Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap

ColoursAndRainbows · 2022-10-09T07:42:51+00:00

Does anyone have this? We have managed by keeping the back door ajar as I’ve never been that keen on catflaps . But now it’s getting colder we can’t really afford to keep doing that! Our cat is in at night and only allowed out when we are at home. [[https://www.waitrosepet.com/offers/offers-dog/sureflap-microchip-pet-door-connect-sureflap-hub Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap with Hub]] I’d be keen to hear from anyone that has one.

MushMonster · 09/10/2022 08:50

I had a similar one and it was great!
He did not like it at first though. I had to hold him underneath the sensor for a few seconds to scan him and he did not enjoy it. I think it was the noise. Then I showed him how it worked, that it would open when he push against it. He refused to use it for 2 days, then happy ever after.
It also had a battery as a back up, just in case the power went down.

Gabbyaug · 09/10/2022 09:02

We have one, it's great. Cats got used to it very quickly. Keeps other cats out & you can set a curfew so you can keep them in when you want.

Haus1234 · 09/10/2022 09:09

Yes we have one, it’s very good. We intended to use the curfews to keep them in at night but they unfortunately refused that (sat hanging their heads on the cat flap all night and crying keeping us all up) but we like being able to track when they’re in or out.

Autumnisclose · 09/10/2022 09:11

We've had ours for over 10 years. It's great as we've never had strange cats or random foxes coming in as my friends with normal catflaps have.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/10/2022 09:20

We have that too and find it very useful, especially as we have a couple of cats who pretty much live outside in the summer and we can go for days without actually seeing them, but can look on the app to see that they've been in for food in the middle of the night or while we were out. It has a timeline like Kitty Facebook with all their comings and goings.

Also reassuring for our cat sitter who feeds them when we go away. Last time she didn't see two of them for the whole week, but I could see on the app that they were coming in every night.

And you can lock them in remotely, so if you're at work and make them an appointment for the vets, you can pre-empt them going out and hiding in the bushes until the vets closes by locking the door, so when they come in, they stay in.

Haffdonga · 09/10/2022 09:23

We have one and it has stopped the neighbour bully tom from coming in and beating our cats up. Our Scaredy Cat refused to use it at first as it makes a quiet click as he goes near it and it freaked him out. He learnt after a long period of propping open and no batteries.

Tubbyinthehottub · 09/10/2022 09:26

I have this for TubbyCat, does the job nicely.

Catname · 09/10/2022 09:26

I’ve got a Sureflap Pet Door which is slightly larger to allow for my bigger cats. It doesn’t have a hub but I do use it with curfews in the evening. Wouldn’t be without it now - although the cats do still want to be let in the front door.

What I did notice with my first cat flap which I had in my kitchen door was the draft so it sat behind a curtain in winter. In this house it’s in the utility room and it was fitted by the people who supplied a new door (so professional fitting rather than DIY) and I don’t notice the draft now.

MoltenLasagne · 09/10/2022 09:30

We had one and it worked really well. Initially we used their microchips but they slipped from their neck to their shoulders (do cats have shoulders?) So we bought some of the tags to go on the collars. Worked well except for when they lost their collars and would sit complaining outside the catflap at 2am.

MagpiePi · 09/10/2022 09:30

I got one after regularly finding local cats eating my cats' food and wandering around the house although it is just an old fashioned battery operated one.

I didn't know you could get smart cat flaps, but I suppose everything can be connected to the internet nowadays! (Am I showing my age?!)

BarbaraofSeville · 09/10/2022 09:30

We have both the pet door and the cat flap, both work on the hub. We thought the cat flap would be too small for our larger cats, but apparently not, and it's actually the cat flap that they use the most, but I don't know if that's just because they like going out of the front door where the cat flap is, rather than the back door, which has the pet door in it.

Sluj · 09/10/2022 09:35

We had a few teething problems with ours connecting to the hub as it is next to a huge metal radiator which apparently interferes with the signal. Sureflap company were good in helping us sort that out and they can control your flap remotely to change the sensitivity. We also had problems with the flap partcoming apart at the bottom and it not being heavy enough to close properly. They sent us a new door flap which mostly closes all the way but still occasionally fails to click back. Finally the batteries don't seem to last long, a couple of months maybe?
I love the curfew mode and being able to lock it remotely if I see the cat coming down the road with a mouse in his mouth.
Overall, I would get one again but it's not perfect.

Sluj · 09/10/2022 09:36

And we got the pet flap rather than the cat flap but it's not huge.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/10/2022 09:51

We got a really long ethernet cable for ours so it could be better positioned for good communication with the catflap as it needs to be plugged in by cable to your WiFi router.

NowYouListenToMeFella · 09/10/2022 15:04

I have one for my two lads. Best thing I ever bought for them. Come and go as they please and I use the curfew option. Well worth getting.

Catname · 09/10/2022 17:21

MoltenLasagne · 09/10/2022 09:30

We had one and it worked really well. Initially we used their microchips but they slipped from their neck to their shoulders (do cats have shoulders?) So we bought some of the tags to go on the collars. Worked well except for when they lost their collars and would sit complaining outside the catflap at 2am.

This happened with two of my cats and I had to have a second chip implanted.

astridforty · 09/10/2022 17:41

I have the door version for my large main coon. It’s fab, no complaints. I initially watched the app for his movements - it’s a bit of a novelty I guess but as he can’t actually escape the garden there is limited value for us in knowing if he’s in or out.

I notice the cat ears on the hub are often red - I.e. disconnected. This doesn’t affect the function of the flap itself. Are you fitting it yourself? I think we paid £200 ish for full fitting and set up.

Original poster

ColoursAndRainbows · 09/10/2022 18:18

Thank you all very much indeed for the replies, tips and information. That’s all really useful and has reassured me that they are a good purchase.

We have modern fairly new build house with double glazed doors. Im not actually sure the company who made the doors/windows are still trading. What trade do I need to professionally fit one? I assume it needs to into the door glass as the walls are cavity walls? Does it really need to be connected to the wifi router with a cable BarbaraofSeville?

OP posts:

NowYouListenToMeFella · 09/10/2022 21:01

I put mine in the kitchen window. The cats were used to go in and out there. I had to get a new window unit made and the glass company put in the flap and installed the unit. They managed to get the old one out without breaking it. If I move out they can just put the old unit back in. The connect bit is plugged in near your router. It doesn't need to be connected to the flap by words or anything.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/10/2022 05:31

It's the hub that needs to be connected to the router by a cable and the hub needs to be positioned with reasonable distance of the flap (up to about 10 metres but walls will reduce this a bit).

We have 2 cat flaps (lots of cats, we foster for a rescue) but the back door is at the other end of a large kitchen extension so about 8-10 metres and a chimney breast and double brick wall between. The long cable means it can sit at the other end of the living room, and there is less solid material blocking the signal.

Sluj · 10/10/2022 08:18

Ours is fitted in to a wall with 5 extender tunnel pieces. The cats don't have any issue with the tunnel but it is a pet door and not a cat door.
Our WiFi router is actually upstairs from the cat flap and we don't have connection issues once the company had increased the sensitivity due to the radiator.
Any one else have to replace their batteries every couple of months?

NowYouListenToMeFella · 10/10/2022 08:56

I meant wires and not words in my last message. Bloody autocorrect.

I have to change the batteries on mine every few months. I thought it was down to one fella standing half in and half out for a few minutes while he decides what he is doing.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/10/2022 09:12

Our batteries have to be replaced quite often but we do have 4 cats that use the cat flaps. Don't know how frequently, a few times a year.

We get our batteries from Costco as they're often on offer there. We had an issue with the flap not opening, and Sureflap told us to only use expensive Duracell or Energiser batteries. The other thing you have to keep up with is cleaning off all the fur that accumulates as it blocks the sensors.

That still didn't solve the problem and I was a bit miffed as it was unreliable after less than 2 years but in the end I just bought another one as we were going away and couldn't leave the cats stuck outside between cat feeder visits. Was also a concern if they couldn't enter if they were being chased by a dog or fox. But it had probably had heavier use than most, and also the door it's in gets all the prevailing wind and rain, which probably doesn't do it any good.

We have generally had good customer service and have been sent spare parts and the back door cat flap was replaced for free after it apparently developed a software fault after a few months - it was forgetting the chip numbers but then repeatedly adding them too.

Original poster

ColoursAndRainbows · 12/10/2022 19:34

Back again with another question…

Has anyone fitted this in through an external wall (rather than a door) using the extender pieces?

OP posts:

Sluj · 12/10/2022 21:25

Yes, we have 5 of them going through our wall. Cats are fine with it.