Microchip cat flaps - any good?

[vwdan]

We've found ours to be very good, but we've only had it 2 years so can't comment on the long term lifespan. Battery seems to last a while, though - I think we've changed it once. This is ours: SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap - SureFlap

[SueEllen]

Anyway why is it so wrong that your little cats have their mates round to play while you are out? bit mean don't you think?

Some of their "friends" won't be friends and that little......

[NickFitz]

Can't be long before it will be cheap and practical to fit a cat flap with a web cam and chip that can recognise the approved mog(s)' mug(s) when they are in the vicinity, and even recognise their intention or otherwise to walk through it, without having to fit them with chips, seriously.

A month or so, some Asian team released a (largely) open-source face recognition package that often outperforms humans! Can't find the link, but I'll check my PC at home this weekend if anyone is interested.

Sounds like a good Plan B - get on Kickstarter now!

[minestrone]

My old cat used to stare out the flap glass and run down the batteries.

[SarahL2012]

Yes - had one at my old house because my cat was little & skinny & kept getting beaten up by the big moggies. They work ok but the cat has to be quite close for the chip to activate the flap - no good if being chased by moggy & trying to come through cat flap at 100mph.

I also found that if she stared through the flap at the neighbours cat (who she was sort of friends with) then the flap would open & the other cat (Keith was his name) would come in, eat all her food, scratch the sofas and sleep on my bed. So they aren't perfect.

Moved now with normal cat flap - but cat isn't so skinny & can fight her way out of trouble.

[CloudWalker]

Had the micro chipped one. It worked very well - but broke after 3 years which was a pain. For £100 I expected longer.

We found letting cats in but not out on normal cat flap worked well.

You paid £100 for a cat flap!
I wouldn't pay £100 for a Cat...

[xoggoth]

Cat flaps - SOUNDS RUDE!

[smatty]

Sureflap here, works well.

Battery life is a bit odd, got 3 cats and every now and then 1 of them can't get in but the others can. Putting new batteries in sorts it, so have a few sets of rechargeables swapped out monthly.

[mudskipper]

Cat flaps - SOUNDS RUDE!

My first boss in the 80s was very old school and proper - called everybody Mr and Miss, that kind of thing. He used to talk about his pussy flap with a dead straight face, don't think he was trying to be funny at all. Needless to say, we thought it was hilarious, and Fred and his poosy flaps (he was Northern) are still a joke in the ms household.

[Scruff]

Sure Flap here. It's been great. Just don't get the brand where the chip is attached to the collar. Implanted chip with Sure Flap.