Sure Petcare SureFlap Microchip Pet Door for Cats & Small Dogs with Curfew Timer, Compatible with RFID Collar Tags and Microchips, 1-Button Control, White, 4 x C Cell Batteries Required, Not Included

After not liking the idea of these mainly based on price/value, I'm completely converted and love this door. We bought this after getting a new kitten who wasn't supposed to go out but we wanted our other cats to be able to come and go.Our installation was slightly unusual as it's on an internal door which leads to the room with the outside cat flap in and we put it the "wrong way around" i.e. will let cats into the house but only authorised cats out. If we'd only known about custom modes, we could maybe have installed it the "right way" but it serves our purpose as it is (see later for custom modes). The comments below will refer to a normal installation with the flap allowing only known pets in and anyone out.We got the pet door rather than the cat flap as one of the cats was a Maine Coon and needs a larger door. The bonus is that the pet door does a lot more than the basic cat flap.Installation is much like any other door - cut a hole to the template size, drill two screw holes and secure the two halves either side of the door with the screws. There is quite a lot of play to allow for different width doors. The provided screw covers make it look like a well finished job. Everything you need access to (programming buttons, batteries and lcd panel) is on the inside. For glass or wider doors you can buy extra fittings to make a neat job. Ours is a normal width wooden door.Batteries (4x'C') last a long while and even with 8 cats last well over 6 months. Curfew mode works well for stopping them going out at night and reducing the local wildlife population. Programming is easy, and accomplished by buttons beneath a slide out cover which hides the buttons when in place but allows easy access when removed. For a new cat, push the "learn" button and hold the cat somewhere near. Its pick-up range is impressive and it senses the cats about 20cm away.Some of the cats were a bit tentative at first due to the click as it unlocks but all soon got used to it and for most it was second nature after their first trip through with us holding the flap open.There's a clock and you can set times for curfew so cats can come in but not go out during those hours. The door has "prongs" that are raised on either side of the flap, so usually the inside prongs are raised and cats can go out but not everyone can come in - the door will lower the prongs for a known cat and allow them in. For curfew mode, the outside prongs are raised so nobody can go out but the indoor prongs still lower for a known cat/pet.You can manually toggle through the 4 lock modes (in/out, in only, out only, locked) by pressing the lock button. The display shows you how it is currently set with arrows pointing in the direction allowed or crossed out arrows pointing in the prohibited direction.So, is it foolproof at preventing cats entering? The answer is "mostly". Can an unknown cat "tailgate" another through? Yes, we've seen it happen but the flap does re-lock quickly so the other cat has to be right behind. Our cats know each other so being close isn't an issue but it's unlikely an intruder would get so close and this is an unlikely way for strange cats to get in.Can cats lift the door towards them and sneak under? Yes. We have one cat who figured this out in our reverse install mode to outwit curfew mode and is an expert. However this door has anticipated that for intruders. You can set a custom mode that will lock the outdoor prongs if an unknown cat is standing there (unknown as in not programmed in). The outdoor prongs being raised completely prevents lifting the door.Other custom modes include non-microchip mode ( a normal non selective flap but curfew mode still works), two modes for timid pets which leave the door unlocked for different longer times so they can get over the click of it unlocking and finally "reverse mode" which reverses curfew and keeps them out at certain times. As the manual says, use of this is probably rare but it's there if you need it!The best commendation is that we never really notice the flap other than the click when it unlocks and we know someone is going in or out. Mostly it just sits there and works.Brilliant from day one and we couldn't have easily brought 4 new cats into the fold without it, keeping them in whilst letting the others have free rein until the new arrivals get what is now called "cat flap privileges" or to put it another way, get programmed into the flap.Great product, best sensor range and just works.

The Sure Petcare SureFlap Microchip Pet Door is fantastic for my big chubby cat. Perfect size for larger cats and small dogs. It’s easy to use with its one-button control and works perfectly with microchips or RFID collar tags, making it super convenient. The curfew timer feature is great for setting specific times for your pet to go in and out. It’s durable, simple to install, and gives peace of mind knowing your home is secure from stray cats. Highly recommended for pet owners looking for a reliable and convenient pet door!

We have a big cat, so I was pleased to have bought this one, and not the smaller version. I made a paper template from the published dimensions, to see both sizes. The smaller one is quite small.I installed it in a wooden door, and by using the outer frame as the template (as the instructions say) it was easy to find a suitable location that avoided a cross brace on the back of the door. Make sure you give yourself enough room on each side to open the battery covers. Overall, installation for an average DIY’er with a drill and a jigsaw is very easy.Registering the cat’s chip with the unit was straightforward. He just needed to be poked through, and it found his chip. He was used to a cat flap anyway, so it didn’t take long for him to get the hang of going through it.The unit unlocks with a reassuring ’clunk’ and it has 2 latches to stop unwanted guests battering their way in.We have it set to just him inwards and anything outwards - just in case.It’s a well made, solid, catflap, that I hope will give years of good service.

Update: we've had the door in place for almost a year now and I needed to provide an update because of the battery life. It's absolutely brilliant! As mentioned in my original review, they state a 6 month battery life, however we're still using the first set of Duracell batteries after nearly 12 months and the battery indicator is still showing as full! This is with one cat with a 10pm to 6am indoor quarantine, so is likely to vary depending on the number of pets you have.We haven't had a single issue with the door since installation, it works flawlessly. Only thing to be aware of is that if you use worming/flea drops on the neck of your cat, the fluid can stain the flap whilst wet leaving a permanent white mark, so I'd recommend applying when the cat is locked in and allowing it to try before letting them out again.--We've had the door in place for a couple of weeks and have been impressed so far. Nicely built with excellent, clear instructions for installation. Took me about 30 minutes to replace our existing cat flap, using jigsaw, spirit level, drill and screwdriver. We chose this larger version as the smaller cat-specific flap wouldn't have covered the existing hole in our uPVC door. I'm glad we did, as this gives a nice size opening for an adult cat.Operation and programming is very straightforward and once you've done it once, you won't need the instructions the next time. The curfew mode works perfectly, allowing the cat to exit from a certain time and then only permitting entry after another time. Only irritation is that when setting the time, you can only scroll forwards through times, so if you wanted to set it 10 minutes earlier, you have to go all the way through 24hrs to get there, which only takes an additional 10-15 seconds, but feels like an easy thing to improve upon.Locking/unlocking works as advertised. Reading your pet's chip is simplicity itself, set the door into learn mode and then first time the pet uses it, the chip is read. The locking mechanism does make a fair 'kerchunk' noise when activating and can spook the animal to start with, but they quickly get used to it. The locks themselves are only plastic, but seem robust and have stood up to a number of direct assaults by the neighbourhood bully-cat. It was very satisfying watching it batter itself half-senseless trying to chase our cat into the house and bouncing off the flap which had locked behind her, hah!4 'C' cell batteries are easy to install and if the display is to be believed, they've not been drained much so far, so I'm confident that the 6 month battery life is achievable.Overall a really impressive product that I'd happily buy again.