Cat Flaps and Doors

Cat Flaps and Doors FAQs

Should I allow my cat in the yard?

One of the biggest questions we get from customers about cat flaps is how to keep your pet in the yard, since leaving your pet to roam the neighborhood can be dangerous. Cat doors will not help you with this issue, because they can only allow or deny access to the yard from the house, and cannot keep them inside the yard.

Step Four: Now position the cat flap in the hole and use a pencil to mark the required screw holes.

Step Five: With the help of a drill bit, you can easily drill the holes for putting screws into place.

Step Six: Lastly, you can use blanking plugs to cover up the screw holes.

Will my cat use the pet door?

Only your cat knows this answer. Whether or not they use a door is totally up to them. Physically, yes they can use a pet door. But cats make their own choices! Positive reinforcement will go a long way in getting your cat comfortable with using their cat door, and you can reduce magnet strength on magnetic closure pet doors or turn a training mode on for the more challenging cats. We find that big cats often have these problems with small dog doors or cat flaps, as they think they can't fit when they really actually can!

How will the cat door prevent other animals from entering my home?

When installing a cat flap, front door security is always a question that is raised. Whether you install your cat flap on your front door or your backyard door you always run the risk of unwanted critters entering your home. One way of combating this is by installing the smallest cat door possible for your cat to still comfortably go through.

As opposed to a manual cat flap that your pet pushes through, an electronic cat door uses electronic mechanisms to open and close the door. Many electronic doors have a selective entry system that syncs to your pet's microchip or collar keys and restricts access only to that pet. Some electronic pet doors, such as the CatMate 359, even have built-in timers for the best cat flap front door security.

Will I need to replace parts in the cat door frequently?

Most cat doors have rigid flaps, which are incredibly durable and long-lasting. Flexible vinyl flaps are more subject to wear and tear and may need replacing after a rough season.

What is the difference between a cat door and a dog door?

Pet owners are taken by surprise at the diversity of cat doors available. Traditionally, pet doors were sold only as dog doors in sizes small, medium, large, and extra-large. Influence from the UK saw people beginning to opt for “cat doors” which tended to be much more square, have rigid flaps, and were generally plastic framed. They sometimes even have brushes to keep cat litter out of their fur. While this still holds true today, many owners do choose to use cat and dog doors interchangeably; if a particular pet door has the features you want, get it! Whatever makes your pet happy.

What is a 4-way lock?

2-way locking cat flaps only have the normal "Locked" and "Unlocked" options, while 4-way lockable cat doors have two more options:

• Unlocked: This setting allows entry in both directions.
• Locked: This setting allows no entry in either direction.
• Out-Only: When the pet goes out, he cannot come back in again. A possible use for this setting would be a case where you want the pet out during the day. You'd set the flap on "out only" in the morning.
• In-Only:/strong>When the pet comes in, he cannot go back out again. One possible use would be a case where you want the pet in at night. You set the pet door for "in only" in the evening.

Sometimes, the 4-way locking mechanism is incorporated in an electronic pet door. In these cases, the 4-way lock will override the electronics. For example, your cat wears a collar key so only he may come in your pet door. But, if your pet door is also set for 'out only' no animal, including your cat, may come in. Cat flaps with 4-way locks always have rigid flaps which are necessary for the mechanism to work.

Our CatMate door has little red sliders to lock and unlock the cat door. Do you have some replacements?

Unfortunately for small parts like these, only the manufacturer could provide replacements. This would include sliding lock tabs, or dials found on cat doors.

What is the best pet door for cats?

That's a very good question. There are many questions to ask about what your needs are as well as the temperament of your cat. For energy efficiency, we like the Endura Flap. In the Soft Vinyl flap category, we recommend the Hale Pet Door. Lastly, for manual hard acrylic flaps, we recommend Cat Mate. You can call our expert Customer Service team and discuss your individual situation and needs.

Do you have a manual Cat Mate Medium cat door?

There are a couple of Cat Mate Manual pet doors to choose from. They are the Cat Mate 234 and 235, Cat Mate 358.

What cat door for steel door do you recommend?

There are many cat flaps that can work in a steel door installation. The first factor to consider is the thickness of your door. The second factor is whether you want a manual cat door or electronic one (if electronic what kind of features do you want). Our team of expert Customer Service Agents can advise you.

Which one has the best cat door reviews?

There are quite a few with 5 stars, but it does depend on your application. For interior use, the 234-235, and 221 Cat-Mate doors are the best. Through door and wall, the Hale is the most aesthetically pleasing choice. Check out these 24 Best Cat Doors in the market (depending on where you want to install them).