Has anyone got a cat that's managed to outwit a prey detector on a cat flap?

[YertleTheTurtle]

I have a cat who is a prolific hunter - mainly rodents (I live rurally). About a week ago, after having 4 separate incidents when I was woken up one night with a rodent being presented to me, I decided to either murder the cat I love her, but there are limits or invest in a prey detector for my microchip cat flap.

The 1st couple of days it refused to let her in with a creature in her mouth. Last night, however, after being blocked a couple of times I can see that she dropped the bloody mouse right in the entryway of the flap, and cheerfully looks up to show her empty mouth - presumably with the aim of grabbing the mouse and hot footing it to my bed as soon as the flap opened!! Although the flap did accept she had nothing in her mouth, she seemed to have struggled to carry out her master plan and dropped the mouse again, and the cat flap refused her entry after that since it wasn't happy about the fact she'd got something in entryway (I can see the foot of a mouse on the camera).

Has anybody else had this? Will she refine her method and bypass it? She very clever - not sure where she got if from, her mother was too dim-witted to even use a regular cat flap properly...

Just me then? I much prefer cats who are stupid...

What's 'prey detector' ?

We had a large Tom cat who simply bust the plastic bit that was meant to stop him opening the cat flap by bashing against it until it gave way. They will find a way. Good luck!

It's a camera that detects whether the cat is carrying something in its mouth, and if so the cat flap is locked so it can't come inside.

That's interesting.

Are they expensive?

Yeah, my very stupid old girl used to just crash through it if it was locked.

But this cat in question is very smart, so while she's unlikely to break it she seems to be sussing out how to get around it...

Under £200... But last week I would have paid 10x that to stop the indoor rodent carnage!

Sorry @YertleTheTurtle. Mine just got the microchip one. But I am laughing at your cat posing empty mouthed to thwart the catflap. They are buggers when they're clever aren't they.
If they get through I'd definitely complain to the brand ref their not so super clever catflap.

Ooh I've never heard of a prey detector on a cat flap! But my only averagely bright cat learned how to hunt without the bell on his collar jingling, so I expect yours will eventually thwart the technology!

I can't deny that I'm awed by how the whole thing works...I just suspect they programmed it to cope with bog-standard cats not scheming bastard ones!

DS has pointed out that she didn't manage to get in with the mouse, and just because the cat flat allowed it at that moment, she didn't actually know that because she dropped he mouse in error so I'm hoping she'll learn not to try to even bring 'gifts' indoors.

Noooo. I was hoping there'd be loads of people coming along to tell me their genius cats all learned swiftly not to bother bringing things indoors!

(She also has 3 bells on her collar - you'd think she'd be heard halfway across the county, but she moves like a ninja.)

I do have one of these! I have multiple cats and so far none has managed to outwit the AI camera, even my very clever boy who can open windows. We also have one cat with multiple noisy bells on his collar and he sometimes gets false positives (it sees the bells as prey) but generally it is great. They have largely given up and only try to bring something inside occasionally now (as opposed to most days).

I have an Onlycat cat flap. The cat has managed to bring in a dead mouse once (dropped it by cat flap camera and then knocked it in with a paw when on the way in). Other than that anomaly it’s worked brilliantly and he hasn’t managed to work out a way to out wit the cat flap. The cat doesn’t attempt to bring them in as much he used to- often leaves them outside next to the door now.

Ooh, these latest responses are sounding promising - particularly the one about the window-opening cat! If he can learn not to do it, I'm sure my dainty little tortie who secretly works for MI6 can learn the same lesson, thank you.

And I'm hoping she doesn't accidentally knock a dead mouse in by mistake, because she'll definitely figure out she can do that again...

I’ve got an OnlyCat. It works, well I I think it does. No idea if cat has tried bringing anything inside yet. Don’t think so. She’ll probably be indignant that she can’t bring gifts inside.

Wait until the cat leaves it on the floor right outside the flap, goes in and sticks her head out to grab it…bound to happen if she is that smart

My one gives me alerts of attempts so I can go and check the video

Oh hell, I bet you're right!

My soppy ginger boy is so well behaved compared to her...

Yes but mine hasn’t tried yet to bring anything inside yet so I assume she’s not caught anything.

I have watched her go in and out though. Novelty worn off now.

Yes, it was boring for the first couple of days with mine, so I was delighted to get an alert! In the last week it has prevented about 6 creatures from being brought in. Less thrilled after last night though so I'm hoping it was a one off...

We have the ZeroMouse (well worth the cost) and boy-cat hasn’t outwitted it yet. He’s not the brightest sandwich in the toolbox, so I’m hoping he never does.

He won’t, however, keep a collar on. And did himself expensive mischiefs taking the last one off. So we won’t be trying that again. The ZeroMouse has to keep working.

@YertleTheTurtleHave a look at the settings - I can change the time It blocks the flap after prey has been detected. So if she’s dropping it to get it to unlock and then swiftly grabbing it again, you should be able to just extend the block time after the first attempt. Unless she’s clever enough not to try with prey at all.

in which case, good luck.

That's really helpful, thank you - mine is also the ZeroMouse! I'll check that out, could solve the problem 😃