Catflap and home security

[BadSkiingMum]

Hello, we are thinking of getting a cat and just working out the arrangements in advance.

Is there any security risk to having a catflap in a door? We have a modern back door with a finger turn-key lock and it did strike me that a criminal could put their arm through, reach up and simply unlock the door. Or are cat flaps smaller than I think?

Has anyone heard of this happening? Would it be better to place the flap nearer the door hinge? The door has two indented panels so it needs to be one side or the other.

Unfortunately there has been a bit of crime in the immediate local area and there aren’t really any other options for placing a flap, as everywhere is either supporting wall or window.

(We wouldn’t want an indoor-only cat as we live in an area that would be a wonderful place for a cat, so it would be pointless. This view has been confirmed by our local rescue.)

Thanks for any views.

Get a microchip catflap that will only open when your cat activates it.

Edited to add, also a burglar would struggle as the flap normally goes upwards so they would have to a contortionist to get their arm to bend the right way! Or Mr Tickle.

Thanks, I was thinking about a microchip one anyway. Sureflap or similar.

But surely it’s just a bit of plastic so could be easily broken?

I always found Mr Tickle quite unnerving!

A microchip cat flap keeps other cats out but not burglars, they can just boot it in.

Having lived in houses with a cat flap, I can remember locking myself out and seeing my keys on the side in the kitchen. With a washing pole I was able to fish my keys out.

If a burglar is really determined to enter your home nothing will stop them, so it doesn't deter me from having a cat flap. Currently I have one in my window (window locked) as I live in social housing and didn't want to destroy the door.

If you are worried about someone being able to reach your lock, you can get someone to install an additional lock further up.

It could be a security risk with that type of lock. A burglar could thump the plastic flap bit off, then reach up either with his hand or a tool and open the door.

The solutions are to change the lock for a more secure option which cannot be opened so easily, or put the cat flap somewhere else. We've had a catflap in a window and in a wall.

Just replace the lock barrel for a keyed one but make sure a spare key is kept inside somewhere safe (out of reach & view) near the door.

We put the catflap on the corner of the bottom panel away from the lock/handle rather than in the centre of the door. Any burglar would have to have a seriously long arm.

Thanks - in terms of fitting a different lock, that probably isn’t something we could do because it’s a fairly new door (last ten years) and the lock is integrated into the door, not a simple Yale cylinder type. The door is composite, not wood.

It’s the type where you lift the handle and you can hear the bolts shoot up at the top and bottom of the door. So in terms of security it is about as modern/secure as you can get, unless of course you start making holes in the door for small furry creatures…😂

Glad that far corner position works for you @Heronatemygoldfish

Will keep thinking!

Just change the barrel for one without the thumb-turn, no need to replace the whole lock.
Check out somewhere like Screwfix, they list multiple Euro-Cylinder replacement barrels so you should be able to identify the correct one. The work of minutes to replace.

We put our cat flap through the wall. It’s an old house (over 200 years old) so the wall is over a foot thick, but the tunnel has never been a problem for the cat.

We did that, a very good solution.
Two catflaps, a normal one on the outside for weather protection and a (mains powered) chip operated one on the inside.
Our cats soon got used to going through the tunnel.