microchip as a key, which means
that neighbouring cats can’t come in. So I had a look on the Zooplus website
and saw that they sold Sureflap microchip cat flaps. The only thing was that
the opening is rather small with 14x12 cm. Further research showed that they
also made a bigger version called a pet door, which can also be used for small
dogs. The opening of that one is 18x17 cm, much better for fully-grown cats and
also available at Zooplus. We decided to buy the bigger one.
About
three months ago, we had the Sureflap microchip pet door installed in the UPVC
backdoor by a local carpenter. The pet door comes complete with screws of
different lengths to fit different types of doors. Batteries are not included.
It can also be installed in a glass door, or even through a wall - for which
you have to buy a few extra bits and pieces.
Programming
in your pets' microchips is a breeze. You push a button on the pet door to set
it to read and then bring the first cat through it or place its head in the
entrance. The chip number is then automatically stored. If you have more cats
or small dogs, you simply repeat the procedure. The door can store up to 32
microchips. They can also be easily erased if necessary. You don’t have to use
the door with the microchips. It will work as a normal cat door too. You can
also set it in a way that cats can come in but can’t go out again, which is
handy if you have to keep them in to go to the vet. You can even set a timer
for opening and closing hours. It also has other features that you can
programme in, like the time it stays open after it reads the microchip. When
you use it with the microchip feature, the door makes a fairly loud clicking
sound when it unlocks. Some cats could hesitate when this happens and then you
can set the locking time to an interval of a couple of seconds (up to ten
seconds) to give your cat time to get through, which is absolutely brilliant.
To get cats familiar with using the cat door, you can use it as a normal cat
door first so it won’t click to lock and unlock.
As
soon as the door was installed I programmed in Tina and Charlie’s microchips by
pushing them through the door, paws first. We set it as an ordinary cat flap
without the microchip unlock feature. Then, during the day, we had the window
closed and every time they wanted to go in or out, we helped them through the
cat door. We still have it set as an ordinary cat flap so there is no clicking
sound from the lock. It took them about a week to get the hang of it and now
they use it all the time. Because of the design of the door we couldn’t put the
flap as low as we wanted, so we put a little step-up in place.
All
in all, it was a lot less hassle than I thought it would be. Cats are creatures
of habit and they were so used to going in and out through a window that I
thought we might have a problem there. I underestimated the intelligence and
flexibility of our two felines. I can certainly recommend this pet door to
anyone. It is not the cheapest one around but the extra features, especially
the microchip option, the larger size and sturdy design makes it well worth the
investment.
Tina peeping in through the pet door. Paw prints show it's being used.
