pet porte catflap

susiesue_2

has anybody got one of these? they are the microchip activated cat flaps that only your cat can get through. i suspect that a neghbours cat is upsetting our 2. i have seen rosie spraying up neighbours cars( didn't know girls sprayed) AND THERE IS A CATTY SMELL:eek: round the front door sometimes, but not all the time.

these cat flaps look great but are very pricey so i want some opinions before i descide to buy.

WeeMo_3

these are £77+ £5postage on ebay- did you find anywhere cheaper??

eira

Anyone know how tough they are? Last cat flap had been installed in the wall- we have a marauding and very large ginger tom-but before that our cats had demolished the last cat flap (one of dozens that have bitten the dust ). Is this a feasible installation ?

eira

just checked the answers on the web site-looks ideal in theory.

ajb69

We actually have one of these: overall, very impressed. It's expensive, but you do get what you pay for. I've no connection, apart from being a satisfied customer (although I've no way of proving that here, of course...)

Rather than a detailed post, here's a summary:

Pros:

* Micro-chip detection (only lets in your cats)
* Night-mode (will lock to in-only when light reaches a certain level - we don't let ours out at night, but we do work until 7pm, so very useful in winter)
*Vet mode - i.e. in -nly, so all cats locked in
* Open mode - both in and out open freely
* all the above modes work in combination; we tend to use open and night modes, so any cat can come in and out until it is dark, at which point the flap becomes in-only. But then again, we have the neighborhood's top cats - you can just as easily use chip mode and night mode together.
* Surprisingly easy to fit and program
* Very helpful support - you can ring up the inventor, and he will ship you new/upated versions for free if you hit problems.


Cons:

* Needs to be near an electricity supply
* In case of power-cut, it will reset to default mode - it will remember the cats' chips (up to 10 - they are stored permanently) but will forget, for example, if you have set night mode.
* Some cats' chips can be difficult to read - our flap is at the top of steps, and one of our six can fail if he approaches at speed / makes a flying leap from the side: the flap doesn't always read the chip in time. Having said that, you can alter the sensitivity (ring Pet Porte for details), and I suspect there wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for our steep steps / the fact our cat has an old (15 year old) chip. You can also check this before fitting, and send the flap back to PetPorte if it doesn't read your cats.
* You really do need to read the manual - this isn't like your average Staywell.
* There are only two lights/buttons on the flap - so it can be easy to get lost as to exactly what mode it is in; but you can always start again by flipping the power!
* Mains power lead is quite short...you'll probably need the extension cord (£5)

Finally, it's made in Jersey by a real practicing vet - which I think is a plus overall as it means they are in touch with the real world. However, be aware -

* you won't get 24 hour support - they are very good in my experience, but you can't demand this from a small firm
* Their phone number is a Jersey number, which is often means it's not included in any BT/mobile minutes; be aware that it can cost to call them - having said that, they always have offered to call me back without prompting.

Overall ; I'm glad I purchased it, and when I have had issues (steps + cat whose chip had migrated from its back to its upper front arm), PetPorte have spent literally hours on the phone helping me diagnose and re-program the flap. Since then, it has worked flawlessly; I only wish I could get this support when my broadband stops working!

d

Mauvecappucine

I also have a Petporte which I bought to protect my small and rather timid female from a large ginger tom who liked to visit her foodbowl and even slept in my house on occasion.

I've not had any problems with it and I think the pretty expensive cost is worth it as an effective solution to problems with "invaders." If you don't have these kinds of problems I don't think it's worth getting a Petporte given that it costs so much more than an ordinary catflap.

On a sidenote, Petportes are from Guernsey, not Jersey! We Channel Islands can be rather miffed when you get us confused. It's a bit like when someAmericans assume everyone from the UK is English.

Leopardlady

Well as it is from Guernsey and Not Jersey i am even more interested, being a Guern myself. Our cat is not worried by other cats too much, but we do have a huge problem with other cats coming into the house, and i am sick of feeding them all and am worried about the others spraying my house!

Am still a bit worried about the cost, but the idea of it reading his microchip is fantastic.

Thanks for all the advice

eira

Have now bought a Staywell infra red. Our Siamese cat had to be X rayed for cardiac problems-on his X rays hismicrochip showed up as having migrated half way down his back.the vet said this was relatively common-rang the microship cat flap company and they said the flap only workas if the chip is in its original position in the neck.Just thought I'd warn people. I wouldn't have knwown if he hadn't had an X ray but I presume your local vet could scan the cat and find out where in the body the chip is located.
PS The vet said it's still safe as the chip is inder the skin and affects no internal organs or structures

dp_miller

Can anyone explain how the mains power works with a door that swings open? Do we need to have wires trailing around the bottom or side of the door? Or is there a breaking point to allow the moving parts to separate from the mains?

thanks

ajb69

dp_miller wrote: »

Can anyone explain how the mains power works with a door that swings open? Do we need to have wires trailing around the bottom or side of the door? Or is there a breaking point to allow the moving parts to separate from the mains?

thanks

Nothing that clever, I'm afraid - you have to run the wire round the frame and over the lowest door hinge (assuming your socket is not next the the hinge).

Having said that, my socket's on the other side of the door and although I'm no DIY expert - at all! - I managed to hide the wire inside a couple of quid's worth of low profile-trunking underneath the door frame without too much effort. The actual wire is very thin (two-core twisted pair). The plug itself, however, contains the transformer so is quite bulky.

winsoar wrote: »

PS. in response to the above threads in the event of a power cut it will return to whatever mode it was previously in. You could buy a cheap UPS if you live in an area with a lot of power cuts. Also if your cats chip has migrated that is no problem because the porch sticks out and that's where the antennae coil is located. Pet Porte will still read your cats microchip.

Just to back this up, one of my cat's chips has migrated to their left leg and it reads him fine. When I got the flap, I plugged it all in on my floor and (as recommended in the manual) got the cats to walk under it to check it could read them before installation. That way if there were any problems I could send it back for a refund before the expense of getting a new door panel cut!

d

Waterfalls

make sure ur cat has an ordinary chip as very few work with a biothermo chip (reads their temperture as well)