SureFlap Cat Flap with Microchip Identification, White (4 x AA batteries required)
SureFlap and SureFeed products have been recognised as being ‘Cat friendly’.
Cat Friendly Awards, by International Cat Care, 2014, 2015, 2018.
SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap
The ‘original’ SureFlap.
Only your cats can enter your home using their implanted microchip as their very own door key, keeping the neighbourhood cats out. Your cats feel safer and happier in their homes thanks to the Microchip Cat Flap.
- Compatible with all microchips worldwide.
- 12 month battery life (4x AA batteries – not included).
- Can be installed into doors, windows or walls.
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
Programme your cat’s microchip at the touch of a buttonYour pet’s microchip is then permanently stored in memory. | Install the cat flap in a door, glass or wallA range of accessories are available for glass and wall installations. | The cat flap unlocks when your pet approachesIt reads the unique code on your pet’s microchip or collar tag. | Intruder animals can’t get inThe cat flap remains locked for unwelcome cats and wildlife. |
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App-controlled | No | No | No | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scans animal on entry – keeps out intruder animals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scans animal on exit – control which pets are allowed out | No | ✓ | No | No | ✓ |
| Timer control | No | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flap opening dimensions W(mm) x H(mm) | 142 x 120 | 142 x 120 | 178 x 170 | 178 x 170 | 142 x 120 |
| Required install hole size W(mm) x H(mm) | 165 x 171 | 165 x 171 | 207 x 234 | 207 x 234 | 165 x 171 |
| Batteries required (not included) | 4 X AA | 4 X AA | 4 X C | 4 X C | 4 X AA |
| Works with all common identification microchips and SureFlap RFID Collar Tag | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RFID Collar Tag included | No | No | 1 tag included | 1 tag included | No |
| No. of pets that can be programmed | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Weight: | 454 g |
| Size: | S |
| Dimensions: | 22.7 x 22.2 x 12.5 cm; 453.59 Grams |
| Model: | SUR001 |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Colour: | White |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | S |
| Volume: | 1 Millilitres |
We painted extra markers on it, using nail varnish, so it was easy to see not only the “in and out” setting, but also the “incoming only” and “lockdown” settings.
I think he looked on it as a challenge. We knew he had “form” as an escapologist – a previous foster carer mentioned that – but presumed that was via an inferior type of flap.
He got out a couple of times when it was set for “incoming only”, but I thought it was user error.
Then I watched him batting downwards with his paw on the dial until it came out, broken. This was last month.
Customer service at the company was great, and sent a new dial straight away. But I can’t help thinking that the dial should have been a little more resilient. While, of course, being intensely proud of him 🙂
We painted extra markers on it, using nail varnish, so it was easy to see not only the “in and out” setting, but also the “incoming only” and “lockdown” settings.
I think he looked on it as a challenge. We knew he had “form” as an escapologist – a previous foster carer mentioned that – but presumed that was via an inferior type of flap.
He got out a couple of times when it was set for “incoming only”, but I thought it was user error.
Then I watched him batting downwards with his paw on the dial until it came out, broken. This was last month.
Customer service at the company was great, and sent a new dial straight away. But I can’t help thinking that the dial should have been a little more resilient. While, of course, being intensely proud of him 🙂
We painted extra markers on it, using nail varnish, so it was easy to see not only the “in and out” setting, but also the “incoming only” and “lockdown” settings.
I think he looked on it as a challenge. We knew he had “form” as an escapologist – a previous foster carer mentioned that – but presumed that was via an inferior type of flap.
He got out a couple of times when it was set for “incoming only”, but I thought it was user error.
Then I watched him batting downwards with his paw on the dial until it came out, broken. This was last month.
Customer service at the company was great, and sent a new dial straight away. But I can’t help thinking that the dial should have been a little more resilient. While, of course, being intensely proud of him 🙂
1. Does it work and is it easy to install? It works brilliant and went in the same hole as the original catflap but I had one fixing screw hole to re-drill in my uPVC door panel.
2. Will it actually stop other cats getting in? Yes. Categorically, yes.
3. Can my cat get in fast enough if she’s being chased by another cat? The reason I bought this was because a neighbours cat was coming in and battering my cat, so I was worried if it chased her then would the flap unlatch quick enough to let her in without being caught. The answer is that she regularly comes pelting in full tilt without slowing down, so no problems.
One thing to be aware of is that it has a deeper “tunnel” on the outside to register the cat’s tag so it can be a bit of a stretch for smaller cats or if it’s higher up on the door.
1. Does it work and is it easy to install? It works brilliant and went in the same hole as the original catflap but I had one fixing screw hole to re-drill in my uPVC door panel.
2. Will it actually stop other cats getting in? Yes. Categorically, yes.
3. Can my cat get in fast enough if she’s being chased by another cat? The reason I bought this was because a neighbours cat was coming in and battering my cat, so I was worried if it chased her then would the flap unlatch quick enough to let her in without being caught. The answer is that she regularly comes pelting in full tilt without slowing down, so no problems.
One thing to be aware of is that it has a deeper “tunnel” on the outside to register the cat’s tag so it can be a bit of a stretch for smaller cats or if it’s higher up on the door.
1. Does it work and is it easy to install? It works brilliant and went in the same hole as the original catflap but I had one fixing screw hole to re-drill in my uPVC door panel.
2. Will it actually stop other cats getting in? Yes. Categorically, yes.
3. Can my cat get in fast enough if she’s being chased by another cat? The reason I bought this was because a neighbours cat was coming in and battering my cat, so I was worried if it chased her then would the flap unlatch quick enough to let her in without being caught. The answer is that she regularly comes pelting in full tilt without slowing down, so no problems.
One thing to be aware of is that it has a deeper “tunnel” on the outside to register the cat’s tag so it can be a bit of a stretch for smaller cats or if it’s higher up on the door.
Purchased item and booked cat in to the vets and got her micro chipped.
Our upvc back door has a fancy square panel in it so husband didn’t fancy messing it up…builder only charged us 10 quid and it took him about 45 mins to fit it. Looks great.
With lots of ham, cheese dreamies and encouragement (me on the floor holding the flap up and waving ham!!) after 2 days she would go out through it. But the noise it made when she goes near it and it unlocks made her flinch back away from it.
Then on day 4, with more ham and yet more dreamies, she came in by herself.
Two weeks later she’s got the hang of it. She still sometimes wants us to let her in but that’s cats for you… we are after all here to serve them!
Brilliant product. Highly recommend.
The older cat would not go near it, I think its the click when the catch opens. After 6 weeks he was going out through it and a week later he too was using it like a train tunnel.
Batteries are showing no signs of failure after four months.
We had the flap because the cats wake us up between 02:00 and 04:00 to go out. The flap cures that problem. Now they wake us up to tell us they are going out and when they come back in. Can’t win with cats.
I was concerned about the reports of the flap being a little small. I have watched them using it and found no evidence of it being too small. It looks small but we have a three-year-old and a one-year-old cat who have no problems at all.
Took two seconds to set up, and we haven’t had any issues with it, and it’s been installed for 7 months now.
I’m so glad too, as ever since we moved in, our cat has been bullied by another cat (also microchipped) who keeps trying to chase him into the house, and often claws at the cat flap but it won’t open at all for him, but it opens right away for our cat who comes bolting in running away, I was Impressed as I expected it to not respond to opening as fast but it does.
Very pleased and relieved for our cat, he feels safe inside the house because of it knowing the other cats can’t get to him.
One little thing I’ve just discovered……………… really wanted a flap that would stop my daughters cat escaping when she visited at Xmas so installed this one the wrong way round to do the job…. worked fine though I’ve now realised they do a “dual scan” model for an extra 20 which controls exit as well as coming in and I wouldn’t have had to mess around putting things in the wrong way. My fault for not researching it too well!!
One little thing I’ve just discovered……………… really wanted a flap that would stop my daughters cat escaping when she visited at Xmas so installed this one the wrong way round to do the job…. worked fine though I’ve now realised they do a “dual scan” model for an extra 20 which controls exit as well as coming in and I wouldn’t have had to mess around putting things in the wrong way. My fault for not researching it too well!!
One little thing I’ve just discovered……………… really wanted a flap that would stop my daughters cat escaping when she visited at Xmas so installed this one the wrong way round to do the job…. worked fine though I’ve now realised they do a “dual scan” model for an extra 20 which controls exit as well as coming in and I wouldn’t have had to mess around putting things in the wrong way. My fault for not researching it too well!!
I hummed and thought about purchasing this; would it work? Would he use it or would he even be suitable for training on it?
In the end I purchased and I’m hugely pleased! Installation was relatively simple ( if you’re ok with a drill and jigsaw) and setting the unit up for my cats microchip was done in seconds!
The flap itself has several settings: locked, out opening, in opening and both ways. So even if your cat can open the unit with their chip it can be fully locked to halt all in and out progress.
With careful usage of treats I trained merlin (my trusted lord and master) within 4 days and after just two weeks he is now more than happy to come and go as he pleases with no fuss whatsoever. Merl is a very large cat! Not fat! LARGE! He’s 6.7 kilo and long and well built,and though he can get through the flap easily, I doubt a larger cat would have such an easy time! For an average cat though the flap is perfect!
Quality of the product is second to none and I highly recommend it!
UPDATE: after nearly 2 years of daily use the locking knob on this unit snapped its internal clip. mean the unit could still be locked but if forced from outside the knob would just fall out and allow the flap to be opened. no huge problem but a problem none the less! BUT: a quick search of Sureflaps support pages shows the knob can be replaced; and guess what? i put in my detail;s, typed in the serial number and within 2 days had a new replacement locking knob FREE OF CHARGE!! after nearly 2 years of owning the product!! thats quality support!! cant recommend this enough!
1. To mark the hole, you are supposed to draw around the aperture that doesn’t touch the door, resulting in an inaccurate and wobbly line. Then you have to cut 3mm outside that, so the line is a very poor guide. It would be helpful to include a card template the actual size of the hole. It could even be printed on the box.
2. Chucking three sets of different length screws into the pack isn’t an adequate way to make this fit a range of door thicknesses. I made sleeves for the screws by cutting the tops from rawl plugs to achieve a fit. They also haven’t considered what happens when you fit this to a moulded panel door so that the frame isn’t flush to the door all the way around. The area around the screw fixings should be reinforced.
So it’s four out of five. I wouldn’t waste my time here if I didn’t think it was still the best choice and hope that this might lead to further improvement. Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap
1. To mark the hole, you are supposed to draw around the aperture that doesn’t touch the door, resulting in an inaccurate and wobbly line. Then you have to cut 3mm outside that, so the line is a very poor guide. It would be helpful to include a card template the actual size of the hole. It could even be printed on the box.
2. Chucking three sets of different length screws into the pack isn’t an adequate way to make this fit a range of door thicknesses. I made sleeves for the screws by cutting the tops from rawl plugs to achieve a fit. They also haven’t considered what happens when you fit this to a moulded panel door so that the frame isn’t flush to the door all the way around. The area around the screw fixings should be reinforced.
So it’s four out of five. I wouldn’t waste my time here if I didn’t think it was still the best choice and hope that this might lead to further improvement. Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap
Programming for my two cats was simple – just press a button, put the cat near, and that’s it. Couldn’t be easier.
The only niggles are that one of my cats is long haired and there are small tufts of his hair at the top of the tunnel, so I guess the flap is catching him a bit, and it does make a bit more noise when they go in and out – but that could simply be demonstrating how solidly built it is.
Programming for my two cats was simple – just press a button, put the cat near, and that’s it. Couldn’t be easier.
The only niggles are that one of my cats is long haired and there are small tufts of his hair at the top of the tunnel, so I guess the flap is catching him a bit, and it does make a bit more noise when they go in and out – but that could simply be demonstrating how solidly built it is.
Programming for my two cats was simple – just press a button, put the cat near, and that’s it. Couldn’t be easier.
The only niggles are that one of my cats is long haired and there are small tufts of his hair at the top of the tunnel, so I guess the flap is catching him a bit, and it does make a bit more noise when they go in and out – but that could simply be demonstrating how solidly built it is.
(Note – your cat MUST have a microchip to work this catflap! You also need to ‘link’ your cats chip to the device by holding it near your cat and pressing a button before you install.) A great little device, which helps keep your cat safe. It is fairly easy to fit, if you have basic DIY skills – especially if there was already a cat flap in the door. It may take some alignment or adjustment, but goes together ok. You can buy a tunnel extender for thicker doors too. It includes a mechanical lock to prevent your cat coming in, or out, or in and out. Normal use allows any cat to leave, but only your cat (with it’s particular microchip) to enter. It can program multiple different cats too, if you have more than one.
One issue is that it takes 4 x AA batteries, which need replacing every few months, or a couple of times a year, depending on use. You also need to keep the sensor in the outside tunnel clean, or it can affect battery life too. Overall, this is an excellent product, and has worked well with out cat for a couple of years now, and helped with the problem of another cat we suspected was coming into our house and scaring our cat. I would recommend these for all microchipped cat owners.
One thing to be aware of: the hole you cut in your door for a Petsafe catflap is larger than for this one, so if you are changing to a Sureflap from a Petsafe, you’ll have to pad around the Sureflap tunnel to stop it wiggling about, and to stop gales blowing in around the cat flap. But this isn’t a major problem for us.
Two suggestions for Sureflap: 1) sell an adaptor that converts a Petsafe-sized hole into a Sureflap-sized hole. 2) Make it possible to program the cat’s microchip number into the cat flap manually – we have two cats, and one of them is more or less feral – it only comes in for food and at night to sleep, but rushes out if any human comes into the room. So to be sure we have the correct cat programmed into the cat flap, we have to set up a video camera to record overnight to see if the cat it has registered is our own! Would be a lot easier if we could just enter the number somehow into the cat flap.
I bought this to replace a nine year old Sureflap that was falling to pieces, so that would appear to be the lifespan of the model.
This is an updated design, with a better flap control switch, quieter catch operation and a draught excluder strip built into the flap itself, which given how much of a breeze the old model let through was going to be a huge plus.
The unit certainly is much quieter than before, I hardly hear the catch operate at all and the switch is better so it’s all good – but it has an Achilles heel in the design of draught excluder. This is recessed into the flap edge to the point it doesn’t make much difference and the cat flap appears as draughty as the old one and can let through a good breeze. This is quite noticeable in the area around the door on a cold day. Presumably a decent seal would interfered with the flap return and this has been added as a gesture to compete with other models that have this feature. Otherwise it is a good design and a small step forward from the older version.
Suddenly plagued by some new neighbourhood cats and an ancient cat eating our expensive food and basically terrorising my cats to the extent that one reverted to soiling inside the house, too scared to go outside. What to do? Firstly lock our manual flap to IN ONLY, catch the offenders and give them a soaking….. which worked for a week or so but it didn’t give me or my cats any peace. Secondly I looked up ‘lockable cat flaps’ and found this excellent idea that works with their microchips. Fitted it two days later and after one week my freaked out cat is back to normal and happy nothing is going to enter the house. Some reviews say the click is loud, don’t let that put you off because it did to me at first but I was desperate for a solution. The microchip flap only has the single clear plastic flap with insulation strip round the edge, which I found is much quieter than their old manual catflap that had the extra U shape draught excluder so was much heavier when it settled. The new flap fitted through the original hole cut out of a double glazed plastic unit. The tunnel looked quite long but once in place it fits really snugly together and going through the 2 layers of plastic doesn’t look long now. I had no problem registering the cats microchips, it was easy.
Pretty easy to install in a uPVC door (take a look at the photos), it looks really quality and the instructions are easy to follow. The instructions tell you how to install in walls, glass. I found in the door the instructions were spot on.
The flap recorded the chip really easily and the lock releases when the cat is anywhere near the thing, which actually scares the cat and I’m still yet to convince him to use it properly.
He get scared of the mechanism because it is quite loud when the lock goes up and down. I’ve been using adhesive tape to hold the door open a bit and he (mostly) goes through it now.
Lots of review reading (mainly on here against other products) later and this was the choice – and I do not regret it.
The boys didn’t take long to get the hang of it – one is one of those curious nosy bulshy types I mentioned above – so much so that he does this hilarious Superman dive through it even time he goes out. Our other one is a little neurotic (the wife says sensible, but meh) and much more nervous reserved and careful so it took him a bit longer. The manual says tempt with ham/meat/etc – heck just rattle the cat treats on the other side of the door with it propped slightly open, he’ll soon get the jist. Mr Neurotic our end had a slow start but realised he had to man up if he didn’t want to miss out on the adventure outside.
Folks do say some folks get a bit scared by the clicking. Again if your cat is a bit sensitive this maybe the case at first but persevere. They do realise in the end that actually to come in that the click is a good thing and means they can come in.
I was a bit worried about the draft initally, and whilst there is a very small one despite the furry flap edges in the frame, it’s not that bad. That said my flap is installed 90 degrees from the direction of wind – the wind cannot hit it straight on and it does look like you can kinda see between the flap edge and furry insulation and the outside world, so this might be a problem for others.
The other thing to note (that doesn’t bother us due to the location) is it looks OK and not too bulky from the inside (which is the side you can see in the main picture here on Amazon), but some my find it pig ugly on the outside due to the surround over the sensors – it does stick out a good couple of inches. This is a practical element for the cat flap, but yeah, if the cat flap is in a prominent location and you want a discreet cat flap, again please consider carefully.
So far in the past 2.5 months the sensors haven’t become that blocked. Unlike the state of the rest of the cat flap, with its mud and leaves dragged in by the monsters, so whilst I’ve had to clean the cat flap, the sensors haven’t been affected. Range on the sensors is good and we’ve had no problems so far. I leave the cat flap set so that they can ALWAYS get in (even when locked in, just in case they do one day break out when they shouldn’t) and we’ve had some noses up against the flap trying to get in, but as expected, no unwanted visitors. The only way such an unwanted visitor can get in, is if (s)he tailgates your own cat in, and that isn’t going to happen unless they’re friends and your cat is trying to have an unauthorised party whilst you’re out (who needs teenagers?)
Lastly, our cats are not allowed out yet after dark. We’re both long day workers spread over the 7 days, so some days neither one of us in until a few hours after sunset. We get some help from the neighbours and family if we know we’re going to be late (don’t worry, they’re not neglected when we’re gone, they get plenty of visitors and love!), however I do wonder if I should’ve looked for a chip cat flap with timer. That’s not a limitation of this cat flap, this does more than I expected better tahn I expected – but if you are reading this, do consider when your cat(s) is allowed out, and if you’re around to lock ’em in.
For what I wanted tho, great cat flap and so far so good. If we do have a disaster I’ll update this, but I don’t think I’ll need to. Anyway, too much chat, hope this helps folks, I’ll shut up now.
I ordered this as a replacement for an old magnetic flap which was redundant as my new cat kept losing its collars. Having spent the summer with a neighbours tom cat using the house as a hangout and clearing any food, I felt my cat was beginning to show signs of stress. The price was so much cheaper than I had seen elsewhere but I knew it was a good brand so I ordered on prime and it arrived promptly the next day. I was prepared to have to cut a larger hole in the wall as the existing cat flap is quite small but was happy to find it slotted straight in. A quick read of the instructions 4 batteries fitted and a curious cat meant his id was put into the memory in less than 5 minutes. Once fitted and with the help of some treats my cat was going in and out with no problems it does click as it unlocks to let him in but it doesn’t appear to faze him at all. The normal setting is selective entry but any cat can exit which is fine for me as he has a habit of running out the cat flap at full speed during his mad moments. Only had the product 24 hours but was so pleased my cat adapted straight away I felt prompted to write this, now I can go out and leave down biscuits and treats and know only he has access to them.
Below the line was my previous review of this but I ordered a new one, installed it, put fresh batteries in and it’s been working great. No battery issues at all with the replacement.
As the battery was the only issue, I have changed the review from 3 to 5 stars.
————————————-
I want to give it 5 stars but it’s the battery life that causes me issues, I have had to change the batteries every week and I am putting Duracell ones in. I have read that it must be kept clean so I have done that, but it has eaten batteries up from day one.
While I was away for a few days the batteries ran down and the cat got locked out for an entire day, luckily it was a nice warm day. I had a cat sitter visiting, she noticed that the cat was sat on the step meowing to get in and thought it strange, she had the sense to ring me and we worked out that the cat flap was not working because of the batteries running flat.
A missing feature is to be allowed to set the cat flap so it will open without the chip reader, because I couldn’t do this I actually took a hacksaw to the little plastic stopper so that it’s permanently open now, I cannot risk my cat getting locked out during the night in bad weather and I can’t afford to put 4 new batteries in each week.
It could be that I have a faulty one but there are a few reviews that mention the battery problem.
After moving house and having problems with a neighbour’s cat coming into the house and bullying ours, we initially bought a Staywell Petporte flap which I have reviewed separately but needless to say it was removed from the door and returned. I replaced it with the Sureflap which is cheaper, more sturdily built, doesn’t need mains power and is very easy to install – less than 10 mins into the existing hole. Once installed, registering the cat’s microchip would have been relatively easy had the cat not have been scared by the previous Petporte and so was reluctant to go near this one. However, a great feature is that you only have to press a button once and the reader will stay active until the cat next comes into range. It will then register and store the chip ID and lock the flap.
It has taken over three weeks for my cat to actually start using it without our involvement and he still tries to avoid it where possible. If you have problems, you will need to perservere and the flap will eventually be used!
So far, the flap has unlocked without fault every time and has successfully kept the neighbourhood bully and other freeloaders out of the house. I’ve put in some decent Duracell batteries and hopefully they will last as long as it says in the manual. Very impressed and would recommend this over the Petporte based on having had experience with both.
The flap comes up slightly smaller than a regular cat flap due to the microchip recognition mechanism which is an issue for even slightly larger cats so be aware. it is also noisier than a regular cat flap
One of my cats was able to use it immediately the other is a bit more sensitive and took some coaxing to use it but is ok now.
I also had to buy the adapter to cover the hole from my last cat flap which left a round hole, you will also need this to fit it into a glazed door
Good points. It really only does let your cat through
Good price
Quite easy to train your cat to go through
Bad points. Not Draft proof
Slightly small
Noisy in operation
I only gave it 3 stars because of the draft issue I feel as though Im sitting in a wind tunnel
SureFlap Cat Flap Mounting Adaptor, White
DRAUGHT UPDATE: I contacted Sureflap customer services who sent me an updated flap to replace the one in my door. This is much better, and only minimal draught when the wind is blowing directly on to it.
The flap was quite easy to fit although I did have to remove the whole unit to do so.
Sureflap customer support response was very prompt via email. If you have a problem just contact them. I have updated my star rating to reflect this.
Also I would think if your catdoor flap should get broken (i have had this happen with particularly brutish intruders in the past) the flap might be available as a spare part.
The flap comes up slightly smaller than a regular cat flap due to the microchip recognition mechanism which is an issue for even slightly larger cats so be aware. it is also noisier than a regular cat flap
One of my cats was able to use it immediately the other is a bit more sensitive and took some coaxing to use it but is ok now.
I also had to buy the adapter to cover the hole from my last cat flap which left a round hole, you will also need this to fit it into a glazed door
Good points. It really only does let your cat through
Good price
Quite easy to train your cat to go through
Bad points. Not Draft proof
Slightly small
Noisy in operation
I only gave it 3 stars because of the draft issue I feel as though Im sitting in a wind tunnel
SureFlap Cat Flap Mounting Adaptor, White
DRAUGHT UPDATE: I contacted Sureflap customer services who sent me an updated flap to replace the one in my door. This is much better, and only minimal draught when the wind is blowing directly on to it.
The flap was quite easy to fit although I did have to remove the whole unit to do so.
Sureflap customer support response was very prompt via email. If you have a problem just contact them. I have updated my star rating to reflect this.
Also I would think if your catdoor flap should get broken (i have had this happen with particularly brutish intruders in the past) the flap might be available as a spare part.
The flap comes up slightly smaller than a regular cat flap due to the microchip recognition mechanism which is an issue for even slightly larger cats so be aware. it is also noisier than a regular cat flap
One of my cats was able to use it immediately the other is a bit more sensitive and took some coaxing to use it but is ok now.
I also had to buy the adapter to cover the hole from my last cat flap which left a round hole, you will also need this to fit it into a glazed door
Good points. It really only does let your cat through
Good price
Quite easy to train your cat to go through
Bad points. Not Draft proof
Slightly small
Noisy in operation
I only gave it 3 stars because of the draft issue I feel as though Im sitting in a wind tunnel
SureFlap Cat Flap Mounting Adaptor, White
DRAUGHT UPDATE: I contacted Sureflap customer services who sent me an updated flap to replace the one in my door. This is much better, and only minimal draught when the wind is blowing directly on to it.
The flap was quite easy to fit although I did have to remove the whole unit to do so.
Sureflap customer support response was very prompt via email. If you have a problem just contact them. I have updated my star rating to reflect this.
Also I would think if your catdoor flap should get broken (i have had this happen with particularly brutish intruders in the past) the flap might be available as a spare part.
The flap comes up slightly smaller than a regular cat flap due to the microchip recognition mechanism which is an issue for even slightly larger cats so be aware. it is also noisier than a regular cat flap
One of my cats was able to use it immediately the other is a bit more sensitive and took some coaxing to use it but is ok now.
I also had to buy the adapter to cover the hole from my last cat flap which left a round hole, you will also need this to fit it into a glazed door
Good points. It really only does let your cat through
Good price
Quite easy to train your cat to go through
Bad points. Not Draft proof
Slightly small
Noisy in operation
I only gave it 3 stars because of the draft issue I feel as though Im sitting in a wind tunnel
SureFlap Cat Flap Mounting Adaptor, White
DRAUGHT UPDATE: I contacted Sureflap customer services who sent me an updated flap to replace the one in my door. This is much better, and only minimal draught when the wind is blowing directly on to it.
The flap was quite easy to fit although I did have to remove the whole unit to do so.
Sureflap customer support response was very prompt via email. If you have a problem just contact them. I have updated my star rating to reflect this.
Also I would think if your catdoor flap should get broken (i have had this happen with particularly brutish intruders in the past) the flap might be available as a spare part.
I was very dubious about spending this amount on a cap flat, but it has transformed our lives.
Our cat loves going out at night and returning very vocally between 5 and 6am. She woke me every morning early and I had to get up and let her in. I am sure that the neighbour’s were also disturbed. There is also a tom cat always trying to get in to eat her food.
Now, our cat can get in and out when she wants and I get a good nights sleep.
The cat flap arrived promptly. If you intend to install it in a wooden door, then it is worth having the right tools handy and buying four long life AA batteries in advance.
Very straightforward to install yourself , but ideally you really need a drill, two drill bits, an electric jigsaw, file and sandpaper. It took under an hour including reading all the instructions and having a cup of tea. There is a very comprehensive instruction guide.
What really impressed me was the fact that it automatically recognised the chip! I thought I would have to mess about trying to type it in, but as soon as the cat goes through, it memorises it for you and keeps out any intruders. Don’t do what I did. I was so pleased to get it fitted that I thought I had to push the cat through the first time, which is a bad idea. Instead read all the instructions, leave it in memory mode and perhaps encourage the cat through, by putting some food on the other side. We used this method to train and encourage our cat to get used to going both ways through the flap and now she is really confident anyway.
In summary, a marvellous device, which is smart, works very well, has changed our lives and is worth every penny.
I was very dubious about spending this amount on a cap flat, but it has transformed our lives.
Our cat loves going out at night and returning very vocally between 5 and 6am. She woke me every morning early and I had to get up and let her in. I am sure that the neighbour’s were also disturbed. There is also a tom cat always trying to get in to eat her food.
Now, our cat can get in and out when she wants and I get a good nights sleep.
The cat flap arrived promptly. If you intend to install it in a wooden door, then it is worth having the right tools handy and buying four long life AA batteries in advance.
Very straightforward to install yourself , but ideally you really need a drill, two drill bits, an electric jigsaw, file and sandpaper. It took under an hour including reading all the instructions and having a cup of tea. There is a very comprehensive instruction guide.
What really impressed me was the fact that it automatically recognised the chip! I thought I would have to mess about trying to type it in, but as soon as the cat goes through, it memorises it for you and keeps out any intruders. Don’t do what I did. I was so pleased to get it fitted that I thought I had to push the cat through the first time, which is a bad idea. Instead read all the instructions, leave it in memory mode and perhaps encourage the cat through, by putting some food on the other side. We used this method to train and encourage our cat to get used to going both ways through the flap and now she is really confident anyway.
In summary, a marvellous device, which is smart, works very well, has changed our lives and is worth every penny.
This flap works well. There is a local Tom who owns the neighbourhood and has got through all my previous attempts to block him, he is the best cat burglar for miles. But so far this flap has defeated him. There is a utube video showing a similar Tom picking the lock of this flap by clawing the flap towards him, a neat and quick trick if you know it, which our local Tom doesn’t (I have figured out a modification that prevents this if he ever does figure it out though). Why don’t Sureflap add a simple catch to stop this? My flap blocks a hole in the wall and can be removed for cleaning etc by releasing a simple catch; it does need occasional cleaning to remove cat hair and accumulated dirt. Training the flap was easy by simply putting each cat’s head in the flap’s entrance-way briefly. So five stars for now anyway, at least until the local Tom discovers how to pick his way in.
6 months on, and the local Tom has figured out how to claw the flap towards him. But aha! .. I have beaten him by reducing the gap around the flap by glueing in a half mm strip in the gap, so the gap is too small to get a claw into. It has worked for several months so far, despite his regular attempts.
1st time cat owner so 1st cat flap. I ordered it and hubby fitted it. Took less than 2 hours to fit (it was probably less than this but rough estimate).
I was expecting stress at fitting it and more stress to get cat to use it but seriously there was none!!
So so easy. Once hubby fitted it, you press the button and when cat sticks his head through it scans microchip. That’s it. Done. Cat is now recognised as only cat allowed to come in and out (it allows up to 36 cats to be scanned?!). Took about 24-36 hours for cat to get used to it. I did what was rcommended and put cat treats down and on cat flap and out the other side. Once she got used to going out it then took her a few more go’s to get used to coming back in. The flap does click which I think put the cat off at first but after 24-36 hours she got completely used to it and is in and out all the time now. Better than her jumping in and out of open windows! She now uses it all the time and it’s like we always had it. For the price at the beginning I thought it was expensive. Now that’s the cat flap is fitted and working and is sooo easy I think it’s a price worth paying. I would definately recommend it. I also like the fact as my cat is still a kitten, if she goes out but gets scared she runs back in through cat flap and no other cat can get through. As I said I definately recommend it.
My SureFlap hasn’t been without its niggles but the exceedingly high levels of customer service and the 3 year standard warranty mean that no niggle has ever become a serious problem.
I’ve never encountered customer service this good except on Amazon.
Tha most important thing to note – this cat flap is only microchip controlled in one direction. If you want a cat flap that allows you to control which cats leave your house as well as which enter, purchase the dual scan. This flap is designed in such a way that you can prevent intruder animals coming in from the outside but if, for example, you wanted to keep an indoor cat or kitten inside while allowing your other cats access out, this cat flap won’t do it for you. But SureFlap do have the dual scan flap and this solves that problem.
The flap is easy to install, easy to set up and incredibly easy to program.
Issues I’ve had:
1) I had an issue where one of my cats initially wasn’t being detected. SureFlap offered a few solutions but also suggested I have his chip checked at the vets. I took him to the vet and sure enough it turned out the chip had stopped working (rare but can happen). He was re-chipped and now the flap works perfectly for him.
2) My cat worked out how to press down the catch, enabling him to pull the cat flap inwards and escape when it was set to keep him locked indoors. While doing this he also managed to pull the drought excluder loose and it was jamming the cat flap open and as a result a stray got in and sprayed all over my living room. I contacted Sureflap and they immediately apologised and created a custom fix for my cat. They sent out their “thumb-proof” version of the flap where the catch is covered to prevent smart cats from pressing it down. They also glued the drought exluder in place firmly so it could no longer be pulled loose and said the drought excluder on future flaps would be more tightly secured to prevent this issue from affecting anyone else. The new flap was sent out within the week and immediately solved the problems I had with my cat outsmarting the flap.
3) After 1 year my flap developed a fault where the batteries were draining within a day of being fitted, despite the flap being totally clean and free from debris. The light wouldn’t illuminate so I wasn’t aware of an issue but I’d return home from work and the cats would all be locked outside and very angry. I contacted SureFlap and they immediately confirmed there was a fault with that particular batch of flaps and sent out a brand new cat flap with the thumb proof modifications once again installed. This flap has been fault free thus far.
Other than the issues above this flap is faultless – it’s well built, looks good and works very well. The batteries last around 4 months but that’s with 3 cats using it heavily every day.
Unlike competitor flaps it is not mains powered and runs entirely on batteries so you don’t have to worry about trailing wires. It’s reliable and best of all the customer service and excellent warranty means should you ever run into issues you can expect a speedy resolution.
There are a few additional features I’d really like to see SureFlap add to their flaps in future, but for the most part this flap is great.
One thing I would note though – this flap is great for standard sized cats but it’s a little snug for my 6kg cat. I should probably have bought the larger pet flap for him. He manages though, but he’s a bit huffy about it.
Also, the dual scan flap came out about a month after I bought my flap which is a little annoying as that’s one of the features I’d have gone crazy for. I can’t really justify the cost to upgrade though but if/when my SureFlap does finally bite the dust I’ll certainly be upgrading to the dual scan version.
All in all – the flap is brilliant and the customer service adds an extra level of perfection to this flap. Thank you SureFlap!
Our cat has been quite stressed lately as a new cat in the neighbourhood has been coming in to the house and eating his food so I quickly ordered a Sureflap Cat Flap.
I installed it yesterday; the process was very easy and it was pretty much a drop-in replacement for the old flap. Initially our cat was a little cautious of it as the clear door isn’t quite as big as his old one so I think that troubled him a bit, but after a little coaxing with some chicken and Dreamies… and me getting on all fours and pushing open the door from the inside with my head to show him how to do it (I’m not proud of that but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do!) he soon got used to it.
This morning my girlfriend heard a noise coming from the kitchen and looked out the window to see the invading cat outside, trying to open the new flap. When it realised the flap was locked it soon gave up and walked away. Job done and money well spent! Speaking of which our cat now owes me 55 but won’t even go out and get a job, he just sits around the house all day sleeping.
Hopefully though his snoozes will now be stress-free. What a great invention, I thoroughly recommend it to any cat owner whose pet is being bothered by unwanted invaders, just make sure your cat pays you up-front before you order one.
Having 4 cats that we had chipped when they were all kitten ‘s was a clever move by the minister of home affairs, we are now reeping the benefits.
Our house kept being invaded by at least 5 different cats 2 of them are not neutered and all that in tails. Trying to lock the 4 in at night was very difficult and stressful for the cats, this cat flap is the best thing since sliced bread, The cats are a lot less stressed as the other cats don’t come in the house especially at night.
Fitting was quite simple the door is a upvc door with a bottom panel that is removable, there is a metal plate sandwiched in between the 2 outer layers. I purchased the round cover pice that was recommended for doors with metal in them, this works well as the hole is larger than the old cat flap. I recommend training your cat befor the flap is fitted to the door it took about 15 minutes to get all 4 of the chipp’s registered on the cat flap.
They are all addicted to dreamies, I just turned it on by the batteries opened the flap with the out side facing the cat and put the treet’s on the in side lip, then turned the switch of and repeated to make sure the lock worked with there chip, it makes a small sound as the mechanism works they have all got used to it now and just use it as they would any other cat flap, the food bill has gone down as well, the only negative thing is its larger than the old cat flap, that is far outweigh by the pice of mind. We have had it approx 3 weeks everything is working so far.
I wish these had being available when I had my last two cats, whose lives were blighted by visiting cats who ate their food and sprayed in the kitchen. As soon as I saw this I got one for my current cat who gets on with it just fine.
Pros – 1) very easy to fit in the existing hole for the old flap. I did have to drill new screw-holes but that was all. 2) Very easy to program. I just held the flap open and the cat stuck his head through to see what I was doing and bam! it was done. 3) looks very neat and tidy in my white pvcu door.
Cons – 1) The interior of the hole is a bit smaller than the standard flap. My cat is quite big (about 5kgs). He can manage it – sometimes at great speed – but it does look a bit awkward. I would definitely consider the pet door if your cat is bigger than that. 2) It has a very strong magnet and the cat has to be quite determined to open it. I thought mine was just going to give up so I contacted manufacturer about this. They will provide weaker mechanism for you if you just ask. Fortunately my cat got to grips with it after a day or two so no need.
Overall It improves my cats life and my kitchen is no longer part of a territorial battle by the neighbourhood toms. A great buy.
A great product… when it is working.
The flap is great and it is surprising how quickly cats learn the click sound means they can pass through, if mine don’t hear the click they don’t even attempt to pass through now. It also helps them relax when other cats are being nosy around the flap, once they realised it doesn’t click to other cats they were a lot more relaxed (crazy how they learn things like that). I had one or two issues which can be easily avoided / solved by following the guidance below, be mindful that if you don’t pay attention to this detail your cat could be locked out of the house!
The customer services team at SureFlap are excellent, very helpful and talked through the issue I had and without quibble resolved everything, only dropping one star as the information below could be more prominently displayed in guide / box.
There are one or two things you need to mindful of when purchasing this cat flap, especially in brown.
1) Regularly check the silver sticker isn’t damaged and replace it if it becomes scratched, torn, loose etc… (you can get more by contacting the customer services team).
2) Make sure there isn’t a build up of fir / dirt around the draft excluder at the top as this will cause the sensors to permanently operate and drain the batteries.
3) Don’t use cheap batteries!, you will end up paying more constantly replacing them, use decent quality batteries and you will replace them less frequently.
I fitted one of these in a uPVC door recently. The panel that it went through was around 2.5 inches thick and it was a reasonably simple job for a cack handed person such as myself. The biggest issue was when it came to screwing the whole thing together. You have to screw it from the outside and it’s very difficult to see if the screws are lining up correctly with the screw holes on the other side. It really helped to have someone on the other side of the door holding the cat flap in place.
The cat flap itself works brilliantly. It’s been 2 weeks and the cat is just about getting used to using it, it’s taken a lot of training. At first he was petrified of the clicking noise it makes when the catch is released but this doesn’t bother him now. The chip reader works every time and is very reliable. The catch stays released for 5 or 6 seconds once triggered, and if the cat keeps his head in the cat flap it will stay released permanently until he comes through or wanders off. This is good because during training the cat can hesitate for a while before attempting to come through, and it’d be no good if he’d hesitated for so long that the catch locked the door again!
Very happy with it.
We had a problem in that when we went away for a few days we found that the person left to look after our cat told us that they’d seen one of the local cats from another house sneaking in and eating our cat’s food and sleeping in our back porch.
A bit skeptical I ordered this cat flap and fitted it, not expecting miracles. I was very surprised to see how good it is. I simply removed our old cat flap, just fitted this in the same fittings. You can then set the “system” to sit and wait for your cat to pass through so they register themselves as one of the “key holders” by way of their chip implant. Being impatient after 5 minutes of our cat being suspicious of a new, funny smelling thing in the house I grabbed her and pushed her through it to get her registered!
I then sat just out of sight and waited for our unwelcome guest to attempt to gain entry. He was, not surprisingly, thwarted in his attempts. Looking a little dejected that the free food place was now closed permanently he skulked off. He hung around for about another 2 weeks still trying but eventually he seemed to grow tired of trying and I haven’t see him for several weeks now so he’s obviously in another house, perhaps another potential customer for this superb item.
We can now leave our cat in the porch, the kitchen and the adjoining dining room and she can come and go as she pleases as we know she’ll be safe and let in peace without having to put up with unwelcome guests. She’s happier and so are we.
If you need to restrict access to several cats as you too are having problems with unwelcome house guests stealing your own pet’s food or bothering them, I can’t recommend this item highly enough.
We had a problem in that when we went away for a few days we found that the person left to look after our cat told us that they’d seen one of the local cats from another house sneaking in and eating our cat’s food and sleeping in our back porch.
A bit skeptical I ordered this cat flap and fitted it, not expecting miracles. I was very surprised to see how good it is. I simply removed our old cat flap, just fitted this in the same fittings. You can then set the “system” to sit and wait for your cat to pass through so they register themselves as one of the “key holders” by way of their chip implant. Being impatient after 5 minutes of our cat being suspicious of a new, funny smelling thing in the house I grabbed her and pushed her through it to get her registered!
I then sat just out of sight and waited for our unwelcome guest to attempt to gain entry. He was, not surprisingly, thwarted in his attempts. Looking a little dejected that the free food place was now closed permanently he skulked off. He hung around for about another 2 weeks still trying but eventually he seemed to grow tired of trying and I haven’t see him for several weeks now so he’s obviously in another house, perhaps another potential customer for this superb item.
We can now leave our cat in the porch, the kitchen and the adjoining dining room and she can come and go as she pleases as we know she’ll be safe and let in peace without having to put up with unwelcome guests. She’s happier and so are we.
If you need to restrict access to several cats as you too are having problems with unwelcome house guests stealing your own pet’s food or bothering them, I can’t recommend this item highly enough.
Can’t praise these catflaps enough. Recently replaced the old one as after five years of constant use, first the clip at the bottom started to fail intermittently, meaning any cat could get in. This is a known fault to Sureflap, who kindly sent me a replacement part. However, before I was able to fit it, the microchip reader then totally keeled over so I ordered this newer model.
A definite improvement on my old one, the click of the latch releasing when it reads the cat’s microchip is much quieter and the dial to adjust entrance/ exit privileges is a lot smoother and muh more clearly marked.
The only issue I had was as my catflap is through an exterior wall, it was impossible to screw to the existing wall/ tunnel (in my case, a wooden-lined tunnel that came with the house) as the fittings seem to rely on screwing it to the separate l external part of the catflap. Fine if through a door or window. So I’ve had to secure mine with sealant instead, which works fine.
Programming the flap with both my cats’ microchips was really easy. Although the handbook states to do it from the tunnel/external end, it works from either end as the chip is read whether the cat is coming in or going out. Before fitting it, I simply got my smaller cat to pass through it, then after installation, set it on Learn mode again ready for when my larger cat got home. Straight through, no problem and I don’t think they’ve even noticed it’s a new one.
I had previously bought the Staywell/Petsafe version but that turned out to be a waste of time as it didn’t work. The benefits of this one are that it fitted in the existing hole in my UPVC door, I programmed in my cat instantly, a couple of months on it’s still working perfectly, and the added bonus that this one was cheaper. There are no fancy features, it lets your cat in while keeping others out and has a manual lock just like the old fashioned ones. That seems a bit flimsy and a determined cat might be able to get through, but I haven’t had any problems. My cat is kept in at night and he’s already used to that, so he doesn’t try to escape. I can go to bed after I’ve turned the switch knowing that he’ll come in and won’t go out again until I let him. My neighbour’s cat now sits outside with a look of despair instead of coming in and stealing food … unless I’ve left a window open, but then at least she can get out again!
I’m not sure what will happen when the batteries need replacing, they are supposed to last for a year. A friend of mine has this cat-flap and three cats, and she says her batteries do last 12 months. Hers developed problems with recognising the microchips but got excellent assistance from the manufacturers even though she’s had it for years.
We’ve had this cat flap now for over a year, so I now feel I can review it fairly. It is absolutely brilliant!
We previously had another manufacturers magnetic cat flap which proved to be complete rubbish that was unfit for purpose; the neighbours aggressive Tom figured out that if he simply pushed the flap hard enough, it would pop open. Bit of a design flaw there. 100’s of pounds worth of vets bills later and the admittedly somewhat more expensive Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap was starting to look very attractive!
Using the cat’s microchip as the ID also solved other problems that the magnetic cat flap had; no more picking up bits of rusty wire and nails on the collar. Plus no chance of the cat getting locked out if she’s forced to slip the collar due to a snag.
Since fitting the Sureflap Cat Flap, we have had no unwanted visitors and I’m pretty sure our now somewhat elderly and blind cat has never been locked out. She can come and go in the garden, safe in the knowledge that if the aggressive Tom comes along, she can safely retreat.
We had the vet check the microchip was in place and working prior to purchasing just in case. We’ve not had to replace the batteries yet after a year. I have been careful as instructed in the manual to ensure the proximity detector is clear of dirt or fluff, but I might change the batteries soon to pre-empt it anyway.
Overall, this unit solved a major problem for us and allowed our Cat (and us!) to be much more stress free. Would recommend!
Great catflap and have had no issues with it- had it professionally installed in large glass doors over a year ago so have lived with it now for awhile. Have two cats- one small female (6yrs) and the other a very large male lump (5yrs)-(so middle aged cats of varying size used to doing things a different way and had to relearn!) Female cat has a very very fluffy tail that is a huge problem (ie: lighting it on fire from sitting near candle, getting stuck in neightbours fly strip, coming home with strange objects/animals/plants attached etc) and was always getting it stuck in previous catflap system so she prefers someone to let her in and out and would always wait it out until someone opened door-however she has NO problem with this one as it is very gentle- tail fur stays beautifully intact and we arent bullied into door duty with her anymore. Both cats were fine once they were gently shoved in and out a few times-but it is a learning curve for them just like any catflap system- tuna on the opposite side seemed to help the process along. It has also kept neighbour’s cats out and they have given up coming around all together now for extra meals. Like the option of locking cats in during times of fireworks celebrations or trying to corral them in for monthly worming or fleaing (which they hate in the highest order!). There is a tiny click sound as our cats approach to come in but they arent put off by it and it isnt very noticeable. We have only had one indication to change battery at around 6 months of having it installed and other than that it does its job very well and would highly recommend it to anyone considering it.
Followup: The cat flap has now been in use for 21 months and I’ve not had one single problem with it, nor any intruders. When the red light flashes I change the batteries, they seem to last for months but I keep a spare set (4 x AA) just in case. I’m moving house and have bought another of these cat flaps to put in there. The only downside is that it will have to go in an outside wall (current one is in the back door), so I’ll have to fork out for probably 5 extenders, but it will be worth it in the long run – if my cat’s happy, I’m happy.
Followup: The cat flap has now been in use for 21 months and I’ve not had one single problem with it, nor any intruders. When the red light flashes I change the batteries, they seem to last for months but I keep a spare set (4 x AA) just in case. I’m moving house and have bought another of these cat flaps to put in there. The only downside is that it will have to go in an outside wall (current one is in the back door), so I’ll have to fork out for probably 5 extenders, but it will be worth it in the long run – if my cat’s happy, I’m happy.
Update: Within a couple of days of having the Sureflap installed we’ve managed to get our moggie to start using it. Extensive bribery with treats works wonders. Take a look at the many YouTube videos for ideas on getting your cat to use it. Of interest, one technique is to tape the flap open permanently so the cat doesn’t have to push the flap in the early stages. This worked wonders and he was able to find his way back into the house in no time. Unfortunately, traveling the other way is still a mystery to him but I’m sure we’ll get there . . . Anyway, during this ‘taped up’ experiment we found one of the neighbours bigger Toms showing interest. Not long later and the big boy had become an intruder!
I’m now so pleased I paid the extra for this item rather than a bog standard cat flap. Locking out the neighbours cats is fantastic and will make our cats life easier and stress free. He’s lovely, just wish he wasn’t so dense
Further Update: After some hesitation our furry family member is now using this cat flap freely, both to go out and come back in. I’ve lost count of the number of times the neighboring cats have tried and been denied access. The main offender has now completely given up even trying! It’s hard to convey just how much of an improvement to our home life this device is. No more having to open the door every time he wants go out or come in, no more having to worry about invaders nicking his biscuits. This is one of the best buys we’ve made and I seriously can’t recommend it highly enough
Further Further update: Got a cat? Just get one! After a few weeks our furry friend now uses this constantly and the days of having to get up to open doors through constant meowing are gone. Seriously, this is such an improvement in quality of life, particularly with a moggy who changes his mind every 5 minutes. Of course, the major advantage with Sureflap is the microchip and as I’ve commented before this works like a dream. The other older local bully cats no longer even bother trying the flap, they did so many times but never once got in. This is just a superb device and I can’t imagine being without it now. I couldn’t rate this highly enough. Quality construction, excellent instructions, even a selection of screw sizes for different doors. Wonderful
This is great. It gives me real peace of mind to know that strange cats can’t come in the house and bother my cats. It’s very easy to program, and no more difficult to fit than a regular flap. (It didn’t look like any more effort. I didn’t do that part myself).
The default setting is to allow any cat to leave, but only cats who you know to enter. You just switch it to ‘learn’ mode, shove your cats through the flap, and then hold the button down for a second again to stop it learning more codes.
I would give it 5 stars, but now it’s fitted, I get paranoid about the cats being locked out because the batteries went flat while I wasn’t looking. It does flash red once every 4seconds to warn you of low battery, but I would like a green light to flash normally so Ican have peace of mind. I’m a bit neurotic though.
UPDATE: This thing is not totally infallible: strange cats have gotten in, but only when they were chasing my cats and the flap didn’t have time to close behind them.
What I really wanted to note though is how FANTASTIC the sureflap customer service is, so I’m upping my review to 5 stars. I couldn’t find a draught excluder to replace the one on the door (after 2+ years of continuous use), so I dropped their customer service a quick email query asking where I could buy one. They asked my address and sent me a replacement part by first class mail, FREE OF CHARGE! I think that’s pretty great, and feel suitably impressed.
This product is excellent at its job, and the company is excellent at providing customer service. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Excellent! My new kittens got used to this very quickly, at 4 months old and neutered. Put the batteries in in September and they are still going strong 8 months later. Easy to fit (Age UK Handyman service did it for 20). Looks good but more importantly it let’s only my cats in!
UPDATE
Moved house so had a new catflap installed in front door, still excellent. However, my new area is full of wildlife and my cats are excellent mousers, and now 4 years old, they bring an average of 3 a week, usually live. They play with them for a while, then either leave them dead or alive. Dead I can cope with, but live ones not so much. I’ve now got a humane trap in each room and usually manage to get the creature. However, I’ve got fed up of seeing an errant mouse walk across the floor, ignored by my cats. I started to switch my catflap to exit only at night (I bought a cute insulated cat kabin in case the cats got locked out). This didn’t work, they battered their way in. However, in having to struggle a little to get in, they have to drop the mouse, consequently I’ve recently had corpses left on the outside doormat, but that’s OK. I wonder how they have managed to circumvent the closure system, however. Still love my Sure flap.
It works. It solved the problem of the aggressive Tom getting in and scaring the brave but tiny Raspberry. Quite pricey really – the mechanism is simple, the whole lot ought to cost about 15 – but in terms of convenience for harassed pussies who are scared to eat their dinner, a bargain.
If you are wondering, these things are easy to fit – you will need a drill, a saw and a screwdriver. You mark the opening using the stencil they provide, cut through the door, trim it to the marked shape, then discover the stencil is rubbish and you are better off marking around the components themselves. So be warned – do it that way. Don’t put it too low – cat should walk naturally through.
Any door, more or less, and of course walls too. They sell tunnels and extenders and so on. We use it on batteries and it has lasted almost year so far with no trouble, so I guess we will leave it that way. But there is also an external mains power supply available – since it will be a standard voltage out I’d get one from somewhere else.
Like other reviewers we got this catflap to deal with the problem of a feline intruder (a local tom with “previous” for coming into other people’s houses). We replaced our previous Staywell manual door with this, the existing hole in the door was an exact match for this new flap, which was helpful. The fact this runs on batteries means there are no problems with electric cables, as with some other manufacturer’s products.
We have a metal skinned door and at first the catflap didn’t work properly as a result (as the Instruction Manual advises), but I sorted that by cutting out an oblong piece about 30mm deep from the top of the existing hole (i.e. adjacent to where the sensors are located in the top of the cat flap). I also covered the circumference of the hole with a thick layer of Duct tape, again to reduce interference; (not sure if this was really necessary) Overall I was pleased to find the amount of extra cutting out required was minimal. These minor alterations solved the problem with interference from the metal and it now works perfectly Note that if you are going to enlarge the hole you need the Mounting Adaptor, which is very easy to fit.
Our 13 year old cat was slightly wary of the new flap at first, partly I suspect simply because it was new, but also because the door flap is I think slightly smaller than the old Staywell. However she got used to it pretty quickly and now comes and goes with no problem.
No sign whatsoever of the local “Bruiser” or any other unwanted visitors.
All in all, a great purchase and one I’d highly recommend.
This replaced an extremely old cat flap whose plastic was literally crumbling. The problem was that old cat flap’s cutout was larger than most meaning that there would be a gap either at the top or bottom of where this new cat flap was to fit.
The answer was to use the mounting adapter ( SureFlap SureFlap Cat Flap Mounting Adaptor – Brown ) from SureFlap, which although targeted at round holes in glass doors works just as well for rectangular holes in normal doors. I just had to cut a 1cm piece off the bottom so it fitted flush against the straight edge of the door panel.
Fitting this cat flap (whether using the adapter or not) was just two (supplied) screws, simplicity itself; you do have to drill a couple of 6mm holes for the screws if the cat flap aperture isn’t wide enough to already allow this.
Registering the cat chip is really easy and took just a few seconds, just remember to do this BEFORE fitting it to the door, don’t ask me how I realised this. Poor little Benny, our cat, wondered why he was being coerced through a cat flap when he was already in doors.
Once fitted it looks very clean and smart; even the holes for the aforementioned screws have caps supplied.
Even if you don’t want to use it with a cat chip you can get a collar dongle instead, or just use it as a standard 4-way cat flap, especially useful whilst training your cat to use it.
I’m pleased with how quickly it installed, how neat it looks once fitted and Benny is nonchalant when using it but secretly likes it too.
Like many others before me I can only recommend it.
Delivery – quick.
First impressions – item is well packaged and appears to be good quality. Comprehensive well written instructions are included. The unit requires 4 x AA batteries but these are NOT included.
Installation – pretty straight forward. In our case we didn’t need the mounting adapter (sold separately) and all that was basically required was to remove the old cat flap and slot the new one in and then fix the two parts together with 2 screws that go from the outer side through the door panel to the inside part. 3 different sized screws are provided to allow for different door thicknesses – good idea!. It was a bit fiddly to get the fixing screws to locate from the outside through the door to the main unit.
Getting the cat to use it – programming is pretty straight forward if you follow the instructions. I’d recommend programming the unit with the cat’s microchip before fixing the unit to the door. We just took the one half of the unit, switched it to learn mode and put it close to our cats neck whilst they were sleeping and bingo – programmed!. The locking mechanism,isn’t magnetic but uses a sliding plastic bolt. This makes a noticable click when the cat uses it and initially it might scare the cat – the manufactures recognise this and offer tips to get the cat to use it – after 10 minutes our cat was reasonably content.
5 operating modes exist – the default is to only allow your cats in but to allow all cats out. (useful if in the unlikely event another cat sneaks in directly behind your cat before the cat flap locks again); Locked both ways; In only; out only. There is a completely open mode as well which allows all cats to come and go (this is a little fiddly to set up and requires you to set the cat flap to learn mode and then remove the batteries).
It is suggested that batteries will last 6-12 months. We’re using Duracell Ultra so hopefully we’ll comfortably get that.
Why not 5 stars? – maybe a bit nit picking but this is an 80 cat flap after all.
(1) In the event of a battery fail your cat could be locked out
(2) You may need to buy an additional plastic mount (10) if your door is the wrong size – At this price it should be included in the pack
(3) Although the cat flap fits exactly into the gap left by the old cat flap because of the sensor mechanism the gate is significantly smaller and if you have a fat cat it might struggle to get get through
(4) As previously mentioned it was a bit fiddly to align the fixing screws.
(5) on closer examination of the main unit you could see electrical wiring immediately behind where the fixing screw goes in on one side. If you use the wrong screw you could possibly damage this wiring – seems like a silly design flaw in what otherwise seems to be a well designed bit of kit.
Don’t let these minor quibbles put you off, so far we are very impressed with this unit.
I love this cat flap.
I didn’t want other cats coming in, and this uses the cat’s chip to know who’s allowed in and who is not. It’s the perfect feature and it works really, really well. It’s easy to set up and the cat learned to use this flap (his first) very quickly.
Here’s the bit that SureFlap had to help me with:
There are multiple options on what the cat can do, with a little dial to change that option. I use the dial so that during the day he can come and go, but at night he can come back in but then not get back out again. This worked fine, until he worked out how to cheat the dial and get out again. I have to say, he’s a pretty bright cat, since cheating the dial meant getting himself in a position while inside the house so that his chip triggered the ‘let me in’ function (when he was already in…). He then pushed down the indoor clip with his paw while using his claws to drag the door inward. Then he did a pincer movement of dropping his paw and pushing his head under so he could get out. Sometimes it took him more than one go, but after a couple of weeks he could get out even when locked in. But bright or not, he could get out when he wasn’t supposed to be able to do so.
I contacted SureFlap on Facebook and they sent me a modified indoor part, quickly and at no cost. It was a fiddly job to change the parts and I hope they might, in future, simply supply others with the complete ‘inside’ bit rather than the replacement parts. However, I can’t complain about their response: they acted quickly and it was only a few nights before I could lock him in again.
That said, we did have a 200 vets bill from an early morning escapade that resulted in a cat bite.
I love this cat flap.
I didn’t want other cats coming in, and this uses the cat’s chip to know who’s allowed in and who is not. It’s the perfect feature and it works really, really well. It’s easy to set up and the cat learned to use this flap (his first) very quickly.
Here’s the bit that SureFlap had to help me with:
There are multiple options on what the cat can do, with a little dial to change that option. I use the dial so that during the day he can come and go, but at night he can come back in but then not get back out again. This worked fine, until he worked out how to cheat the dial and get out again. I have to say, he’s a pretty bright cat, since cheating the dial meant getting himself in a position while inside the house so that his chip triggered the ‘let me in’ function (when he was already in…). He then pushed down the indoor clip with his paw while using his claws to drag the door inward. Then he did a pincer movement of dropping his paw and pushing his head under so he could get out. Sometimes it took him more than one go, but after a couple of weeks he could get out even when locked in. But bright or not, he could get out when he wasn’t supposed to be able to do so.
I contacted SureFlap on Facebook and they sent me a modified indoor part, quickly and at no cost. It was a fiddly job to change the parts and I hope they might, in future, simply supply others with the complete ‘inside’ bit rather than the replacement parts. However, I can’t complain about their response: they acted quickly and it was only a few nights before I could lock him in again.
That said, we did have a 200 vets bill from an early morning escapade that resulted in a cat bite.
Like others have said it seems a lot of money for a cat flap. However if you have really persistent ‘visitors’ then the frustration brings you to a point where you feel you just have to buy this. It is no criticism the product itself as it is really good quality – it is just the thought of having to spend so much.
I have tried other types (basic one, magnetic one) and this is my first (and only I hope ! ) microchip type. I am happy, my cat seems happy – although she appears not to relish the slight complexity in entering this flap. She is definitely more settled. I have no idea what cat (or cats) were coming in to feed from her food bowl but there are a few persistent ones still hanging about. There have been attempts to head butt the flap to gain entry but to no avail.
Once this is programmed with your cat’s microchip it is happy days. I didn’t expect that I would personally get any pleasure from a cat flap but I really am!
This was easy to fit for me as I have standard wooden door. It is probably bit more complex to fit in other types of openings but this is not an issue with the product itself. I am really pleased with it.
After continuous night manoeuvres of water spray and football rattle to try to scare off the cat that left his calling card in my kitchen and who was getting fat on my cat’s food, I considered Coyote Acme products however Sureflap came to the rescue. It was very easy to install as it fitted directly into the existing gap of our previous flap. We had a few initial problems, the tunnel in and out cannot be reduced as it holds the microchip reader and Tiggs hates tunnels. Going out was fine and read his chip first time but upon summoning up the courage to come back through, the ‘slight’ click to open was more than his stress level would allow. We followed the help guidance given and left the flap open for the day and have now successfully progressed to him coming in and out without the reader activated (no click). Fingers crossed for when we put the batteries back in but it seems to have done the trick so far and kept intruders at bay. I would recommend this product to all stressed out pussies and their owners.
I’ve installed it in a metal door – and the first cat flap supplied didn’t work. The manual admits that metal doors interfere with the scanner. I rang the company which was easy as they are based in Cambridge. My phone call went straight through to a member of staff who was knowledgeable and helpful and they immediately sent a replacement (metal model 1) – unfortunately this didn’t work either. Again they volunteered another solution (metal model 2) and posted it out straight away. They were very helpful and assured me “don’t worry we will find a way to make it work”. They sent each version out first so I could swap it with the installed version and didn’t have to live with a hole in the patio doors. This final version works really well and I can see why the company were so confident in their product. All of this additional support and supply of the upgraded product did not cost me a penny extra. Maybe to avoid the extra installation hassle the company should offer a choice of products and allow customers to opt for the metal door product from the outset – I would have paid extra to buy the metal door version if I had known.
In summary an excellent product backed by exceptional customer service, should there be any issues with the product.
I’ve installed it in a metal door – and the first cat flap supplied didn’t work. The manual admits that metal doors interfere with the scanner. I rang the company which was easy as they are based in Cambridge. My phone call went straight through to a member of staff who was knowledgeable and helpful and they immediately sent a replacement (metal model 1) – unfortunately this didn’t work either. Again they volunteered another solution (metal model 2) and posted it out straight away. They were very helpful and assured me “don’t worry we will find a way to make it work”. They sent each version out first so I could swap it with the installed version and didn’t have to live with a hole in the patio doors. This final version works really well and I can see why the company were so confident in their product. All of this additional support and supply of the upgraded product did not cost me a penny extra. Maybe to avoid the extra installation hassle the company should offer a choice of products and allow customers to opt for the metal door product from the outset – I would have paid extra to buy the metal door version if I had known.
In summary an excellent product backed by exceptional customer service, should there be any issues with the product.
Dexter, the local pillaging cat that has terrorised my petite nervous wreck of a moggy for the last 3 years, dines here no more! That bloody cat has cost me a small fortune over the years and he used to taunt me by sitting on my drive as I drove off to work each day because I knew he would get to the food before my cat did. And then this cat flap was recommended to me by the local vet and I didn’t know whether to hug him or strangle him for not telling me about it sooner. My cat is a bit of a retard and is scared of her own shadow so it took her about a month to pluck up the courage to start using this cat flap, but at least Dexter wasn’t getting in either. The problem she had was that the outside face of it isn’t flat like the old one – she had to poke her head into a recess and then she would jump back at the audible click of the lock release. But we’ve had it for quite a while now and she’s just about got used to it and I no longer have to worry about her not being fed for hours on end (I’m out for up to 17 hours a day). It’s expensive but I’ve spent more on cat food feeding the enemy than I have on this so it was worth it. It’s well made and seems to be quite good at keeping the draught out. The only criticism I have is that it’s fitted in a uPVC door that’s white on the inside and dark brown on the outside and the cat flap comes in either all white or all brown. I did email the manufacturers to see if they could do a half and half version for doors like mine but they didn’t bother to reply so we’ll just have to wait and see if they come up with this idea themselves.
I have to say that I had quite a bit of trouble with this item to start with. Basically it all started with the fact that the cat didn’t want anything to do with the cat flap for about 3 weeks so I had to tape it open while I went to work so she could get used to going in and out (I only recently started working full-time and so we have never had a cat flap before). Once she had got used to that idea, I decided to “train” her to go through it whilst programming the cat flap. The problem was it wouldn’t work. After loads of attempts and various emails back and forth to Sureflap, they sent me something to test it with and I discovered that it wasn’t working because there was something up with my cat’s microchip! I took her to the vet only to discover it had failed and so she had to have a new one implanted.
I then started all over again trying to teach her to go through the sureflap cat flap, but she spent hours just looking at it and waiting for us to open the door!
It was only on Monday morning when I let her out, unlocked the cat flap, left her food in the house and went off to work that she finally went through the hole all by herself – hurrah! The food was all gone when we got home. She still thinks it is a devilish contraption and always sits at the door on the weekend to be let out the “human” way – but that’s just cats for you!
Otherwise, I think its a great item, I feel a lot happier knowing she can go out when she pleases and come in when shes cold, hungry or tired, or just being chased by the neighbourhood toms.
I have to say that I had quite a bit of trouble with this item to start with. Basically it all started with the fact that the cat didn’t want anything to do with the cat flap for about 3 weeks so I had to tape it open while I went to work so she could get used to going in and out (I only recently started working full-time and so we have never had a cat flap before). Once she had got used to that idea, I decided to “train” her to go through it whilst programming the cat flap. The problem was it wouldn’t work. After loads of attempts and various emails back and forth to Sureflap, they sent me something to test it with and I discovered that it wasn’t working because there was something up with my cat’s microchip! I took her to the vet only to discover it had failed and so she had to have a new one implanted.
I then started all over again trying to teach her to go through the sureflap cat flap, but she spent hours just looking at it and waiting for us to open the door!
It was only on Monday morning when I let her out, unlocked the cat flap, left her food in the house and went off to work that she finally went through the hole all by herself – hurrah! The food was all gone when we got home. She still thinks it is a devilish contraption and always sits at the door on the weekend to be let out the “human” way – but that’s just cats for you!
Otherwise, I think its a great item, I feel a lot happier knowing she can go out when she pleases and come in when shes cold, hungry or tired, or just being chased by the neighbourhood toms.
After having had the Sureflap for 3 years I can honestly say it has been one of the best value products I have ever invested in. Initially I thought it was a large sum of money for essentially a cat flap but after having problems with neighbouring cats entering the house and using other manufacturers products we came to the end of our tether and decided to try this.
The product itself works exactly as described, we have 2 x cats and they are always let in immediately with a satisfying discrete “click” that signals us that one of the cats is home. It’s actually quite a welcome sound. Easy to scan the microchips and one of the chips has moved in the cats neck down the side but the flap still works fine. The flap immediately stopped the problem of other cats coming in the house. Never had a problem with that since!
We moved house and I had stupidly thrown the suplied tunnel extension away. Contacting sureflap they sent me a replacement at no charge with a reply the same day.
Today the little magnet that stops the door flapping has fallen off(after 3 years of daily use mind.. I contacted sureflap and they are sending a replacement door free of charge and installation instructions.
The item does seem expensive but it is worth every penny. I cannot fault it and in a market nowadays where so many products fail after little use and have terrible customer service it’s great to see a product like this that you can buy and have faith in.
The Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap must be one of the best things I’ve ever purchased and I wish I’d ordered it long before I did. My younger cat sometimes goes away for long spells, with me waiting up half the night for him to come home. I don’t need to do that now, as he can let himself in and I’ve also noticed he doesn’t stay away as long. He was using the cat flap the next day after it was installed. His mother never goes away and I didn’t expect she would use the cat flap but she is now letting herself in, as she knows she is coming into a safe place, though still a bit scared to go out the flap into the unknown!
I had a new panel installed in my upvc back door to take the cat flap, as the original panel wasn’t suitable. It was worth every penny!
The cat flap is easy to use and has four settings, though I don’t need to change them at the moment. I put it in ‘learn mode’ so that the first time each cat put its head up to the door, it would pick up their microchip numbers. Be careful to do that just before your cat puts its head up to the flap, as my neighbour’s cat got there first.and I had to re-set it!
I have peace of mind knowing if I have to go out and my young cat hasn’t come home before I leave, he can get into the house. As I said, it’s the best thing since sliced bread!
A big male cat was coming in our house all the time, eating our female cats food and also scaring her so much she would hide upstairs and he always seemed to be in the house as soon as we put the food down. He would even wander in whilst we watched tv.
This Microchip Catflap is brilliant. we paid a local Vet to put a chip in our cat a few years ago in case she got lost. I installed the catflap, removed the battery cover (4 AA batteries required which last approx 6 months) and then pressed the sync button for a second. The lights then flashes for about 60 seconds and all you have to do is put your cats head near the tunnel and it syncs it with the chip in the Cat. It can store up to 32 chips.
There is also a dial with 4 settings , the default setting will stop the flap opening from the outside but will not bar any animal exiting. There other 3 settings let you set whether it allows exit only, entry only or locks both.
NB The picture shows the end which should be in your house, the other end should be on the outside and has a small tunnel, don’t get them the wrong way round. The small dot in the right hand corner of the picture is a small light which will flash when the batteries need changing or it is in learn mode. The battery cover is at the top of the flap, you can just about see it in the picture.
Following a spate of bullying and some very expensive vet bills – my two ageing cats were very stressed (and so was I never knowing what I would come home to!) I had heard that the magnetic flap can be accessed by other cats who also have them, as well as the fact that my cats have not worn collars for some years now! When I discovered this “microchip” cat flap on the internet I thought “just the job”!! As my feline friends have lived abroad for a few years, they were already microchipped – job done!
The item arrived within a couple of days and I didn’t even have to go to the post office to collect it – it was easy to swap with the old one (even for a DIY dunce like me). As they had got used to the cat flap being locked (to keep the intruder out) I had to help them out when “setting up” by putting their heads into the entrance to program the microchip reader and they also had to get over the “click” that is audible when it releases the flap, but now they’re coming and going quite happily (although a bit of a squeeze for the fat male!) and more importantly they seem more relaxed indoors knowing that the intruder can’t get in anymore.
All in all (as per other reviewers) very happy with the outcome. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone, even if the cost involved microchipping as well.
I have to say that I wasn’t keen on spending this amount of money on a cat-flap, plus the cost of having the cat chipped but I was woken at 3am the other night by my rather small,young tabby defending my honour against a very large ginger tom-cat – in my bedroom! The hissing, spitting ball of fur, all teeth and claws hurtling across my bed made me realise that 70 was not really that much to pay for peace of mind, and to sleep safely in my own bed.
I ordered the cat-flap Thursday tea-time, had the cat chipped Friday evening (she was none too impressed and I nearly lost a couple of fingers – but that’s another story), it arrived Saturday lunch-time, ahead of schedule and was up and running by Sunday morning. It fitted straight into the hole left by the previous flap and I barely had time to press the button before she was through it.
Some of the reviews mentioned cats being put off by the noise of it clicking, so I anticipated some teething problems while she got used to it but that hasn’t bothered her in the slightest. The only issue we’ve had is when she tried to bring a crisp packet through it – tried to poke it through with her paw and obviously her head wasn’t quite far enough in the tunnel to activate the release. She did get quite cross.
I would strongly recommend this to others. Our house is now a one-cat zone, and we don’t have to worry about her losing her magnet and locking herself out any more.
I put off splashing out on one of these for a year after moving house, but eventually gave in when my house seemed to become a magnet for all the local moggies. Unfortunately, it didn’t work with my cat’s microchip, and I thought this must be because the door was metal. I wasn’t keen on getting a mammoth hole cut in the door for an adaptor (cutting the original hole itself involved an awkward-to-arrange visit from a relative with an angle grinder), so I bought the collar tags with my fingers crossed. They worked – so I was pleased on the one hand to have solved things, but rueful on the other in the knowledge that I could’ve bought a cheaper, magnetic flap in the first place.
Subsequently I found out that my cat’s chip had ‘migrated’ to about halfway down his back – so no wonder the flap wouldn’t work. According to several friends with cats, this is quite common – one friend’s cat’s chip has weirdly moved almost down to one of his front paws.
After posting the above review, Sureflap contacted me within days and very kindly offered to send a replacement: a specially modified unit with an extended tunnel, designed to boost the range of the chip reader. It arrived swiftly, I installed it today and bingo – it works with my cat’s migrated chip!
Not only am I delighted with this replacement, I am also genuinely impressed by this company’s excellent standard of customer service. They really do care about getting it right.
We have two cats and had an ordinary cat flap before which they both used. We got new neighbours who had two cats of their own and these started coming in our house everyday eating all of our cat’s food and sleeping on our landing, they spent more time in our house then there own so something had to be done.
The microchip cat flap was easy to install and fitted easily in the space vacated by the previous flap. It was also easier than I anticipated it would be to get it to store the microchip data of our two cats – I just put a couple of treats in the catflap whilst it was on the floor before we installed it in the door and they poked their heads through and it recorded the microchips straight away. One of our cats took to using the cat flap from day one but the other took a good few weeks before he would come in (although he was happy going out). Eventually after I was beginning to worry if he would ever use it he came in himself and has never looked back since.
The two cats from next door regularly try to get in and cannot understand why they can’t so it does it’s job perfectly.
The only drawback is that the batteries only lasted about six weeks so the advertised period of six months is very optimistic (although one of our cats does go in and out very frequently).
All in all it’s a great buy and would very much recommend it to anyone whose neighbours cats keep coming into their home
I would give this product more stars if I could. I have had the cat flap for about 1 month now and have had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever. The main point I would like to put forward is that I was concerned that I would have to alter the hole for the cat flap. After taking the old flap out and trying out the new one I found it fitted perfectly, the only requirement was drilling new holes for the screws which wasn’t my favourite game.
My cat had been having some serious disagreements with the local cat fight club, and coming downstairs to another cat in the kitchen, with mine pouring blood and faeces in terror (and hiding on top of my oven) was the final straw. After a visit to the vet to treat numerous puncture wounds I got researching.
I chose the microchip cat flap because I really did not want other animals upsetting my cat as much as that again. She’s getting arrogant now though – I swear she taunts them through the door!
The main faff was getting my cat to stick her head in so I could scan her microchip – that was definitely a two person job. She was also a little hesitant about coming in through this new strange clicky thing that had replaced her normal flap. Now she understands the cat flap she sometimes pauses in the doorway to have a quick look around before coming through, only to discover the lock has been reapplied, but she seems to be fine to come in once she puts her head in the door again.
I have heard her having arguments with other cats since, but so far no other cat has been able to get in and she is a lot happier and calmer, thank you Sureflap for saving my sanity!
I got this cat flap when five cats moved in next door and thought they could eat my cats’ food too. I had a few niggling problems getting it fitted and working. Firstly, it is a slightly different size to my old cat flap (Staywell) and the hole had to be made a couple of millimetres bigger – a real problem for those with a cat flap fitted in a window!
Then I found problems using rechargeable batteries that only worked intermittently, so I got some rechargeable alkaline batteries and a special alkaline battery charger. Don’t buy the charger from Sureflap as you can buy it much cheaper elsewhere.
At 69 this cat flap is rather expensive but, teething troubles aside, it has worked flawlessly, even with my cats running into the flap at great speed when chased by the neighbour’s cats. I reckon the cost of the cat flap will be recovered by the food not stolen! Also it does mean that next door’s cats are not urinating in my house. The problem being that one of my cats has been so scared by the five new arrivals that she insists on doing number ones on the bedroom carpet and number twos in the shower.
Luckily this cat flap works perfectly with whatever chips my cats are fitted with and its gives extra reassurance knowing that they work should my cats go missing at any time.
I have not yet had to replace the batteries and the batteries have been in place for over four months; this is in spite of one cat who still loves to play with cat flap and hearing it click open!
Although it is possible to use the cat flap manually to some extent (should the unit fail) it is necessary to tape down the lock, otherwise the cats could never get in – it would just be nice if there was some sort of latch to unlock the lock in these events.
Also, it would also be good to control each cat individually – allowing entry/exit for each individual cat. For instance allow one cat both way entry, another cat entry but no exit and a third cat exit but no entry and a fourth cat no entry or exit – all done automatically! Maybe I am just wishing for too much!
All in all a very worthwhile product, I just wished the five cats did not move in next door, even though I have made a home for them in my shed!
The product came with the circular support to be installed in my new double glazed door. The last few months have been a nightmare, fighting an aggressive cat decided to take home in my house, putting my cat in a lot of stress. It is winter and you can feel it when approaching your hand to the flap. So what you save with the double glazing is probably lost through the flap. I spent 1 hour trying to make it work without success. The firmware was not responding as expected. So I changed the batteries for brand new alkaline one, and it started to work fine. It seems that you definitely need excellent new batteries. Took 2 hours to get my cat initialize the system by going through, and now, after 5 days of use, I am satisfied with this flap. Bad cat stays out, and good cat can go in and out. Some people write that it looks robust, but I am not too impressed. It’s just all plastic, and only time will tell if it can last. Problem of course, is that there is no other similar product in competition.
Excellent product! After a long battle with cat intruders, spraying in the house, spending a fortune on feeding the cat intuders, trying out magnetic catflaps, collars for the magnetic cat flap falling off, flea infestations due to other cats and my cat being a nervous wreck I was completely fed up but was also dubious about spending 70 on a cat flap. I have to say it is one of the best seventy pounds I have ever spent!My cat is now calm and safe in the knowledge that he doesn’t have to share his house with strangers. I don’t have to put up with the awful cat spray smell and I can also have an uninterrupted nights sleep without hearing cats fighting / growling / coming in and out and my cat jumping at every sound.
It was easy to flick to the short instructions. I used cat treats to encourage my cat to put his head in the tunnel for the cat flap to register his microchip. I then made sure it worked by passing his head through it again (he didn’t really like it but enjoyed the treats afterwards.) Once I was sure it had registered my cat’s microchip I fitted it easily. It just slotted into the space where my old cat flap was. It took my cat about 3 days to work it out. He found it easy to go out of the cat flap but a little longer to work out how to come in. I realised my cat opens the cat flap with his paws rather than his head but I persisted and kept calling himm from the inside. He worked it out soon enough and now comes in and out freely. Hurrah!
Not a single intruder ever since! Although I see them outside trying, poor things. Battle well and truly won! I would definitely recomment this product. I now have a calm and happy cat. He would recommend it too by the way. He just meowed to tell me.
Excellent product! After a long battle with cat intruders, spraying in the house, spending a fortune on feeding the cat intuders, trying out magnetic catflaps, collars for the magnetic cat flap falling off, flea infestations due to other cats and my cat being a nervous wreck I was completely fed up but was also dubious about spending 70 on a cat flap. I have to say it is one of the best seventy pounds I have ever spent!My cat is now calm and safe in the knowledge that he doesn’t have to share his house with strangers. I don’t have to put up with the awful cat spray smell and I can also have an uninterrupted nights sleep without hearing cats fighting / growling / coming in and out and my cat jumping at every sound.
It was easy to flick to the short instructions. I used cat treats to encourage my cat to put his head in the tunnel for the cat flap to register his microchip. I then made sure it worked by passing his head through it again (he didn’t really like it but enjoyed the treats afterwards.) Once I was sure it had registered my cat’s microchip I fitted it easily. It just slotted into the space where my old cat flap was. It took my cat about 3 days to work it out. He found it easy to go out of the cat flap but a little longer to work out how to come in. I realised my cat opens the cat flap with his paws rather than his head but I persisted and kept calling himm from the inside. He worked it out soon enough and now comes in and out freely. Hurrah!
Not a single intruder ever since! Although I see them outside trying, poor things. Battle well and truly won! I would definitely recomment this product. I now have a calm and happy cat. He would recommend it too by the way. He just meowed to tell me.
We had quite a few problems trying to coax our cat to go through the new Sureflap, it took weeks but to be fair to Sureflap our cat, although 4 years old, is tiny and very nervous type so any kind of change just throws her into a wobbly! And she refuses to do anything. Weeks went by with it just in swing flap mode (no batteries) and it took weeks just to encourage her to go through it (and yes that included all sorts of fishy tasty bribes to no avail)!! Once she started going through (hallelujah!) we put the batteries in and put on Learning Mode. Of course, even the red flashing light knocked her confidence again, so back to square one with the fishy tasty bribes … eventually she jumped through again to go outside and it seemed to me it had read her chip as the red light stopped flashing and the grey button went ‘up’ . Great. Except not. When she tried to come back in for some reason it was not reading her chip so although I could see her struggling to get in, the catch was not opening. At this point she lost all confidence and we were back to square one again as she refused to try again. Well she eventually did try again it had the same results. We reset the flap back to factory setting incase we had messed up, but still it would not read her chip.
I contact Sureflap and explained. From the word go they were extremely curtious, polite and took our situation seriously. They immediately (it arrived the next day) sent me a ‘tester’ kit, which is to test and make sure the Sureflap can read a microchip. We tested their microchip which was easy to do, so when we pushed the tester through from the outside, the flap door opened every time. Clearly the Sureflap was not faulty as it could read this microchip every time. They asked me to let them know asap which I did. The person I spoke to said he would pass on this info to ‘Head Office’ and they would be in touch. I thought, oh here we go ‘Head Office’ I’ll never hear from them again.
Couldn’t have been more wrong. Charlotte phoned me from Head Office the next day and was absolutely amazing and really wanted to help with this situation and get it resolved. It felt to me very genuine and I was very grateful as I did not want to end up with a 70 pound cat flap that was no more use to me than the 7.99 swing ones (which is what we had). Plus, I really wanted this to work to alleviate the problems we were having with neighbourhood cats coming in. It had been suggested to me that I take Lola to the vet to make sure that her chip had not dislodged hence the reason why it was not being read. This I done and was assured that her chip was were it should be, i.e. between her shoulder blades. Again, Charlotte asked that I get back to her as soon as I could to let her know. I did. It was all a bit baffling but she suggested that in very rare cases for some reason certain batches of microchips do fail. She asked how I felt about re chipping Lola if she sent the chip to me? I did not have a problem with this so long as it worked! Once again, the next day I received Lola’s new chip and took it to my vet. This took about 3 mins. That night, my cat went out and I couldn’t believe my eyes when she came back IN !!! We’re now a couple of weeks on and I can’t remember it being any different !! It definitly works. The Customer Care team are A* and it’s such peace of mind going away for weekends etc knowing that my neighbour is feeding MY cat and not someone else’s ! Lola is also much happier as she had spent the last year hissing and tail swishing every morning due to ‘intruders’.
I can’t recommend this product highly enough nor the customer care team. I can confidently say that should you be unlucky and I do believe ours to be quite a rare situation, but should similar happen to you my experience tells me that Sureflap will do everything it can to resolve and although we didn’t quite touch on it, I wouldn’t be suprised if all else genuinly failed they would’ve refunded me.
Go ahead and buy it’s worth every penny. A*
I called up Sureflap and the first thing to say is that the customer service is really amazing. A real friendly person answers the phone promptly. They took me through a series of diagnostics and sent a testing kit which arrived the next day. The door tested out ok and they sent a replacement microchip. Anyhow, to cut a long story short the microchip and door were fine it was just having a problem learning Charlies mircrochip. We had been trying to get Charlie to come in from the outside first time around for the device to learn. But when we tried it the other way round and got him to go from the inside out first time around the device worked a treat and stored his chip in the memory. I’d recommend doing it this way around if you are having problems.
The door works great now and it is with some satisfaction that I now occasionally see the local cats Fergus, Eddy and especially Edwin sulking outside unable to get in.
PS As an added bonus I speculate that it might be harder for Charlie to bring in birds and mice through the Sureflap
PPS I rarely review items but felt the product and customer service were so good as to warrant good testimony
I purchased Sureflap about 6 months ago and it’s the best purchase I ever made. I had a Staywell magnetic flap previously and one of my cats (we have 3) would slowly make his way through the flap and it would be left open allowing other cats to follow him in. Also a neighbour’s cat learned how to ram himself against it and sure enough it opened up for him! I’ve lost count of how many magnets I have had to replace over the last couple of years which ended up costing me more than the original purchase of the flap. I saw a couple of cats on our garden who also wore the magnets on their collars so entering my house was a doddle for them! There’s nothing worse than entering your kitchen in the morning to an awful stink of cat pee. It would be all over our worktops and no matter what product we used to clean it up we still couldn’t get rid of the stench, and of course the renegade cats would do it in the same place over and over again. Also other cats entering my house terrorised my youngest cat Tessie and made her a nervous wreck. My daughter had a Sureflap installed at her house and had no such problems so I decided to give it a go. To my surprise there was no extra drilling to do as the Sureflap fitted over the opening made for the Staywell flap. It was very easy to programme the flap having only to set it to record mode as soon as each cat came near it. What a difference it has made! No more dreading the morning cleaning job and Tessie no longer sits looking at the flap in fear of an intruder eating her food and attacking her. Sureflap may be on the expensive side but it’s well worth it considering how much work it has saved me and my cats are happy being able to come and go as they please without looking over their shoulder. I would highly recommend you get yourself a Sureflap – you won’t regret it I promise!
I purchased Sureflap about 6 months ago and it’s the best purchase I ever made. I had a Staywell magnetic flap previously and one of my cats (we have 3) would slowly make his way through the flap and it would be left open allowing other cats to follow him in. Also a neighbour’s cat learned how to ram himself against it and sure enough it opened up for him! I’ve lost count of how many magnets I have had to replace over the last couple of years which ended up costing me more than the original purchase of the flap. I saw a couple of cats on our garden who also wore the magnets on their collars so entering my house was a doddle for them! There’s nothing worse than entering your kitchen in the morning to an awful stink of cat pee. It would be all over our worktops and no matter what product we used to clean it up we still couldn’t get rid of the stench, and of course the renegade cats would do it in the same place over and over again. Also other cats entering my house terrorised my youngest cat Tessie and made her a nervous wreck. My daughter had a Sureflap installed at her house and had no such problems so I decided to give it a go. To my surprise there was no extra drilling to do as the Sureflap fitted over the opening made for the Staywell flap. It was very easy to programme the flap having only to set it to record mode as soon as each cat came near it. What a difference it has made! No more dreading the morning cleaning job and Tessie no longer sits looking at the flap in fear of an intruder eating her food and attacking her. Sureflap may be on the expensive side but it’s well worth it considering how much work it has saved me and my cats are happy being able to come and go as they please without looking over their shoulder. I would highly recommend you get yourself a Sureflap – you won’t regret it I promise!
This is basically a 4-way manual cat flap with an additional battery operated electric switch to stop other cats getting in to your home without your cat(s) having to wear a cumbersome magnet on their collar as long as they are microchipped.
I do recommend it as it does the job very well. The click of the switch is a bit noisy especially if your cat is faffing around trying to decide whether to come in or not which can be a bit of a nuisance in the early hours of the morning as it clicks clacks on and off until the decision is made!
I fitted it with no problem as a replacement for a manual staywell flap.
My only wish would be for it to have some sort of timer so you could control your own cat’s movements without having to manually turn the knob to change the setting. As it is I still have to get up 3.30 am to let him out! there are some flaps available with timer settings but they need mains power to run and I have no power sockets anywhere near the flap.
Quick tip – if your kitten hammers on the cat flap to be let out fit a thick plastic showercap over the flap and put a few drops of pepper oil on it. My kitten couldn’t understand why sometimes he could get out and not others so this acts as a visual sign that the flap is locked and he doesn’t like the smell.
This is a great cat flap. I bought it in desperation when our gentle, timid new cat was increasingly bothered by the old bully cat next door. Next door’s cat kept coming in, frightening our cat, spraying our house making it smell yuk, eating our cat’s food, leaving fur around, doing the toilet in the house – you can imagine…!
Luckily a handyman had already cut out the hole in the door for our last bog-standard cat flap. This new cat flap was able to use the same hole, and all I needed to do was make another couple of holes with the drill for the new screws. I used a thinner drill bit than the one mentioned in the instructions as I was worried it’d be a bit too big – and it fitted fine (think it was 5mm instead of 6mm). I am a mum who has never done the power tool thing, but I fitted it no problem – the kids were amazed. The only thing I did wrong first time was put the cat flap on the wrong way! It looks different to the normal cat flap because the tunnel bit needs to be on the outside. Setting it up for our cat was super easy.
Peace reigns in our house again. Our cat is happier and we are all much happier too – relaxed in the knowledge the cat next door can’t get in. It smells nice again in our house, too!
I did the research and this one seemed to be the one for us. I didn’t want one that had to be pluged into the mains as it just isn’t convenient so a battery one seemed favourite. We had to enlarge the original hole slightly as this cat flap is just a little wider at the bottom, other than that it fitted perfectly. We nearly had a crisis bcause my husband didn’t read the instructions and thought he was supposed to shorten the tunnel to fit the depth of the door. If he had done this he would have cut off the microchip reader.
The cat flap is beautifully finished off and is very sturdy and looks very good quality. The cats were used to a cat flap so didn’t need to be trained to use it but they were a little wary of the longer tunnel than they were used to and the click noise every time they got near it. It took them about half an hour before they were completely comfortable with it. They have been using it for 3 weeks now and it’s a god send.
I am sure that there are more cat owners who have cats with different dietary issues. I think that in the future Sureflap could make Microchip cat flap which is controlled both way, as I am sure they are cat owners who have more than one cat, and you not always want all our cats being able to go out of the house. I would love our Persian being able to do in and out of the house when she wants to, but not our Bengal due to his previous health issues, and I am happy to pay for such product. Hopefully Superflat will come up with more advance product soon.
I’m sure this is a fantastic product and really can’t mark it down just because my cat refuses to use it 2 weeks on. We have tried everything – Dreamies in the tunnel, tuna in the tunnel, waving her food bowl through it, waving a forkful of tuna through it, refusing to let her in through the door, leaving her out all day without any food, sellotaping the door open, and putting her through it ourselves (some say you should, some say you shouldn’t). Today she was sitting outside in the rain waiting to be let in rather than use it. I thought she might be worried about getting stuck because she is big and fluffy and it does look rather small but she knows now that she can pass through it. She’s had a sniff a couple of times but the catch clicking down really freaks her out. Am reluctant to put it on manual mode because she’ll get used to that then be spooked by the clicking again. Might have to give that a try though. Getting desperate now.
Apart from that…….it looks good. It’s easy to install as long as you get your measurements right! We hsd the hole in the glass cut too low forgetting to allow for the size of the adaptor as well, so had to adapt the adaptor. Getting her microchip read was (thankfully) done in a split second. It is expensive by the time you’ve had to get a new double glazed unit – if you are fitting it in glass, but would pay for itself if it removed the need for a 2 week stay in a cattery – which ours now won’t! We won’t give up and will continue to push her through it. Easy from the inside but not so from the outside because she runs off.
If you have a real scaredy cat like ours, be aware that they might not want to use it.
I’m sure this is a fantastic product and really can’t mark it down just because my cat refuses to use it 2 weeks on. We have tried everything – Dreamies in the tunnel, tuna in the tunnel, waving her food bowl through it, waving a forkful of tuna through it, refusing to let her in through the door, leaving her out all day without any food, sellotaping the door open, and putting her through it ourselves (some say you should, some say you shouldn’t). Today she was sitting outside in the rain waiting to be let in rather than use it. I thought she might be worried about getting stuck because she is big and fluffy and it does look rather small but she knows now that she can pass through it. She’s had a sniff a couple of times but the catch clicking down really freaks her out. Am reluctant to put it on manual mode because she’ll get used to that then be spooked by the clicking again. Might have to give that a try though. Getting desperate now.
Apart from that…….it looks good. It’s easy to install as long as you get your measurements right! We hsd the hole in the glass cut too low forgetting to allow for the size of the adaptor as well, so had to adapt the adaptor. Getting her microchip read was (thankfully) done in a split second. It is expensive by the time you’ve had to get a new double glazed unit – if you are fitting it in glass, but would pay for itself if it removed the need for a 2 week stay in a cattery – which ours now won’t! We won’t give up and will continue to push her through it. Easy from the inside but not so from the outside because she runs off.
If you have a real scaredy cat like ours, be aware that they might not want to use it.
I so so wish I could have given this 5 stars. It’s a fantastic idea, the reviews are good, and when I opened the box it looked really well made. I bought this to go in a new back door about to go up, and it was to keep our dachshund in (she has become an expert cat-flap-jumper), but allow the 3 cats to get in and out OK.
Unfortunately what the blurb on Amazon doesn’t tell you (but that the manual does) is that the flap does not discriminate between animals going out -any can get out (in automatic mode). But that it is only in auto mode that animals wearing a chip not learnt by the unit will be kept out, and the rest allowed in.
Sadly this would have left us with the potential to lock the dog out -and the whole idea was to keep her in unless we opened a door for her, and reduce the risk of her escaping (the cats always come home, we have no idea if she would).
Unfortunately I had to use Amazon’s (really efficient) returns system, and the flap is on its way back.
I could not give this high or low marks -it’s a great product but there should be a little more info here on Amazon.
AA
UPDATE
The company got in touch with me after this review, and tell me that they are working on a flap that will do what I had originally wanted, and will let me know when it is available. I am very impressed with their approach to me, thus have increased the star rating to 4 -their customer service is indeed as good as other reviewers have said, so I will be going back to them when the right product is available for me.
AA
I so so wish I could have given this 5 stars. It’s a fantastic idea, the reviews are good, and when I opened the box it looked really well made. I bought this to go in a new back door about to go up, and it was to keep our dachshund in (she has become an expert cat-flap-jumper), but allow the 3 cats to get in and out OK.
Unfortunately what the blurb on Amazon doesn’t tell you (but that the manual does) is that the flap does not discriminate between animals going out -any can get out (in automatic mode). But that it is only in auto mode that animals wearing a chip not learnt by the unit will be kept out, and the rest allowed in.
Sadly this would have left us with the potential to lock the dog out -and the whole idea was to keep her in unless we opened a door for her, and reduce the risk of her escaping (the cats always come home, we have no idea if she would).
Unfortunately I had to use Amazon’s (really efficient) returns system, and the flap is on its way back.
I could not give this high or low marks -it’s a great product but there should be a little more info here on Amazon.
AA
UPDATE
The company got in touch with me after this review, and tell me that they are working on a flap that will do what I had originally wanted, and will let me know when it is available. I am very impressed with their approach to me, thus have increased the star rating to 4 -their customer service is indeed as good as other reviewers have said, so I will be going back to them when the right product is available for me.
AA
First, it works brilliantly, just as described. It’s easy to install, easy to set up, and my curious cat got used to it quickly.
Not all was straightforward, as first of all I discovered my cat wasn’t microchipped – she was a rescue cat and I’m pretty sure that the vet I got her from had said they had chipped as well as neutered her. However we took her the same day to get it done (one-second job plus paperwork) and the flap was programmed the first time she went through. Like magic!
The worst part by far was getting the old cat flap off the door where it was firmly rusted in place! This one has just two screws, very easy. The old cat flap was a different shape and at first I squeezed this one in the too-tall and slightly too-narrow hole. Mistake, even though it went in, as the flap didn’t flap back down properly. Had to trim a bit off the side of the hole. Because this cat flap has a very thick frame it didn’t matter that the old hole was taller – the frame covers it up.
Most comments I get are ‘that’s a very small cat flap’. Maybe because it’s more square than rectangular it does look small, but take the advice of other reviewers on how big cats cope – mine is long and thin.
Highly recommended.
Compared to my previous Infra Red operated flap, this one scores far better.
It is sturdily built with no loose or wobbly parts.
The big aggressive cats who want to come in are left outside, and have now given up trying.
The transparent door is much appreciated by my hesitant cat who wants to check what’s outside first.
The door opens with a much quieter click; the previous device would make her jump every time.
Lost collars are now no longer a worry, neither is having to replace expensive lost IR units.
My cat is more comfortable without the IR device dangling under her chin all the time.
When inside my cat cannot unintentionally trigger the flap allowing an unwanted cat inside.
No chance of another cat having the same ID or device as my own cat and getting in.
I have no idea where my cat’s chip is, and I was worried it wouldn’t be detected if it had moved from her neck. I am pleased to say that this unit finds it every time – wherever it is.
There is a lot of helpful support on the manufacturers web site.
It was a lot of money to spend, but it works, and I have fewer worries about the system failing, and locking my cat out.
9 months update. Still working fine. One pleased cat!
We came home last week to find him inside the house (I could smell that spray smell as soon as I walked in) and our cats upstairs huddled on the bed. We had to take action and, after reading all the reviews on here, decided to send for the Sureflap Microchip cat flap. Well, it works a treat. After a little initial hesitation at the clicking noise, our two cats have quickly learned how to use it. One of our cats is used to charging at the cat flap like a bat out of hell and after a couple of bumps on the head, seems now to have learned that she must approach her new cat flap a little more sedately!
The new cat flap was easy to install, though we obviously already had a gap ready made. We rang Customer Services at Sureflap with the dimensions and she assured us that the new one would fit OK. We found her advice very courteous and helpful. The instruction booklet is very easy to follow.
It’s with a great sigh of relief that, as spring approaches, we can come and go knowing that only our two cats can get into the house. As for the tom cat, he is currently asleep in the shed as usual and he’s OK. He’s a placid enough little fellow but he’ll have to make do with the shed I’m afraid. I can’t do with coming home to tom cat pongs and traumatised moggies!
Very highly recommended.
We have two “kittens”,6 months old,and before fitting the Cat Flap it was necessary for me to go out in the cold and wet for some long time to do their tray, play with them and keep a large conservatory window open so they could come and go. This was mainly at the insistance of my granddaughter following the slaughter and devouring in our garden of an erstwhile pigeon by a massive sparrow hawk in full view of all of us including the cats.
This is now a thing of the past as the “kittens” instantly got used to the flap. They can even beat me from the front door to the kitchen via the flap. I use the front door.
Cutting the hole through a 5 laminate panel (two outer skins,two insulation skins and a central thin aluminium sheet) proved difficult. The cutter stayed still while my wife and I vibrated each side of the door.
This solved with a different blade the installation was simple. The aluminium sheet does not appear to affect operations, unless battery power is ultimately reduced.
At the moment they seem to delay their exit causing the equipment to click repeatedly and the male Benji is getting bigger every day. I hope he stops growing before he gets stuck. Coco his sister,she’s a lady, slips through like a hot knife through butter.
The equipment straight away picked up their chips and We are all very pleased with the result.
Question. Is there any danger of chip fraud?
I reluctantly coughed up the extra for one of these and installed it easily as it fitted the existing hole.
I soaked the cat flap in that cat pheromone stuff and spent three months dangling treats out through it trying to convince him to come in through it. Whilst he would go out through it, he was just too sceptical to come back in. Picking him up and shoving him through didn’t seem to go down too well for all parties involved. I even tried leaving him to get hungry, but he just resorted to catching birds.
Then one day he started using it. It’s brilliant now that he is using it.
My advise is if you plan to stick one in, don’t plan to go away for a few months after installation.
We recently moved to a house away from a busy main road and so were keen for our cat to have some freedom after nearly a year of being shut in and only let out on occasions. I am very pleased with the cat flap – it works perfectly. The problem is that our cat refuses to use it! Maybe the problem is that she had not been used to using a cat flap before and at 1 yr old it may be too difficult to train her?? She has used it either way once so I think she knows how it works but as it is a bit of an ungainly struggle for her as it is quite narrow and a bit ‘tunnel-like’ – she will only use it if you hold the flap wide open so she can jump through – which rather defeats the object of a cat flap! She seems to have an dislike of using her face to push at doors (not just cat flaps) I have taken to pushing her through so she can get the idea that she has to push her head at the door but am trying not to do this too much as she really doesnt like that! Is there any way of encouraging a cat to use a cat flap – can anyone help?