Ok im being brave & letting him out again - are microchip catflaps worth it?

[Justme1981]

After yesterday he has been driving me mad to go out, so i've let him out this morning - now anxiously awaiting his return!
Im going to get a catflap as I can't leave door open when my dogs are here.
Are the ones with a microchip worth it? I know i need a lockable one, as long as he comes back i want him in at night.
Thank you catpeople 😄

[AnotherEmma]

Yes Sureflap is definitely worth it
We keep ours in at night too

[Anticyclone]

We got a sure flap too, to stop other cats coming in. Other than that it's no different to a standard cat flap. You still have to manually lock them in our out.

[WhatshouldIpay]

Definitely worth it. I always have mine on a curfew so it only opens between certain hours.

[YesItsMeIDontCare]

I think SureFlap do one that has an app which tells you if your cat is or out. Might be a step too far for you, but I'd love to have one if my chap wasn't a housecat.

[Teddyreddy]

Depends on whether there are any other cats in your neighbourhood who might otherwise come in. For us, it's kept the next door cat out so yes it's worth it. As the pp said unless you get a programmable one, you'll still have to manually lock it each night though.

[torthecatlady]

Sureflap is great but get good batteries. It eats the cheap ones quickly.

[Fluffycloudland77]

You can get ones with an app so if your out you know he’s come back.

[RedForShort]

Yes, totally worth it. For me it's knowing my cat can have a space no other cat can follow him into (argumentative Tom in the area). I've the SureFlap one.

As mentioned you can get a SureFlap Connect - Which you can control remotely. It's more expensive and you have to buy the hub too (so adds to the expense).

They do another which is a two-way microchip - only opens to go out for the cat whose microchip is programmes in. So yoh can have both indoor cats and ones that go out.

It's all very clever!! (Possibly easily impressed 😁)

[MonaChopsis]

I have a Sureflap one and you can flick a switch to 'in only', so your cat can come in freely but only go out if you let it out a door. It's great.

[Justme1981]

Thanks for all the recomendations everyone, im going to take a look at sureflap 👍

[Dippypippy1980]

I have the sureflap connect and love love love it.

When no. One is home during the day I can keep any eye on her to make sure she is around the house. I now know her routine and can check on her if she is inside or outside for longer than usual. I have locked her in a few times from work when the weather has been unexpectedly bad. There is also a curfew mode.

Expensive but really worth it.

[Dippypippy1980]

My boyfriend, who claimed not to be a cat person, recently left work early because she had been outside for more than two hours and he decided she must be critically injured. She was asleep on the shed roof!!!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Yeah non cat people do that 😉

[bonzo77]

Yes. Echo decent batteries. My cat has worked out how to get out though even when locked on in only. And after a previous episode where she smashed the door on an old fully locked flap, I have to barricade her in overnight using a baking tin and a bin. I’ve seen videos of other cats doing this. She’s not really a super bright cat, so I guess any cat that wants out enough will work it out.

[AnotherEmma]

bonzo77
If you contact sureflap customer services they will send you an extra reinforced to add to the cat flap so your cat can't break out when it's locked.
Ours did the same and with the extra bit they can't do it any more.

[mollpop]

Sureflap are brilliant. No more random cats coming through the catflap