Catflap company say I have a defective cat. Vet says I have a defective catflap - who is right?

[Stupiddriver1]

If anyone can solve this mystery which has been plaguing me for months I would be very grateful.

We have one middle aged cat and for years have one of those microchip catflaps which only let recognised cats in. It worked fine, including for our previous (now deceased cat).

Then we got a new cat, who is to remain a house cat. The cat flap lets any cat out so obviously this wouldn't do. We purchased a new 2 way microchip one and programmed it so only the older cat could go in and out.

Apart from she can only come in, she can't get out.

We have tried resetting it so many times and it just doesn't recognize her when she tries to leave. Is fine coming in. DH has a keyfob for work with an rfid chip in so we programmed that to the cat flap and that works in both directions.

I contacted the cat flap company who sent me another rfid chip in a ruler widget to measure how far away the range is and it's 26cm both sides so they say their cat flap is fine. I said it can't be and to shut me up they sent me a new one.

We have exactly the same problem.

I took the cat to the vet to get another chip fitted and vet wouldn't do it. She scanned the cat and the chip shows up fine. Vet says the cat flap must be faulty. But if it was faulty why would it work for 2 X Non cat inserted chips. And why would both flaps have the same issue?

It's been 4 months now since cat could let herself out.

@Stupiddriver1

How is defective cat today? How is kitten we need photos

One of mine

Kitten is as happy as anything. Defective cat is still defective.

Kitten is 5 maybe 6 months now so old enough to get chipped so that’s the plan for Weds. see if the flap picks him up....then quickly cancel him off.

My girl was a radiator addict, she was most put out when we got tall ones instead 😆

Hi op just wondering how your experiment went?

Well the dog activates the flap from outside but not from inside. Apart from that I haven’t got any further.....really need to get the kitten chipped.

You can tape the lock down on the outside side so it doesn't need to be unlocked for the cat to leave.

But then my house kitten would escape.

I remember my mum propping open our cat flap with a pair of wellies when trying to teach our kittens how to use it :o

Simple solution, accept kitten can't be a house cat 😂

@Lostmyunicorn we have had exactly this issue! We have two cats, and up to now they've used a cat flap we have in the front door. But we've just had a kitchen extension, and a new glazed door complete with fancy schmancy cat flap.

Boy cat took a while but got there eventually. Little girl cat took ages - partly because she was scared off by the click that the lock made, but also because the flap itself is a bit stiff, and she obviously has to push much harder to get in than she does with the old one at the front.

We persevered by pushing her (gently!) through it when she sat looking out through it - indicating that she wanted to go out - and using Dreamies and a lot of encouraging calling to get her to come back in.

It's taken us about 2 months to get there with her!

How is defective cat?

My two have become defective this weekend apparently they can no longer go outside it's too cold.

Still defective. I've given up. Was talking to someone yes with a mix of housecats and allowed outside cats and she doesn't have a cat flap. So at least mine can come in by herself. Guess it won't kill her to have to wait to go out.

😂

I had exactly this issue. 2 cats and 2 kittens, both kittens chipped at the same time, both chips definitely working at the vet.

Took them home, Kitten 1’s chip wouldn’t read on the cat flap but Kitten 2’s chip did. But annoyed but just went with it, because I’d heard the chips read at the vet, so assumed Kitten 1 was defective (as cat flap was fine for Cats 1&2 and Kitten 2). Wedged the sticky-up-thing-that-goes-down-near-scanned-chips into the open position with blue-tac.

Took the kittens to the vet this week to be neutered, and - lo and behold - Kitten 1’s chip is no longer reading even using the vet’s mega sensitive scanner. Kitten 2’s chip was fine. The vet put a new chip in Kitten 1, and the new chip scanned into the cat flap just fine.

So in my case it WAS the chip at fault. I guess it was putting out a really faint signal which eventually petered out altogether. It might be worth asking the vet to rescan your defective cat next time he’s at the vet just in case.

Slight update. The chip I bought from eBay works ok.....so it seems it is the cat who’s defective.

I’m toying with the idea of a trip to Pets at Home to have her rechipped. But too be honest the kitten is obsessed with the cat flap and I’m worried he will tail gate her out so I’m beginning to think maybe I’m best leaving things as they currently are. Cat seems to have got used to having to wait to be let out.

My Sureflap Dual Scan cat flap came with little discs I could use instead of the injected microchip - did you get any of those with your cat flap?
(might be nicer than rechipping your poor cat !)

So how many cat flaps do you have now? And where is the door to the outside? What I'm asking is, is there another door before the outside door that you could also stick a cat flap in, and programme both to not let the expensive cat out, so that he'd have to tailgate through two doors to get out and that's unlikely to work?

How is defective cat and errant kitty?

Slight update.

Defective cat started pissing on the dining room carpet as she got so fed up with having to ask to go outside. She hates me with a passion now as I’m chasing her round the house at regular intervals to pick her up and put her outside. She runs and hides under the stairs and growls at me like a dog! Fucking cat flap.

So today the RFID collar tags and collars arrived. Dh has put one on her and shoved her through the cat flap.

The tag on the collar works for the flap. My house stinks of piss. 🙄

Oh man, it’s probably time for a new carpet. My big cat suddenly decided to piss on my hallway carpet....I ended up ripping it up as no matter what I put on it it stank and she kept pissing there. There’s is nothing like cat piss for getting stuck in a carpet

We have a proper carpet shampooer machine, dh has been busy shampooing. I think once I’m sure she’s stopped I probably will get a new carpet...it’s 15 years old anyway.

And now the rfid tag on the collar has stopped working! I’ve held the cat right in front of the cat flap this afternoon and it doesn’t click. It worked yesterday. Am so fucking fed up.

I can’t have the cat pissing on the carpets all the time. We have enough litter trays but she hasn’t used one in 10 years and I’m not sure if she doesn’t know what to do or if they smell of the kitten too much and she won’t use them?

Nooooooooooooooooooo

Sounds like a faulty flap

I would change the batteries just in case they have coincidentally ran low.