This post may contain affiliate links for products I recommend, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not change the price you would pay.
If you need a microchip cat flap door one of the best and most versatile cat doors out there is the Sureflap microchip cat door. I say versatile because you can install it in a normal door, in a wall or even in a glass door.
For an indoor cat one of the biggest issue is the part of going in and out of various home parts. For example my biggest problem is the balcony.
The in and out issue is so big that people have invented special cat doors to be installed in a normal human door. I was searching for a balcony cat door but it turned out that this cat door can be installed just about everywhere!
Check out the full review below to find out about all the awesome features that this pet product has. It is so practical that every cat owner will love it.
Sure Flap Microchip Cat Door – Cat Flap In Window, Existing Glass Door, Wall Or Door That Recognizes Your Cat’s Microchip
How Does The Microchip Cat Flap Work?
First of all it is battery powered. The microchip in your cat acts as an electronic door key. If your cat is already chipped then half of the job is already done but if for some reason you don’t want to put a microchip in your cat you can simply purchase a tag and attach it to the cat collar. There is a reader in the form of a wire wrapped around the cat door which reads the cat’s microchip and unlocks the flap. As soon as the cat puts its head to the door it will unlock. This is genius little invention that will save you in many cases. Check out all the ways you can find this cat door useful:
- You don’t want to keep the cat litter box inside. This pet door will enable you to get rid of the annoying smell and finally place the litter box where it won’t bother you
- You travel often. Now your cats can go in and out, feed themselves and live happily without you – for a few days 🙂
- Other animals from outside steal your cats food. Only your cat will have the key to the food supply now
- You have more than one cat and there is a weak one which always ends up with stolen food. The perfect solution for this is to install this pet product on a plastic box. It will be the private dining area just for that one special cat. It’s is a great solution for a sick cat which has to take special kind of food mixed with medicine or be on a special diet.
- If you want to let your cat to roam freely outside but you fear for it being outside at night. Simply lock the flap at night.
- If you hate getting up at night to let your cat in or out. This is the very reason I came across this products as my cat is unbearable at night with her queen wishes.
- If you spend your whole day at work and you have no one to take care of your cat then this small cat flap door will enable your cat to come to a shelter which has food and is not too cold.
- You hate getting up and down to let your cat in or out – and very often wait for her to make up her mind while at the door
- If your home is multi pet you can install this cat door to the place where you want only a specific animal to have access to
- Since a cat door for window is hard to find this is a real gem, it will make your life so much easier
A Short Video Explaining The SureFlap Microchip Cat Door
How To Program SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap For Your Home
It is very easy to program the Sureflap cat door: there is a memory button on top which you press once, the light indicator starts to blink and when your cat puts its head in the opening its chip number is memorized permanently. Permanently means that the numbers will be remembered even when you remove the batteries. Up to 32 pet numbers can be stored in one cat door.
The best way to get your cat to put its head in the opening is to place its favorite treats inside the tunnel. It is best that you program the cat door before installing it as the process can be done much easier this way. The cat door is more flexible and easier to handle before the installation.
About the position of the chip in your cats body you don’t have to worry if it is on top or below the cat’s neck. The chip reader is an antenna wrapped around the tunnel so it will read equally below or above. The only problem might be if the chip is too far from the neck so the cat has to put more of itself in the tunnel before the door opens but this should not be the case if the cat is properly chipped. As an alternative to the cat’s chip you can use the RFID tag which is sold separately and can be attached to the cat’s collar.
About the way the programming works it is important for you to know that any pet can go out but only the one with the programmed chip can come in. The microchip reader is located on the outside of the door only. So it is selective entry only. There are 4 states of locking:
- In only: your can can come inside only but can’t go outside
- Out only (or normal state): allows going OUT without chip but for going IN a programmed chip is required.
- Both In and Out: free access both in and out
- Closed: prevents all access in or out. Your cat is grounded :).
So depending on your needs you can easily limit your cat’s movements. Plus you don’t have to constantly stand up on your cats meows. There are settings for the time frame in which the flap will lock down. The fastest one is 2 seconds after it reads the chip, enought to let your cat in before it locks down. When your cat is still in training mode you can set it to be slower.
How To Train Your Cat To Use Cat Flap
It is very easy to train your cat to use this door. Cats are very intelligent and flexible animals and they learn quickly. So unless you have a very shy or traumatized cat you will not have problems training it to use this door.
In order to use this door your cat must be chipped. If it’s a cat that you let roam outside then it is a smart idea to have it chipped – at least you’ll be at peace that if something bad happens your cat can be found when having a chip. A chip is put at the base of the neck between the shoulder blades by a vet. As the chip position is standard your cat should not have problems getting its cheap read by the cat door reader.
There is a small delay before the cat can go through in order for the cat door to recognize the chip. This can be confusing for some cats but nothing blocking in the cat training. As already described it is best to lure the cat in the tunnel by giving it some treats. The learning process can take from a day to a week depending on the cat.
Various factors influence the speed of learning: if the cat is scary or shy it will take more time to master the training. But eventually, all cats learn it. You can also gently push your cat in the beginning in order to understand what is expected from it. Another thing that may slow down the training is that the locking mechanism isn’t soundless. It does make a noise which may scare some cats in the beginning. If you want to know the sound go to the first video in this post and when the cat door is unwrapped you can hear this sound. If you are sensitive to sounds definitely check it as some people wake up at night to this sound.
For easier training here is a nice trick that other customers used: they duct taped the flap so that it would stay open the first few days until the cat gets used to this door. Now I imagine this would happen in warm weather. If you have a very timid cat please note that you will have to help it. You may have to lead her through the door, put her favorite food on the other side, talk to it, maybe even force her through the door a few times. It can also take a few weeks before it finally learns that the door won’t hurt it. You can also use a tape over the lock lever so that the cat can go in and out without any sound. On the other side, some very smart cats have learned how to override the locking mechanism by pressing down on the inbound lock, pulling the door inwards and ducking under to get out. But I expect this would happen in rare cases. Once the training is done this cat door will be such a relief both for you and your cat, but mostly for you.
How To Install Your Cat Door
So this cat door can be installed anywhere: door, glass or wall. You just need to have the right tool for installing it. Before the installing this small pet door for cats measurements and dimensions are crucial so here they are:
- The dimensions of the flap itself (good for measuring your cat): 142mm (W) x 120mm (H)
- The size of the hole you have to make in the door/wall: 165mm (W) x 171mm (H)
- Dimensions of the frame (total overall dimensions): 210mm (W) x 210mm (H)
- Depth of the tunnel: 70mm
- For installation in glass a circular hole is required: 212mm is optimum size but it can be installed in hole up to 260mm. For this kind of installation also a mounting adaptor is required.
Please program the door before installation. In the product package you will receive all the hardware required for installation.
In short what you need to do is cut a hole with the right dimensions, insert the two halves of the cat door on each side of the hole and then connect it with two screws. If it sounds easy well it is because it is easy.
The glass installation is a bit trickier but nothing too hard there too. Many people have also installed in on a sash window. If you need to install it as cat flap in double glazed door then it is best you get professional help to do that. You will need to order a new pane with a pre-cut hole. So this is a bit complicated BUT the work is actually done by someone else. So the hardest part is to find the best glass cutter to do the job. The good news is that it is possible and it will make your life so much easier for a bit of initial effort. And this is one of the best microchip cat door in glass so definitely consider it.
This cat door can be installed on very thin materials like a thin garage door or plastic storage bin. Before installation, you need to make sure that the door is flat and not angled. If the installation surface is flat the door will not be drafty and it will be properly sealed with the flap. The door will latch firmly, it will not blow open or let in snow or water. This is because it has a magnet that will hold it closed.
The screws that are included in the package come in 3 different lengths so they match various thickness of the installation area. The longer screws are 2 inches and 3 inches. In case you need to install it on a thicker area there is an additional tunnel that you can buy for extending the tunnel and you’ll get longer screws. Depending on the installation and the thickness you may also need foam insulation or outdoor-rated silicone caulking for ensuring there are no gaps to let in air or water. One place you can’t install this cat door with microchip is a screen window. The material will simply not sustain it.
An interesting way of using this small pet flap door is backward so that it will allow all cats in but only a chipped cat can exit – in case you need something like this.
Batteries
This cat door microchip enabled runs on 4 AA batteries which you have to buy separately. Depending on the usage of it (how frequent the cat goes in and out) and what type of batteries you get they can last from 6 months to a year. You will be notified when the batteries are low with a red blinking led light located on the top of the door. You’ll have plenty of time to replace them. If you want to be on the safe side you can also schedule a reminder in the many apps available for us today for replacing the cat door batteries. You should get good quality batteries to last you longer.
It is very important to keep the sensors clear from dirt and cat fur. Another thing to note is that if your cat constantly pushes her head in the tunnel or sits very close to the cat door the batteries will last a lot shorter because the sensor will be constantly triggering. So don’t put a sitting mat next to the cat door or give any reason for your cat to hang around it.
A very neat thing is that you don’t have to re-program the door on battery switch, the chip numbers are permanently stored in memory so the battery change is quick and easy.
Compatibility
SureFlap is compatible with the following commonly used microchips in North America
- All 15 – digit (FDXB)
- All 10 – digit (FDXA) except those with codes starting 000…, 010…, or 020…
- All 9 – digit (Avid Secure/Encrypted Chip)
So basically it is compatible with all microchips except 10-digit microchips with codes beginning 000…, 010…, 020… If you check the vetenerian papers for your cat there should be information for the microchip. But in case you can’t determine it is best to contact your vet to find out the microchip type. If your cat is not chipped you can still use it by purchasing a RFID collar tag. Some owners complained that cats lose their colras very often but I really depends on the cat. A customer solved it by combining the tag with a Beastie Band cat collar.
Sureflap Is For What Size Cat?
This microchip cat door is created for small and medium sized cats. Now cats are known for being able to squeeze in incredibly small openings but this requires effort and is not the most pleasant thing for the cat. In case you have a bigger cat then please consider getting the Sureflap pet door which is bigger than their cat door. One thing you should definitely do before installing is to check if your cat fits in the opening. So measure your cat first, buy it, test it before installing – those would be the steps to take in that order. A good way to test it before actually buying it is to use a cardboard and improvising the hole and test if the cat can pass through.
Is Sureflap (Single Scan) Cat Door Raccoon Proof?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. But the dualscan Sureflap cat flap has a special raccoon proof mode so check it out. Raccoons are very smart animals and according to customer reports they have been able to figure how to get inside in spite of the locking mechanism. They use their claws to pull the flap and open it from outside. I never knew they were so smart prior to this research. They do look cute too, especially their hands – so human like.
But that just my general love for animals speaking I surely would NOT want a raccoon in my home! But they work perfectly for other intruder cats, no surprise here, after all the cat door was designed for cats :). So if you want neighbor cats out of your property this microchip cat door will do the job. No more food stealing or urine marking the territory!
For warranty information I have checked the manufacturer’s site and it is 3-year warranty. How awesome is that, you’ll get your money value for sure and keep your peace and sanity!
