Cat Mate Elite Microchip Cat Flap with Digital Timer & LCD Display for up to 9 Cats, White
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| EXCLUSIVE ACCESS: Give your furry friend exclusive access to your home with the Elite Microchip Cat Flap, which works by reading your cat’s unique microchip or Cat Mate ID Disc (available separately) when entering the house. Now they can have the best of both worlds while you no longer have to worry about seeing unknown furry faces. | FLEXIBLE 4-WAY LOCK: With a secure double point 4-way locking system that gives you the option to set this pet door to in only, out only, in or out, or fully locked. It’s perfect for all doors and thin panels. | TIMER FUNCTIONALITY: Set a curfew for your furry friend so you can control when they enter and leave home. It also ensures that a wild animal or next door’s furry won’t barge into your home when you’re not looking! |
| Weight: | 500 g |
| Size: | One Size |
| Dimensions: | 24.77 x 14.48 x 26.67 cm; 500 Grams |
| Model: | 355W |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | Yes |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Colour: | White |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | One Size |
The cats got used to this pretty quickly even though it makes a sound each time they go through it. Love that I know if they are in or out according to the display – unless of course they come in through a different open door! Haven’t tried the programming function yet, but works well otherwise.
The only thing I am not so keen on is the depth of it – it sticks out quite a long way on the outside of the door which does look a bit naff. Still happy with it though.
I installed this microchip-powered wonder to resolve problems of illegal catruding by a neighbourhood feline. Said animal would sneak into the house in the small hours, scoff our cat’s food, terrorise him and leave. This catflap has, so far, put an end to such shennanigans. It was pretty easy to install (I used the glass door adaptor because the existing catflap aperture was too large otherwise) and set up quickly. I don’t know what happens when the batteries expire but I’m presuming we’ll need to retrain the machine to recognise our cat.
So quite happy with my purchase.
Not easy to work timer took a couple of day to program it.
With todays technology maybe could be not as deep i have a big cat & finds it difficult to get through but its the largest microchip one i could find.
Replacement for older version. Easy to install as same size and thickness. Easy to programme for 2 kittens. Draught excluded great and what made us choose Cat Mate many years ago.
It’s brilliant and our cat loves it, except for when it’s locked lol
This cat flap is easy enough to install (although beware if you have a UPVC door with mouldings on it) and seems to work perfectly well.
I had to read the instructions a few times to work out how to set the timer function but once you get your head around it, its a simple enough process.
Programming the cat’s tag to the unit was simple and instantly successful and the flap now lets her come and go as she wishes between 7am and 7pm, lets her in at all times, but keeps her locked in once she is in at night. After a couple of nights of banging her head on the inside of the flap after her curfew time, she has even worked out that there is no point in trying if it doesn’t open immediately.
Overall a great purchase, a good product, which does exactly what we wanted it to do.
Bought to replace cat mate microchip cat flap that didn’t have a timer so the hole in the door was already there…my bf did the installation and although I did hear an occasional curse word and quite a lot of banging, he managed to fit it and said it went into the existing hole wIthout too much trouble. It was easy to get the cats’ chips registered by tempting them through with a couple of treats and the instructions were clear and easy to understand. I love that now I don’t have to remember to lock it at night to avoid those “little gifts” of disembowelled mice or the live ones! It’s now set up to go to “In Only” between 9pm and 6am – great product, highly recommended
First class product. Comprehensive simple instructions allow the cat flap to be easily programmed and installed, although you do need a jigsaw to enable it to be fitted. Practically it works very well, our car used it regularly only 24 hours after it had been fitted.
Bought to replace Elite disc only cat flap as new cat had lost 3 collars in 8 weeks. Fitted Elite microchip version straight into hole but the tunnel stuck out way too far out from the door. The elements would get into the sensor section on the outside of tunnel, plus it would have been damaged with wheelchair wheel going in and out. Bought PetSafe Microchip Cat Flap instead, perfect size.
My 5 months old kitten needed just two days to learn how to use it. Half a day Training mode with an open door, one day with closed door on Training mode and half a day me standing outside with treats (to repeat a few times).
I was worried about the lock noise, but it doesn’t bother her at all. The tunnel might seem too long on the outside but it helps the cat to come back as it’s usually higher above the ground and it reads a microchip so don’t cut it. I’ve ordered an outdoor half step just to make it easier for her to reach the tunnel. I know that with 4 buttons it might be difficult to operate so many functions and yes, it works but it takes time to learn.
If you are buying this CatFlap because of the timer function please note, that it works for ALL your cats and once you set it up, it’s too time-consuming to change it. But you can always switch it OFF. What I really like is to see if the cat is in or outside and if outside then for how long. (If she used the cat flap).
I have a UPVC door and I asked a friend to install it. If you do not have skilled handyman around you, don’t try to do it yourself.
Positives: It is easy to change the lock from IN only, OUT only, IN and OUT or LOCKED and handy to see if the cat is at home or not. My cat loves that she can see outside through the clear door before she goes out.
Negatives: The TIMER function will only work for someone who does not need to change it very often. In the future, I’ll be buying something which can be easy to operate by connecting CatFlap with mobile phone app through the Bluetooth or wifi or hub. This one will do for now. The main thing is that the cat can go out and in and I don’t have to open a window or door all the time.
GREAT CAT FLAP THANKYOU. WORKED FIRST TIME AND CAT IS USED TO IT AFTER ONLY ONE DAY.
Programming it once fitted is not easy you have to get down to it and the buttons are quite small. Once set up though it works fine and the cat(s) can come and go as they wish during the periods that you have set.
Easy to install and set up access for our cat.
Bought this cat flap to replace an older version that had come to the end of its life. Love the lcd display that shows which cats are in /out (we have two). works fine with our cats old style neck tag (other manufactures have stopped making devices that work with these.
Bought as a replacement for the same model we’ve had for the last 4 years but has broken.
Great timer and microchip features, however, this doesn’t always log if the cat is in or out of the house as it should.
Great in theory but really disapointed 2 years later. our cat isn’t mean to go out at night. The cat flap just keeps on opening whenever it feels like it and let’s him out. Then locks so that he is stuck outside and can’t come in. It is guaranteed for 3 years if you register and even though we didn’t see this in the small print the manufacturer is kindly sending us a new one. So relieved as quite expensive
Has a tendency to spontaneously lock on exit if the cat doesn’t go through promptly, which then stops the car getting out. But resets itself after a while. Entrance function with chip or tag works well.
This is brilliant as has the timer function for keeping my cats in during the night. However takes ages to set up but once done it works beautifully . A little noisy when it unlocks
This item was not compatible with my door so was returned but the service was excelle
We looked to purchase this for our 3 cats as my husband wanted them to not be allowed out at night, but still to be able to get if if they have been wandering. The chip programming was easy. But the timer functions take a bit more thought. There is a protruding tunnel on the outside to allow for chip detection so it is not a sleek design but does mean other cats can’t gain access to your home.
It even remembers the cat chips etc when you change the batteries ( once a year)
The tunnel design also mean access to the door handle etcetera is very difficult for intruders so good for security. It is only plastic but a robust design.
First the good bits….
One of our cats is an extreme escape artist, he has previously broken cat flap doors, finding ways around the programmers and locks (usually by clawing under the edge of the flap and then breaking the door itself), but to date (1 month in) it’s still perfect!
I’m a little surprised to be honest and our cats seem so much more relaxed, so completely worth the money.
I really like the little pictures on the display which show which cats are in and which are out (if you can remember which cat is which number).
The programmer, whilst a bit simplistic is useful, allowing us to set a time for the cats to come in/out. So we allow the cats to come in at any time and out only between 5am and 9pm (they do their worst fighting with other cats over night).
Now the bad bits..
As mentioned by some other reviews the programmer is a bit of a joke (designed by someone with no experience of a UI or is very organised to know where all their manuals are at all times as …) you will need the manual to set the clock, set the timer, set up the cats microchips etc. It’s not obvious.
Once working it’s fine and you’ll probably never need the manual again (the unit retains the info of the microchips and clock if you switch out the battery quick enough).
The instructions are weird, saying you should push your cat through the cat flap before installing. I completely didn’t understand why you would do this step, I just did it once installed.
Our cats seem more confident to go out and do seem to get better sleep, I assume because they don’t expect another animal to appear in their space.
Some of the reviews put me off a bit but my daughter has one & she’s happy with hers, brought purely for the programme eliment, cracked the timer after a few attempts, works well, max was rather hesitant to start with, due to the noise but after a few days he was fine.
More robust than my last cat flap & the draugh excluder works very well.
Very happy does what I needed it to do
No more unwanted visitors attacking my cats in their own home or eating their food. Just make sure your cats are microchipped or you have RFID tags as they do not come with the item, I thought my cats were chipped but a couple of trips to the vets and they are now. Works a dream
But fiddky to set up. Instructions could be a little clearer in oarts bot overall very good product. Noise it makes may put some cats off but Milo seems to love it.
Great purchase which does the job, allows you see if your cat is in or out and to set your furry friend’s curfew rules.
Was simple to install to install. Instructions were a little tricky to follow first time but superb customer service from the seller – a lady patiently talked through with me and now it’s a doddle (you need to reset when you change batteries).
Just installed this in a window – works well and the cats have no trouble with it at all. Would be 5 stars, but the tunnel is longer than expected (and cannot be trimmed) so ive had to add an extra 3″ “shelf” to the exterior windowsill for cats to stand on when coming in.
I now can’t live without this product, works perfectly with my 2 cats who are micro chipped, they have no issues going in and out within their set times. I no longer have to get up early to let them out or worry about them being out all night. Product is great quality and keeps the cold out when closed.
Excellent cat flap with clever technology. It took us a day or two to work out how to programme the timings part – programming for the cat’s chip was simple enough. It also took our cat a few days to work out how much pressure was required to push the door (after the chip had been detected) but it all works extremely well now. We have one happy cat that can get in and out while we’re out! Plus the timer locks the door, so prevents him from disappearing into the night…
Our new cat has a habit of starting his day early and previously would move heaven and earth (and whatever else we had in front of the previous cat flap) to let himself out, even breaking the plastic panel on the Petsafe door at one point. This cat flap is very good and sturdy and in the month I’ve had it our cat has not broken the flap panel or managed to unlock the flap outside the allowed times.
This catflap however has a larger tunnel than the previous Petmate and is very fiddly to set up with one person, be prepared to grab a saw and someone else to help you have an easier time with installation.
I will say the catflap is very unintuitive to use at first. The manual has everything smooshed together without any clear bullet points or clear indication what does what so it can be quite confusing at first even for someone that works with a lot of electronics. That said programming in a cat’s microchip into the system (before installing into the door/wall) is very easy, so easy that I didn’t realise it was done (and was afraid it wasn’t registered correctly as there’s no real indication that you’ve done it). I suspect you’d have an easier time if your animal wears and keeps on the compatable ID disc option.
If you cat has kitty friends (or if one of them sneaks into the house by another entry method) they can go outside (as long as the flap is set to allow out) without needing to be programmed into the cat flap system.
Also the flap has a rather cute icon to say which programmed cat is in, and when they last used the cat flap.
The timer programming is very awkward to set up (as is almost all the programming on the cat flap) and is set for all cats on the system. Personally I’ve got mine set to 8pm Cat In Only to 4am Cat Out and In, I’m almost certain that you can only set one timer program. It would be nice to be able to set multiple programs or be able to set a different program to a different cat.
If you’ve got a nervous or shy cat expect them to be scared of the sounds of the lock system on this door, they locks make a noise when the registered animal is close to the sensor. Give them some time to get adjusted and they’ll have no problem.
The flap is very clear and even after a month’s usage (and kitty wanting to go out and scratching it), the panel is still crystal clear. Our cat also liked to attacked the previous cat flap from all sides to get it to open, but this one is like a mini Fort Knox, not even Houdini himself could get out this cat flap when it is locked.
I have given this product 4/5 stars only because the main selling point (the timer programming) is very fiddly to work. You hold one button and then press and hold a second one, but get the presses wrong and it’s a different command or nothing happens. Also the buttons were very firm to press. Perhaps this is down to stopping a cat pressing buttons randomly however it does make it very difficult to use. I do recommend this cat flap to anyone considering it, but bear in mind it will take you a few days to get the hang of the programming (heck after a month I’ve still got the manual nearby in case I need to change something on the hoof)
I have had this installed for a few years for 3 cats. They were wary at first of the noise it made when unlocking, but we sat each side with treats passing the cats through to show them how to use it (by pushing with the head, not pawing at it) and to get used to the sound. Never had any problems with it. And no more strays coming in . Well worth the money. And so easy to install.
Fanastic – once the chip is paired they can go in and out on their own according to your set schedule. She is confused now when it is locked but they learn quickly
Cat loves it and so do I. This Cat Mate microchip cat flap with trimmer is just what we needed for our new young cat. No worries about losing collar with magnetic keys for cat flap. The cats microchip is the key, it will register up to 3 cats, it will tell if each cat is in or out and has a timmer to lock and unlock at a set time. This can prevent cats going out after a certain time but still allow them to come in. There is a digital display to show status and for programming. It also has a training mode to help cats get used to it.Installation is very easy to. I would recommend this product.
First problem I encountered was that the cut out required was larger than our previous cat flap (that was over 20 years old).
As it is fitted to a double glazed door I had to get a new panel manufactured (thank you sealedunitsonline).
Once fitted programming was easy (if you follow the instructions), the cats soon got used to the ‘unlocking’ noise and the timer function is brilliant. Screen does however ‘blur’ slightly when pushing the function buttons.
The ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ indicator for our two cats also works brilliantly despite one of our cats being in the habit of sticking her head out then coming back in. Now been operating for 3 months with no problems.
Positives: Able to keep our cats in at night; know if they are in or out; looks great from the inside.
Negatives: Larger than older cat flaps; tunnel is long and sticks out a long way on the outside making it look a bit ugly
I would thoroughly recommend this product.
We changed to this from another make because next door’s cat was cunning enough to get through the other one.
In comparison this one has been very successful and has the added bonus of showing you how long since each of 3 cats last used it. The battery compartment is a bit fiddly compared to SureFlap, but that is the only downside. The hole required is slightly larger than Sure Flaps, so a bit of adjustment was needed, but the change was very worthwhile.
Easy to fit. Easy to set up and programme. Works perfectly and instantly stopped other cars coming to our house and even the garden when tgeyvrealised they couldn’t get to the food.
Response time is quick enough for our cat to run into the house
Product looks and feels great but please be aware that this is NOT size adjustable in anyway and is more suitable for a brick wall and not for doors. (Unless they are the thickness of an average wall. Had to be refunded and returned…
Incredibly easy to fit apart from cutting a hole in the door, amd also very easy to program. Simply press a button, push the cat through and press the button again, each cat gets a number so in theory you could give each cat different access. Excellent customer service when we did need it.
Excellent service from both the seller and the Cat Mate Elite Service Team who helped with some queries I had on suitability.
Works really well if you need to control the movement of your cats. Allows us to keep ours in overnight. Easy enough to program if you read the instructions and hasn’t let us down yet. Compatible with our cats’ microchips
Very good product, only thing I’d say is took a bit of time to fit but nothing majorly difficul
Also means that no other cat can get in!
Excellent bit of kit and stops neighbouring cats from coming in and stealing his food, only took a couple of days for my cat to get used to it. Recommend this.
It is also great to know how long he has been in or out for too. Gives me an indication if he is avoiding going out due to a bully neighbour cat. Very clever idea. My boyfriend loves checking if he is in before he comes upstairs.
My cat uses it all the time and has never had a problem. The only negative point is the noise that the motor makes when it recognises the microchip as it is very loud. My cat is not bothered by it but I can hear it at the other end of my flat and it is especially noisy at night. I can see why timid cats would be a bit scared. This is the reason I gave 4 stars.
It was easy to fit into a double glazed door. It took my brother 40 mins in total.
Not as good as my previous one not as advanced but does job
Works well, can program to let our cat in and out when we want, and to stop her going out when we want to as well.
unfortunately just a little too big, but otherwise a great produc
In the end I decided to bite the bullet and install it (cutting into the panel of a relatively new UPVC door!!) – anyway, within half an hour the cat was coming and going as he pleased, so very happy and relieved.
The only other concern is that after a couple of weeks use the battery indicator is already down to one bar, which doesn’t seem long.
It would be good if the manufacturers instructions had told me the things that the supplier told me over the phone.
Over all though – so far so good.
Easy to use, does what it says on the tin, worked straight out of the box, and is strong enough to stop an unwanted cat following our cat in through the flap. Batteries last about a year, and give plenty of warning to be replaced. The cat loves the freedom, and quickly learnt when she was allowed ou
Easy to install and set up. No issues registering the cats microchip. Only have one cat so can’t comment on use with multiple cats. The local ginger tom has finally given up trying to get through it now!
Inserted into an external reinforced PVC insulated door. Followed instructions and cut with 5 mm margin – this was unnecessary and as external surface of door grooved and directly facing prevailing weather, I therefore decided needed to be to filedl with sealant to improve insulation etc. If doing again I would have had cut with a 1 mm margin.
Otherwise has worked great and no problems.
So first off the screws are on the outside, so from a security point of view someone could remove this and then reach into to unlock a nearby window.
The controls and menu’s are bit confusing, not easy to change schedule or lock temporary. Also it always says it has low battery regardless.
My final gripe is that there is no indication for the cat that it is unlocked. So are often woken up to the sound of the cat banging it repetitively at 4:55 in anticipation of it it opening at 5. Be good if there was a light or sound when it was unlocked, like his automated bowl.
Installed this some weeks ago. Instructions for installation and programming were fine, although one of the buttons is under a removable panel. Not rocket science, just need to pay close attention to the instructions. I’m happy with it and the cat seems to be coming round to it as well, so win win!
Advice: place your cat through the cat flap to recognise microchip during setup before installation, just incase the microchip is too far down the cats neck and it doesn’t work. There is a small tunnel that pretrudes on the exterior side of the door, (size will depend on depth of your door). This is the reciever. Took a while for cat to get used to.
I’ve given it a 4-star, but I admit I haven’t decided whether to buy this one, or a competitor. At this juncture, I just want to highlight the total confusion that obviously exists (see various questions and not-very-helpful answers) around “external size”, “internal size”, and “cut-out size”. All I need to know is: what size of ruddy hole my builder should make in an external wall!!!
getting the cats in the hole to program was fun, 1 has learnt to use with confidence, the other thinks we are her servants & will only use the back door.
One glitch was when my smaller cat somehow managed to get her foot trapped in the cat flap (sounded like she was being murdered ) I quickly freed her and have noticed she now uses her nose rather than paw to open the flap , slight concern that if this had happened while I was at work she may have been stuck / injured. Am confident it was a one off , otherwise I’d have removed it and sent it back.
EDIT – since that one incident that have been no more and the cat flap is perfect !
In summary, excellent. I’m sure that there will be people who don’t have a similar experience. My cat is a bit of a wuss so she doesn’t really try very hard to defeat the locking mechanism when it won’t let her out, she just accepts that it’s locked and walks away. If you’ve got a cat who can open doors etc then they might be able to unlock the flap. It bolts with the solenoid on 2 plastic pins in the center bottom of the flap. Really the 2 plastic pins should be further apart, as it allows the bottom corners to be pulled.
So far so good. In my case, I needed to use sealant around the cat flap to finish the job – but that’s to be expected. It took the cats 3/4 days to learn to use it – from no experience of cat flaps – so that was good. It seems the something is triggered inside the flap (I think it unlocks briefly) whenever we open or close the door. Make sure you note that if you have a Metal Door there are special instructions for installations embedded in the normal instructions.
Bit unsightly on the outside with its longer tunnel but it does the job, albeit noisily.
This catflap locks in place, and boy does it stay locked! The master escape artist has tried his best to get out whilst its locked, but theres no way he is getting out. Even Houdini would have struggled with this cat flap (ok maybe not).
It has a timer built in, so we set it to lock at 7pm and unlock at 6am. So once set, it just locks and unlocks automatically, we dont have to do anything. It has a little screen on the top plate which will tell you if the cat is in or out, and if he’s out we can find out what time he went out.
Yes, it is a tad pricey, but offers a lot of peace of mind, so worth it in the end I think.
Amazing. Here’s hoping it continues to work properly as my son had one which went wrong although they did replace it without any problems.
Best thing I have brought in ages, expensive but paying its way already
Great cat flap for keeping unwanted cats out.
We have 2 cats and found it easy to program for them both.
It has also kept the other cats out that kept spraying our kitche
Great cat flap and good that it can be programmed to keep certain cats in if they have an appointment. I highly recommend.
Really good Cat Flap. Easy to program and love the fact is shows whether your feline friend is in or out. Nice timer function if you want to make sure your babies are safe at night in doors and not out as this locks the flap. Like the fact is also works with both chips and tags!
Love the catflap but very confused, I’m working on the microchips. I have six cats, programmed them all but for one cat the mechanism isn’t working. When he exits the display reads PR2. I took him to the vets to get his chip checked and it’s absolutely fine, the vet found it straight away. Called the hotline and they were more than slightly baffled. I reprogrammed the affected cat after shutting down the system but it still doesn’t work. The hotline said to ring back Monday. Any ideas?
I’m a bit late with the review for this cat flap, but I guess it’s better late than never.
Our cat initially hated wearing a collar, so this cat flap was ideal because it could be sync’d to our cats microchip. It was easy to set up and worked perfectly until a few weeks ago. I contacted the seller with the issue, and they replied very quickly offering a replacement or refund. As we love the cat flap, we decided on a replacement, Which we also received very quickly.
No complaints from me whatsoeve
Excellent quality product. Does everything I expect to keep my cat safe.
Really good product bought for a wall will order another one for the doo
Very quick delivery. Swapping a Cat Mate tag reader for a Cat Mate microchip reader. Telephone help readily available and very helpful.
Top price, had my doubts but works really well… More than covered the cost in the first week in cat food keeping my neighbours cats out lol!
Great product, easy to install and easy to program. Just got to get the cat to use it without me holding the flap open.
I have this installed about two weeks and it’s good so far. I chose this becuase I wanted micro chip locking and a timer and this was the only cat flap I could find that had both.
I have it fitted into a glass door (new glass was fitted with a pre-cut hole).
There are no draughts around the fitting or through the flap and it seems robust.
It was OK to install.
Programming went OK, i’d advise programming the microchip bit before fitting it.
Changing the settings is OK but I’m still refering to the booklet as I sometimes forget which button to press.
The cat got used to it within two days, they have to put their head in the white box, wait for the click and then push it open. Firstly I had it on training mode and coaxed him in and out with treats, then stopped the treats and then on third day set it to microchip mode and he’s got on fine with it. In fact he’s in and out about 20 times a day.
I rang Petmate before I bought it to check it met my needs, they were very helpful.
Don’t underestimate the cost of the wall liners, we thought there might be a way round using 4 of them but there wasn’t. However, the cats love the cat flap (they’ve not had one before) and even our very nervous and not terribly bright kitten figured it out very quickly. The training mode is useful for teaching cats to use it if they haven’t used a cat flap before. Other cats have tried to get in through it but have failed every time. The feature that lets you see when each cat last used the cat flap is useful as is the indicator as to whether they’re inside or out (although my cats do sometimes fool this by unlocking it, going almost all the way through and then changing their mind. It picked up their microchips easily and setting it up was straight forward. We’ve now had it for a few weeks and they’ve been using it without any problems, one of them even manages to jump through it at a run!
fitted ok in place of my old cat mate magnetic cat flap. no template for drilling holes but managed eventually.
works a treat no more neighbours cats calling in all the time. my cat uses it ok but cant have it on energy saving mode as she often takes several attempts to get in which meant in that mode it locks for quite some time. in the non energy saving mode she can have several attempts with no problems. I would definately buy again my cat food bill has halved!
For anyone looking for a versatile cat flap this is brilliant. We have had no problems with it so far .
I had a magnet catflap before but tom cats were breaking in some barged through, some had a bell and the metal of that opened the flap. Resulting in spraying in my house and my old ladies worrying. One had constant water infections.
This flap was fitted 2 weeks ago, No intruders at all, they have all tried to get in, barged, persistent, but have failed.
Easy to install, easy to programme, find knowing which cat is in/out totally useful.
Would recommend to any cat owners!!!
Its instructions was easy to understand and was easy to programe, the flap fit into the existing hole in the door.
The cats took to it very quickly and most of all no other cat can bully or come into the house eating my cats food. Making them feel safe again.