A cat flap is an essential tool for all cat lover’s homes. Letting your kitty come and go as they want will make them relaxed, and in turn make them happier pets. Having to ‘ask’ to be let in or out, is frustrating for both cat owner and the moggy in question.
I have previously written a blog about the subject of what surface is the best to fit your chosen cat flap to – you can read it here. Being a cat flap fitter, I feel it is equally important for me to give my opinion about what is the best cat flap in the market for your furry friend.
Firstly, it is important to understand the difference between a conventional cat flap and a microchip cat flap.
A microchip cat flap is always the preferred choice as it stops other cats from entering your house as the microchip reader on the cat flap will only respond to the microchips of your own cat once it is programmed to it.
The classic cat flap does not allow selective access. This leaves your home vulnerable to other animals who might come and invade your house, eat your cat’s food and potentially spray/make a mess.
There are many different microchip cat flaps on the market, and brands such as Sureflap, Catmate & Petsafe all have their own version. All these brands cat flaps look similar in style and appearance, so how would you know which one is the best out of such an array of cat flaps?
As a prolific cat flap fitter myself, believe me when I say, I have fitted them all, and can hand on heart state that without doubt the best microchip cat flap on the market is the Sureflap DualScan.
The Sureflap DualScan microchip cat flap is an upgrade on the standard microchip cat flap, as it has sensors front and back making it more responsive and robust. You can also set exit permissions for each cat to keep specific cats indoors. Handy if you have a house cat or even if you need to keep one cat in for a vet visit for example. Or where you may also use this cat flap for a small dog that you may not wish to have the same level of freedom as your cat. Don’t worry, all animals are permitted back in through cat flap should they escape when they shouldn’t!
The DualScan technology means that it is an upgrade on previous models of microchip cat flap. Sureflap are the benchmark when it comes to the pet door market and, in my opinion, all of thier products beat the competition in terms of robustness, durability, length of warranty and value for money. They have exceptional customer support and a fantastic website that is easy to navigate and full of useful information, resources and videos.
What makes Sureflap a cut above the rest is the RFID technology that they use within the cat flap. Other brands use low frequency readers meaning that the cat flap can be unreliable. Because of the superior microchip reader within the DualScan cat flap, you can sleep easy knowing that your cat can enter or exist hassle free. As a cat flap fitter, I have witnessed on countless occasions the frustration of trying to get other brands of cat flaps to recognize the microchip in the cat’s neck. A massive benefit of the sensitivity of the DualScan reader is that it makes programming the cat flap to your cat’s chip seamless, the cat does not have to go through the cat flap for it to learn the cat’s microchip but only go near it, which is far less stressful for all concerned.
If you like gadgets and want to future proof your home with a smart device you could also upgrade to the DualScan Connect and control your cat flap via your mobile device. The DualScan Connect cat flap is connected to the internet via the wifi using a hub. The hub is also shaped as a cat head with ears on the top that light up, so quite a cool addition to the home as well.
I hope you the above useful in making the right decision on your cat flap purchase.
Cat out of Glass are specialists in pet doors, dog doors, and cat flap fitting. Serving the South of England and beyond, we’re expert’s installers for glass and double glazing.