Getting a microchip cat flap – cheat sheet

If you are interested in keeping your cat or small dog safe, then a microchip cat flap or microchip pet door is a great way to help with that.

Using your pet’s microchip, these automatic cat flaps scan the microchip letting your cat into the house and keeping out stray cats and other animals that may harass and stress your cat out or even eat their food!

At the same time, microchip cat flaps let your cat come and go as they please, which we all know they love! I think it is really important to give our cats this independence.

It seems like a bit of no-brainer getting a microchip cat flap for your home, but there are choices to make:

    • Which one to buy?
    • Is this big enough for my cat or dog?
    • I have an indoor cat and an outdoor cat, which one is right for me?
    • Can I fit this in a glass door or a brick wall?

All these questions will be answered on this cheat sheet, allowing you to have your microchip cat flap set up with minimal fuss.

Sign up here for your cheat sheet which is the fast track all the way from choosing the right microchip cat flap for you and your pet to installing, setting up and having your microchip cat flap working in your home.

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If you want to read product reviews about several microchip cat flaps or find out more detailed, step by step information about installing, setting up and teaching your pet how to use a microchip cat flap.

Let me know what you think about this, I would love to hear your feedback and your experiences of using this and having a microchip cat flap for your pet.

My Review of Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap

This is my review of the microchip version of the Cat Mate cat flap, so if you are trying to buy a cat flap, this is the post for you. The Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap will not let you down. It works just like other microchip cat flaps, by reading your pet’s microchip and allowing them to enter, whilst denying to those that do not have a microchip registered by the microchip cat flap. What is also great is Cat Mate offer a three year guarantee on their products!


Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap
List Price: £84.95
(as of 03/30/2024 05:43 PST - Details)

Buy your microchip reading Cat Mate cat flap to give you and your pets piece of mind.

Microchip cat flap use

Just like other microchip cat flaps, this Cat Mate cat flap allows selective entry by reading your pet’s microchip. This means your pet can come and go as they please, without the worry of stray pets entering your home. Also you don’t need to open the door to let your pet in or out.

If your cat or dog is not already microchipped, I would recommend getting them microchipped. It only costs about £20, can be carried out by your vet. Also it and means your pets can be identified if they get lost. Up to 30 cats can be registered for each microchip type Cat Mate cat flap and it is best to register your pets before you install the Cat Mate cat flap. Learn more about getting your pet microchipped.

You can also buy a tag for your pet’s collar, which can be read by the automatic cat flap. This could be a useful option for you, but personally I am not too keen on my cat having a collar.

Locking

The microchip cat flap has four way locking, which means you can choose between all four combinations (unlocked in – unlocked out, unlocked in – locked out, locked in – unlocked out and locked in – locked out) of entry and exit for complete control.

Cate Mate cat flap

Using this Cat Mate cat flap

Installing the Cat Mate microchip cat flap does not take much DIY at all. If you are after any guidance check out the videos on this site for installing through installing through brick, installing through wood and installing through glass, or if you are after a professional cat flap fitter. If you are going to install the cat flap, there are also an adapter kit you can buy. This is really useful when fitting the microchip cat flap through glass panes or brick walls. When installing through a brick wall there is a tunnel liner as well.

Cat Mate cat flap

It is best to set up the Cat Mate microchip cat flap before you have fitted it, and it is really easy to register your pets with the microchip cat flap. Just put the microchip cat flap into ‘Learn’ mode and place one of your pet’s favourite treats underneath the scanner so their microchip can be read. Here is some more guidance on setting up a microchip cat flap.

You may need to be a bit patient teaching your pet how to use the pet flap for a couple of weeks, especially if they have not used a cat flap before and they may find that the clicking of the locking mechanism spooks them a little. Click here for help on how to teach your pet to use a microchip cat flap.

Just make sure your pet can fit through the microchip pet flap before you buy it! The smallest dimension of the cat flap is 15cm high and 14.4cm wide. Have a look at our sizing comparison table to see how it compares against other models.

Sureflap vs Cate Mate
 

(as of 03/30/2024 05:43 PST - Details)

List Price: £84.95
(as of 03/30/2024 05:43 PST - Details)
Rating4.7-3,608
Rating0-00-0
Sale Price£49.99
Sale Price£49.90
Brand NamePet Mate

Power

This electronic Cat Mate cat flap is powered by 4 x AA batteries. This is great as it means it is portable and can powered anywhere. You do not need to worry about connecting it to the mains. You could use it for an outdoor pet shelter or a portable cat box. What is really useful is that, an LED indicator will signal when the batteries need replacing. This means you can do so before they run out of charge all together.

Aesthetics

This Cat Mate cat flap has a relatively streamlined design and is not at all obtrusive on the eye. It comes in white or brown, which would really blend in well with uPVC or timber doors, brick walls or glass windows.

Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This microchip pet door has a magnetic closure and a weatherproof seal.

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend buying the Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap. With a Cat Mate cat flap you get a great three year guarantee and they are so straightforward to set up. Most importantly, it is a good, reliable microchip cat flap. This gives you great piece of mind about your pets’ safety and well being!

Buy your Cat Mate microchip cat flap for below RRP.

Why Microchip Pet Doors And Cat Flaps?

That might be the question you are asking yourself, let alone which microchip pet door to get! All cat flaps and pet doors allow pets to move in and out of your home without needing you to open those doors, and that gives your pet freedom and you some convenience.

However, there are a number of differences between the automatic cat flaps and the other types which are listed below, so you can see why a microchip pet door would be right for you and your pets.

Microchip Pet Door 

Microchip cat flaps and pet doors use the microchips that many pets have between their shoulder blades. The pet doors have a microchip scanner that reads your pet’s microchip and gives access to pets with microchips registered with the microchip cat door. These electronic cat flaps often have four way locking and do not require your pet to wear a collar, whilst still allowing for selective access.

For many pet owners, this is why they prefer microchip pet doors to any other types of pet doors. Microchip cat flaps are more expensive than normal and magnetic cat flaps, but the value provided by the improved well being and freedom for your pet far exceeds the other types.

Conventional Pet Door

These kitty and doggy doors come in a range of sizes for cats, large dogs and all sizes in between. They are operated by the door being pushed open by your pet as it passes through. Some of these are lockable cat flap cat flap doors and they offer ‘four way locking’ – open both ways, closed both ways, entry in only and entry out only. They are relatively cheap and do not require any power.

These analog kitty flaps do not allow selective access. This leaves open the possibility of other pets, stray pets and wild animals, such as foxes, from using the pet door to invade your home and harass your pets.

Magnetic Cat Flap

Magnetic pet doors are similar to conventional pet doors, except the cat flap door requires a magnet to open it. Your pet must wear a collar, with a magnet, around its neck to unlock the pet door. They are more expensive than normal pet doors and the collar can be uncomfortable for your pet.

They may try and succeed to remove the collar and then they can’t use the magnetic cat door. It has also been known in rare cases for cats to get their collars caught when they are roaming around.

Radio Frequency Identification Cat Flap (RFID Cat Flap)

RFID cat doors work in a similar way to magnetic cat flaps. Your cat or dog needs to wear a collar which has an RFID tag on it, and this leads to the same short comings as using the magnetic cat doors.

Microchip pet door

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the best microchip cat flaps, broken down by brand names, such as Sureflap. Here is my Sureflap Microchip Cat Flap review, Sureflap Dualscan Cat Flap review and Sureflap Microchip Pet Door review.