SureFlap Microchip Pet Door

Works for a few days then stops sensing the cats. Our cats were locked out for a few days without our knowledge due to this cat door. Very upsetting! Would not reccomend!

It’s an excellent cat door for keeping the neighborhood bully cats out of my house. And my cat learnt to use it in a day. She appears a lot less stressed too, knowing the other cats are locked out and can’t eat all her food. But it only lasted 1.5 years. Then stopped working completely. I tried all the usual trouble-shooting: sensors cleaned,… Read more

battery changed etc. and nothing worked. I even went to the vet to check my cats microchip was still in the right place! I bought a new one, installed it, and no problems with new one. Works perfectly. I’m quite annoyed they don’t last long with the price I had to pay is all.

Best Sure Flap Cat Doors For Keeping Strays Away… – We have had our sure flap cat-door for six years at least and has never failed us, keeps unwanted cats out, our kitten in and our 14 year old cat free to come and go when he wants-with no flaws. We had Sure-Flap change out the magnetic lock on the cat door to an easier opening magnet as our girl was struggling to open the door (magnet was too… Read more

strong for her) that was the best solution for her and our smaller cats. We did use cheap batteries which they suggest not to and we ruined the terminals, so After purchasing a solar gun got it cleaned & fixed up with no hassles and have never had an issue since. No more strays entering our home and that has saved on cat food and fighting with our boys. We had five cats using the sure flap and none of them sneaked through when half opened. Sure flap has been wonderful with any problems we have had with any of their products. Love all Sureflap products, they have been a great success with strays and looking after our pets. Suggest the bigger cat door for larger cats and smaller dogs. Without Sureflap we would of been tearing our hair out trying to get strays from entering, we had restless nights with being woken from cats inside the house, but not anymore, funny cause after a while the strays give up trying to enter so if you forget to change battery no problems there either……….

Disappointing – As others have said, it takes a few seconds to lock. So my cat now escapes after my dogs go through, rendering it useless. The company offered to send a slightly heavier door, which I presume won't fit the issue. Don't buy it.

My Kitten Escapes – Kitten has worked out how to escape. She holds down the button and pulls the cat door in ways. She also quickly figured out how to get the brush seal out of the edges. Great concept, but not cat proof!!

Larger door (170 x 178) is useless – The smaller version of the door, for cats only, has versions with dual sensor technology, detects animals going either way (entry and exit). The larger size (170 x 178), which is suitable for small dogs, is not suitable for keeping other animals (such as cats) in the house, and the manufacturer doesn't provide that option for this size. Show details

DO NOT BUY- PRODUCT DOES NOT DO AS STATED – This product is misleading and not fit for purpose. It takes a few seconds for the lock to lock. This leaves ample time for an unregistered cat to enter. After one go, three of my unregistered cats learnt to enter this way. Sureflap refer to a disclaimer that is not on the website I purchased this item from- absolute cop out. Avoid the hassle of… Read more

having to take legal action, and DO NOT BUY!!!! They have made a product that does not do as described. Their customer service was appauling.

Only lasts 2 years – After the two year mark, you will find that it drains your batteries, very fast, need to replace the batteries frequently. I find this very disappointing, considering it seems to be a very common issue with the sure flap products in general. Show details

The cat next door – The cat next door has found a way to access my house through the micro chip Pet Sure cat flap. From the outside it uses its claws to get under the edge of the flap and pull outwards and then gets its head underneath the flap and straight into my house. It is making one of my cats very nervous and there have been many fights. Not happy! Show details

Life changing isn’t an exaggeration. Works perfect for us so far – Read the reviews on this site prior to purchase. Decided to give it a go. With the advice of one purchaser below, (thanks) bought the Pet door as opposed to the cat door. Have one smaller cat and one taller cat, and they both have plenty of space going through. Had zero issues with microchip recognition, cats aren’t fussed by the clicking… Read more ·  3

sound - yes it’s quite audible but doesn’t bother them and I can hear from another room when they come in or out.

The cats don’t claw at the tabs, can only suggest it may be that we have a solid routine already of in overnight and in/out when it’s light - they seem content being in and the door is set to unlock 5 mins after their auto-feeders unlock in the morning.

Had them get accustomed to it with just the flap only in the lounge room, putting treats on one side and them on the other, couple of assisted walkthroughs and they took to it.

Has been a positive experience for us so far. Only a month in but it’s meant being able to change plans on the fly (out to dinner after work, or work late, or take kids to sport etc) and the cats are still taken care of.

3 year warranty gives me piece of mind. Will update the review if anything changes, for now - it’s an absolute dream and haven’t opened or closed a door for them since installing it.

Excellent Assess management for my cat – i got this from Aussie pet doors. perfect gadget to monitor and control access of my cat when im not home. scheduling curfews .. perfect !! as if I'm home :) . had issue with exsit side not picking up my cat's tag , but the entry sensor was good enough tp pick it up . anyways i got her rfid collects and it works perfectly. Show details

Great idea - poorly executed – The specifically titled "Cat Door" is mis-labelled, it should be called the hamster or possibly snake door. While the microchip reader works perfectly, recognising my cat's chip easily & reliably, unfortunately that is where the good news stops. The door is ridiculously small, even for a small cat it's a super-tight squeeze and the built-in… Read more

(non-removable) small tunnel section is too long for a simple step through, the cat has to partially crawl at significant extension & with the micro-size opening, it's extremely difficult to get their back legs through. Also, the noise from the door release mechanism is so loud it frightens the animal and our cat adamantly refuses to enter. He tries it on a regular basis but shies away every time and given that it has been installed for almost a year now, I don't think he's getting used to it as some have stated their cats have done. So, in short there are 3 major flaws with this product & I'd strongly recommend you don't buy one - stick with the simple lockable pet door at a substantially larger size and just manage the animal's access a little better. BTW, don't be fooled by the larger product they offer, it's barely any bigger (5cm larger on the longest axis) and the other 2 issues still persist. The larger door is also apparently for small dogs, I'd like to see the upper limit on the dog size you could actually get to go through this tiny hole, I'm guessing maybe a large Chihuaha?

Good but sensitive – We’ve had one of these installed on our new windows a few months ago and so far it’s been working well. The setup is very easy and the materials feel lasting. The only downside is that unless the cat’s neck is directly under the rim of the door, the flap won’t unlock. Our cat often tries to open the door with her paw and only then stick her head… Read more

in, which doesn’t work. Because of this sensitivity we lock the flap if we’re going to be away for more than an hour since there’s a risk the cat will be stuck outside. (She doesn’t try other ways, just meows for help!)

Loving it! – Bought the microchip pet door connect with the hub. Love the app - especially when I'm out and can see where the cats are and when they come in. Curfew mode working well - although they get a bit confused in the mornings and think it's still locked. I love the fact that one cat can come in after curfew but not out again. I live in Victoria and our… Read more

local council has a dusk to dawn curfew, so getting them in at night has always been a priority. This has saved such a hassle, plus I don't have to get out of bed at 6am to let them out. I have installed it into a piece of wood, which sits in the tracks of a sliding window in the laundry. Had issues with one cat's chip not registering and customer service were very responsive and gave me detailed instructions on how to set the sensitivity of the chip reader which worked. One cat took a day to work it all out and how to use it, how hard to push etc. The other one took a week ... but she has the hang of it now and ignores the click. There are mixed reviews here - but I love it and have not had any of the problems others talk about. Persistence is the key when training cats to use it, we held the flap open with tape for a few days to get the 2nd cat used to the click. Great product and service.

Not Cat Proof – Bought this so our dog could get in and out, but cat would stay inside. Worked for a week or so, but as usual the cat learnt that with a bit of clawing he could pull it open (even if it was set to be locked both ways). Or sometimes if he was lucky, the dog would pass through and the door wouldn't self lock. The little tabs at the bottom aren't… Read more

enough to keep it locked. I've read other reviews of other cats doing the same thing. Unfortunately the product is probably good for dogs, but not cat proof. Now I have a useless door that actually has to be covered up to keep the cat in.

An excellent dog door – I've had the small Petsafe microchip dog door for about 2 years. My 6.5kg terrier used to wake me up to go out in the middle of the night & was driving me crazy. I also had trouble with rats outside & wanted a door that kept them out & gave my dog the freedom to let herself out/in. I've only had to change the batteries once in this time & it… Read more

has been an absolute godsend. I hope it never stops working, as my dog now languishes on the couch during the day & I have peace of mind that she's out of the elements. I also hope the shape doesn't change, as I went to great expense to have it inserted into a glass door. A great dog door!

Will fit a kitten but not your average moggy – Cat flap has ridiculously small tunnel size - only 120 mm high, so many cats won’t fit through especially as they get older and fatter. Fortunately a friend whose cat got jammed in their one warned me before I tried fitting it. Another downside is you can’t replace a standard size cat flap with this as the hole in the door will be too large.

Doesn't sense microchips – Installed and was able to register 1 out of 2 cats but didn't sense it's head/microchip after that so was a complete waste of money. Didn't even register the 2nd cat. Also if you're buying this to keep out possums it won't work. The possums pull the door out before going in. Show details

Absolutely useless – We bought this door so our dog could go in and out of the house without letting our strictly inside cats outside. Much to our complete disappointed after installing it we find out that it lets ALL animals outside but only lets the microchipped animal that is linked to it back inside. Completely pointless and useless. What a waste of $200.  Show details

did not work well at all – Fairly expensive, solidly built door - BUT - did not read our cat's microchips (despite checking online prior purchase that they were compatible); sluggish with collar tags we had to purchase separately; magnet difficult for the cats to learn. customer service pretty slow and not as helpful as other reviews suggested. Had to revert to using it as… Read more

a basic cat door without the tag as it was just too hard for one of the 2 cats we have. For that it is way too expensive. Overall disappointed. Note that we did get sent a microchip testing device to check the distance to the door to open it - that worked like a treat. But neither the actual microchips nor the branded collar tags purchased from the website directly worked anywhere as well as the tester (but customer service says if the tester works there is nothing wrong with the door).

Works a treat – We bought this after I caught a stray / neighbour's large orange cat inside our house, eating our cats' food. It was expensive, but was easy enough to install and does the job. No more stray cats inside our house. It took my cats a day or two to get used to the "click" sound it makes when they enter it, my cats are very timid and initially I… Read more

thought it might take longer for them to get used to it, but it was only a couple of days. Only complaint is when one of the cats goes outside from inside, he manages to sneak through without the flap snapping shut behind him, which leaves it ajar about an inch or two, and it keeps making a clicking noise for a minute or so, because it's trying to lock and can't, because the flap is ajar. Other than that no issues. Have had it for about 4 months now and still on the original batteries.

Curfew Needs Improvement – The Pet Door is a great idea in principle. I have both a dog and cat, and it didn't take either of them very long to learn how to use it. However, I would have preferred the curfew mode to be personalised for each animal, so I can stop the cat going out at night, but allowing the dog out to go the toilet. Unfortunately you can only set one curfew time for all pets, so I have to lock both of them in.

Fantastic idea but not if you want bi-directional selective entry/exit – We have 2 indoor cats that are 5 kgs. We have had the SureFlap microchip doors for 18 months now as an entry to the cats litter boxes in a cupboard. I decided to go for the Large option as they were not used to using cat flaps at all. It did take a bit of coaxing to start and they were hesitant to use them. Initially I held them close to the door… Read more

so it would trigger and unlock, then open the door so they could get in. They were fine with using it on their own after a day or so.

The installation wasn't too hard although we did manage to fit it back the front the first time around (something to do with not reading the instructions properly!). I have had to change the batteries in one door after 18 months but the other door is still indicating a good battery level so could be due to dud batteries in the first place.

Another reviewer had mentioned the magnets were a bit strong for their pet to push through (on the Animalistic review site for the same product - which is who we bought ours from). There was a response from the supplier that the magnets could be adjusted and to call them for instructions. If I'd know that earlier I would have called but the cats are fine with it now.

Update: Just to add a point that probably isn't clear in the above description. It is only selective entry in one direction. For people wanting to use it more conventionally, ie letting cats in and out of the house, this will not let you have selective exit (only letting particular cats out of the house) and also have selective entry (only allowing your own cats back in and blocking other neighbourhood cats). It will always be completely unlocked in one direction. Even the DualScan model doesn't allow continual selective entry in both directions. I've taken one point off the review because I think this is a glaring deficiency in the design.

Pros and cons – Had mine installed May 2017. The cat has been resistant to use it and it has taken about two months for it to start using it on its own. It would prefer me to open the door for it but when I'm not looking it will use it's door. The loud clicking noise did scare the cat at first but she got used to it quite quickly and now when I hear the… Read more

noise I know she is thinking about coming in.

It is quite hard for the cat to push initially as it does take some force to break the magnets hold, but if they want something enough they will do it I first enticed her through the door with tuna, I also just kept pushing her through it .

Don't even think about getting the smaller size one, I have a larger cat door and if it was much smaller my cat would never get through.

I had it put in a colonial window that it only just fit in so the man cut down the glass adapter to fit my colonial windows.

In other reviews people complained about the draft coming through this seems to be a problem they must have fixed.

I don't use the tag that came with it as it works with the microchip in my cats neck I live in Victoria.

You can program it to let different animals in and out, so far I haven't done much programming as she is still getting used to it I don't want her to be confused with it sometimes not opening for her so at night I put a pillow in front of it to prevent her leaving . When she is totally confident with it I will start programming it.

I had mine installed by Melbourne pet doors for under $600, was very happy with the final job, the fella took pride in his work.

This is not perfect – Does not work well with RFID collar so my old unmicrochipped dog is afraid of it because it often won't work for him. Other dog gets impatient with it but is managing. We bought it to keep cat inside, we have no feral animals we need to keep out so we installed it back to front. So far cat completely flummoxed by it and hasn't got out.

Underrated Invention – First bought one of these in 2008 when I lived in the UK after neighbourhood cats repeatedly entered our house and fought with our cat. It was a excellent solution, particularly as our cat never managed to keep a collar for very long. We never had any stray cats come again and our cat was much happier without constant invasions of his territory.… Read more

The mechanism never failed and the batteries lasted well over a year. And when our brute of a cat managed to create a split in the flap, I emailed Sureflap and they sent me a replacement flap for free!

I've recently had the opportunity to purchase a Sureflap again and did so without hesitation. The new models are more sophisticated with more features and modes and yet still very easy to install in almost any medium.

The customer service, again, second to none. I bought the standard cat flap thinking it would be big enough for my cat, however, he is pretty chunky and large for a moggie, and whilst he could wriggle through, it was pretty undignified! Faced with the prospect of spending more money to get the larger pet door (for small dogs and large cats), I emailed Sureflap on the off chance they might be able to offer me a pity discount. Within half an hr, a representative called me and informed me that despite the fact that the cat flap was installed and I had (stupidly) thrown away the packaging, the unit was still under their 30 day warranty and could be returned where I bought it (City Farmers) for a full refund. I returned it the next day and paid the difference for the larger one, which is so far working perfectly and has the added features like an LCD screen and curfew settings.

These cat flaps aren't cheap and if you live in a relatively cat-free area, they're perhaps overkill, but for the piece of mind they provide and the high quality of the product and customer service, I think they're well worth it.

Best invention ever!!! – This is a microchip reader pet door, which reads the microchip in the pets neck to ensure that only your pet can come in. It also has a curfew mode, so the cat can come in say after 6pm but can't go back out again until 6am. Best invention ever - I was so sick of calling the cats in each night, then having them run off anyway. This is so less… Read more ·  1

stressful, and I can go out for dinner and don't need to worry about trying to round the cats up beforehand.

I had it installed in a wall (weatherboard house) and it is brilliant. Soo happy!! Makes life with pets easy!