is the microchip cat flap worth the expense?

Flat_Eric

Since August, we have been having issues with a cat coming into our house via our cat flap, eating our cat's food and generally thinking our house is his second home. I even spotted him spraying/marking his territory in our garden :eek: back in the summer.

It has been upsetting our cat - who is a bit of a wimp (bless him) but he does try his best to stand his ground.

We were seeing him all the time - but we now seem to go for days/weeks without seeing this cat but then unfortunately he appears again and he visited in the night on Thursday when they must have fought because there was ginger and black fur over the kitchen floor.

I've considered getting the Sureflap Microchip cat flap before but I have been put off because the reviews are mixed, customers of the cat flap who have had issues comment the customer support is non existent and at a price of near on £70, its not something I want to try out and hope for the best.

I'm also not sure how easy it would be to simply swap cat flaps - the sureflap microchip one seems to have a smaller door than our existing flap - not that this matters as our cat is only small but I'm just not sure if it will be possible to remove one cat flap and install the other easily and without any faff...

Do you have this cat flap and can you offer any insight on whether it is a worthwhile purchase/would welcome your general thoughts and comments on the flap please.

Thanks

tidus

We've had a sureflap for about a year after exactly the same problem. I'm glad to say its been excellent.

It was easy to fit, just screwed into the same hole left by our old cat flap. Batterys seem to last a long time (and we have 2 cats) maybe 2-3 months. It works very well - never fails to let them in, and its pretty quick to react and unlock. Its not a huge flap, but its big enough for ours - biggest one is 4.5KG, so a decent size puss.

Can't comment on their customer service, I've not needed it, so far.

Waterfalls

what kind of microchip does your cat have? some of the catsflaps used to have problems reading the chip which has a temperature reading within it. but the problems have improved so i hear ( its the cat flap thats at fault-not the chip) but if you are having problems with another cat, then i think its def worth the investment to help prevent your cat from getting stressed

Revel

We've had a sureflap one for over 2 years and it has been an excellent buy. We had a problem with it within the guarantee period but they sent the replacement part promptly and without any hassle.

LutonGirl

We have a PetPorte one that plugs in to the mains. Had it years and never a moment's problem. I bought it because a neighbour had a cat that would come in and eat all the food and pee. Once installed that all stopped. One of my cats has a microchip that has "travelled" from her scruff to down her left shoulder. I was worried that it wouldn't work on the cat flap chip reader, but it's fine. The flap makes a "peep" noise as the cats come in, but it's quite reassuring to hear the noise and know we have "incoming".

Flat_Eric

Waterfalls wrote: »

what kind of microchip does your cat have? some of the catsflaps used to have problems reading the chip which has a temperature reading within it. but the problems have improved so i hear ( its the cat flap thats at fault-not the chip) but if you are having problems with another cat, then i think its def worth the investment to help prevent your cat from getting stressed

Thanks all for your replies. We took our cat to the vets today to get him checked over - the vet said he had a cat bite to his paw so cleaned it and gave him a shot of bug busting stuff. I also got them to scan his chip - its a 15 digit number (I had been researching the flap and see it only works with certain combinations of chips although now I have been given the number, I'm not really any the wiser!)

We currently have a Cat Mate flap (inherited from the previous owners) . All we have done with this flap is replace the door. I'm not even sure whether it is a 4 lock door or not as I don't have a red bit - only green but of course its possible thats missing.

I have my suspicions that the microchip cat flap requires a slightly smaller hole than we currently have otherwise I would be ordering it without hesitation. Even if it doesn't work, it will probably save on vet bills. I love cats to bits but not ones that don't belong in my house !

jcb208

We have the sureflap as well with 3 cats no problems in 2 years.The flap was a bit smaler vertically then our old one but I just glued a 2 inch strip of wood to the existing opening before installing the sureflap

Flat_Eric

jcb208 wrote: »

We have the sureflap as well with 3 cats no problems in 2 years.The flap was a bit smaler vertically then our old one but I just glued a 2 inch strip of wood to the existing opening before installing the sureflap

the two flaps aren't going to be identical meaning a simple swap - sod's law and all that but I think it will be workable similar to what you have suggested. :j

doodle-bug_2

For those that say that the microchip flap is great - do your cats hit it at great speed? Mine rushes in so fast sometimes I think that he's taken half the door with him.
I'd hate to see him flattened on the outside of the flap (:rotfl:) but think that as he is such a bruiser he may take the whole flap with him!

Flat_Eric

Thank you again everyone for your replies re the cat flap. We were in two minds but after a vet bill of near on £150 (and possibly more to come), we decided it was worth at least trying.

It arrived in the week and was fitted today. It recognises my cat's chip and lets him in when he fathoms exactly what he is meant to be doing!

After getting it out of the box, I was a bit worried it would be too big (and it does seem to poke out a little more than I would expect) but not so the cat can't use it.

I am so relieved we have made the decision to buy it as it will stop the late night visits and stolen food and make my pet feel at home and relaxed again. I was especially happy that its all fitted and working after hearing that the strange cat had been in this morning (prior to flap being fitted) and our cat ran away said cat is going to get a shock when he tries to come in next time ! :T Thanks all and Merry Christmas :xmastree: