Having a pet flap in a door, window or wall means freedom for cats, who can come and go as they please, and for owners, who no longer have to be on hand to act as doorman or woman. The disadvantage of having a pet flap is other cats (and, in some locations, wild animals such as racoons), who may see the cat door as an open invitation to enter the house, steal the resident feline’s food, and worse. Installing an electronic cat door can combat this problem.
What is an Electronic Cat Door?
There are four main types of cat door, of increasing effectiveness and sophistication.
The basic pet door is simply a flap that swings open and shut as the cat passes through. A magnetic catch may be added to help keep the flap closed and prevent draughts, but animals other than the pet have free access to the house.
An electromagnetic cat door opens only when it detects the presence of a magnet worn on the cat’s collar. This is an improvement on the basic cat flap, but cats wearing similar magnets for pet doors to their own homes can still intrude.
An infrared cat door opens in response to a signal from a transmitter attached to the collar.
The electronic cat door is the ultimate in pet flap technology. Cats using an electronic pet door do not need to wear a collar; instead, the door responds to a microchip implanted beneath the skin at the back of the neck. Many cats have already been microchipped for identification purposes or for a “pet passport”, and electronic cat flaps are designed to work with these existing chips. Cats without a chip can have one implanted easily and quickly by a vet.
Buying an Electronic Cat Door
When buying an electronic pet door, look for the following useful features.
- An LCD display in the cat flap door frame shows whether the cat is in or out, and what time the door was last used.
- A beeper can be set to sound when the cat enters or leaves the house.
- Programmable exit and entry times are handy for owners who prefer to keep their cat indoors at night.
- Multiple timers allow owners with two or more cats to program different exit and entry times for each of their pets. This feature is invaluable when one cat has to be kept indoors due to an injury or illness.
- A manual locks allows the owner quickly to override the programmed settings, if necessary.
Installing an Electronic Cat Door
An electronic cat door is installed in the essentially same way as the older types of pet flap. They are sold in standard sizes, so should fit any hole made for a previous door. They are suitable for both doors and windows, and tunnel extenders are available for installing the flap in a wall.
Electronic cat flaps are powered by batteries (with a low-battery indicator to ensure kitty is never inadvertently locked in or out) or by mains power via an adaptor, with a battery back-up. Entering the identification code of the cat’s microchip is straightforward – when switched to “learning mode”, the door’s memory simply records the code the first time the cat uses the flap.
Electronic Pet Doors: The Ideal Cat Flap Door Replacement
An electronic cat door is the perfect solution for pet-owners who want flexible freedom for their cat without the problem of unwanted intrusions by other animals.
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