Cat flap recommendations please

[Champagneforeveryone]

Just that really!

ChampagneCat is now showing a marked interest in the great outdoors. We've had her 9 months and she's shown no interest so far, possibly as a result of having been picked up as a pregnant stray having (we believe) previously been a house cat.

All our previous cats have gone outside so we don't have a huge issue with her going out, and come the summer it will be almost impossible to stop anyway with the doors and windows open.

We have compromised though and agreed that she will be shut in at night, and we believe the best way will be a programmable cat flap. We've been looking at SureFlap as they were recommended by the RSPCA where we got her from. The one we seem to need will be £70 (which is more expensive than my first car!) I've managed to steer DH (who "never wanted the cat in the first place") away from the £150 version with the app and other gubbins.

I would be grateful for any recommendations you could give before I resort to selling a body part to fund Her Ladyship's new portal to the outside world

No advice....except my OH has settled on the one with the app.....which we all know will stop working properly after a year.

Advice from friends has been get a standard cat flap that recognises the microchip.

We have Sureflap and it is really good. Cats needed a little time to understand to wait for the click before coming in. Went for larger pet door option as one of our cats is rather big. Gives us peace of mind that other cats cannot come in ( because they blinking would if they could). We put ours into a double glazed unit and apart from changing the battery it has been a breeze.

Yes get over that recognises their chip, otherwise other cats will also cone in. Ask me how I know 😩

Think it's the Sureflap one we've got too. It works using their microchip but isn't the one with the app

Sureflap microchip. Ive had mine for nearly 10 years, still going strong, still letting in only my fat filthy fluffy fucker and no others.

Thank you

We predictably ended up with the £160 one. ChampagneCat thinks it makes a wonderful window onto the outside world but is deeply suspicious about its use as a door. So we now have a very expensive cat level window

I had to tape ours open and make extensive use of dreamies to get one of mine to use it. The other picked it up far quicker

As well as tape, using a matchstick to prop it open helps too. Bribery in the form of treats usually works, in one case we had to gently shove the cat through the flap like furry toothpaste!

She will get there.

She is just a little anxious of the outside I think. This is excellent really as until recently she had made no effort to go out and we assumed she would be an indoor cat by choice. The less she goes out the happier DH in particular will be!

She's come in through it of her own accord and we've posted her in and out ourselves so I'm sure it's just a matter of time