Hello

I'm about to replace an old & knackered cat flap in a upvc door (former owners put it in). Any specific recommendations on type/make etc? I haven't actually got my cats yet - that'll be later in the year - but as I'm having other work done in the house I thought I'd get a new flap installed too.

Thanks in advance.

I have a Staywell Microchip catflap

cant fault it but its expensive

depends if you have other cats that live around you and whether they will be tempted to come into your house via the catflap

Thanks katt. I've seen those on the Pets at Home website for £75. There are quite a few cats in my neighbourhood but it's hard to say whether or not any of them try & get in through the existing flap as I'm not there during the day. I've never noticed it when I am there.

I may just go for the 4-way locking one.

I have had to lock mine as the nearby tom cat kept getting in and had no idea how to get out again.

Slightly off topic, but how much would it cost for a bigger (terrier size) dog flap to be put in a UPVC door?

That's annoying stud. Some cats are just a bit dense aren't they? But they're all lovely

yes, price sounds about right

I have to say it was the best £75 I have spent - there were several cats coming in during the day/night and upsetting my cat, eating her food etc and she was so nervy and jumpy due to it - I saw an almost instant improvement in her once the new flap was fitted and she could relax in her own home knowing the no one could get in apart from her

no idea sorry, your best bet is to call some local handymen and ask them

I could be persuaded, if only for peace of mind. How does it work exactly, is it a simple case of the microchip in the cat(s) is matched to the flap? And how long do the batteries last?

yes, basically you scan the cat into the catflap, it reads the chip in the back of the cats neck and the flap will only open for that cat (mine is programmable for up for 12 cats at a time I think)

mine plugs into the wall (for peace of mind!) so I have ni idea how long batteries would last - sorry

Thanks again katt, really helpful. Will give it some more thought overnight.

Hi just in case you are still looking I can recommend the Sureflap micro up cat flap - we got one last year for our cats

Can be programmed for up to 32 cats

4 way manual lock - fully open - exit only - enter only - fully locked.

We tend to keep ours on fully open as the microchip activates it anyway - although the enter only is handy if you want to get one in for vets or nighttime without having another escape!

We got ours from Zooplus for £55 - it was easy to install and our cats soon got the hang of it - we weren't sure they would as they had never used a cat flap before (aged 4) but they soon got the idea.

Thanks FairyFeet. That one gets good reviews. I'm going to take the measurements home tonight and make sure it'll fit in place of my existing one.

I think I've pretty much decided to get a microchip flap just in case of any furry intruders, particularly as I'm not at home during the day.

Definitely worn getting microchipped one for that reason - we do occasionally get cat friends trying to head butt their way in but none have succeeded - they just stare through the flap looking longingly bless them.

Lol, that's a funny image. I think I might feel sorry for the cat though. Yes I'm a big softie

The cat flap you've got will be too small unfortunately to fill the hole left by the old one, but there's another on Amazon that I'll get and it's the same price, so all good.

Another vote for the Sureflap microchip cat flap. It was easy to replace my previous manual Staywell catflap (too many unwelcome visitors) which was the same size.

The batteries (4xAA) are not a problem and last for ages - much simpler and better than another available brand which has to be wired in and plugged into the mains.

I ordered directly from Sureflap, but that now looks an expensive way to buy (nearly £80) - it's available at around £55 from other suppliers (including Amazon), if you Google it.

Thanks everyone. I've gone for the Cat Mate microchip flat. The Sure Flap wouldn't have been big enough to fill the existing hole. It was £54 from Amazon.

Just got to get the actual cats now!

Trying to resist a Mrs Slocombe bonanza here!

Go for it. You know you want to...