Cat Mate Elite Microchip Cat Flap with Digital Timer & LCD Display, Easy Installation in UPVC Doors, Glass, and Wooden Doors - White

This is simply fantastic. I moved into my grandma's old house and needed a way for my little cat to get in and out. She has never used a flap before, previous landlady refused to allow a flap to be installed. Installation was pretty simple, 10 mins with a drill and a jigsaw. Programming was fairly simple too, activated the chip scanner, grabbed the cat and posted her from the outside back into the house and it was all done. Set the timer, which works perfectly. It did take her a few days to get used to it because every time she touched it the noise of the solenoid motor made her jump and run away! With some persistence I showed her that it was safe and she now uses it without any issues at all. I was worried about how quickly the reader would work from the outside and make her think it had locked her out, however I was pleased to see that when she was running back in to escape another cat it opened instantly and shut her new friend outside for them to howl at each other through the cat flap. I also find the indicator very handy, when I get home from work I can very quickly see if she's in or out.In summary, excellent. I'm sure that there will be people who don't have a similar experience. My cat is a bit of a wuss so she doesn't really try very hard to defeat the locking mechanism when it won't let her out, she just accepts that it's locked and walks away. If you've got a cat who can open doors etc then they might be able to unlock the flap. It bolts with the solenoid on 2 plastic pins in the center bottom of the flap. Really the 2 plastic pins should be further apart, as it allows the bottom corners to be pulled.

Item arrived as described. I was a little nervous due to the mixed reviews.First problem I encountered was that the cut out required was larger than our previous cat flap (that was over 20 years old).As it is fitted to a double glazed door I had to get a new panel manufactured (thank you sealedunitsonline).Once fitted programming was easy (if you follow the instructions), the cats soon got used to the 'unlocking' noise and the timer function is brilliant. Screen does however 'blur' slightly when pushing the function buttons.The 'IN' and 'OUT' indicator for our two cats also works brilliantly despite one of our cats being in the habit of sticking her head out then coming back in. Now been operating for 3 months with no problems.Positives: Able to keep our cats in at night; know if they are in or out; looks great from the inside.Negatives: Larger than older cat flaps; tunnel is long and sticks out a long way on the outside making it look a bit uglyI would thoroughly recommend this product.

If you've got a cat that likes to go out at 4am in the morning and you don't want a daily alarm, this is the cat flap for you and is worth every penny, but is hard to learn to program.Our new cat has a habit of starting his day early and previously would move heaven and earth (and whatever else we had in front of the previous cat flap) to let himself out, even breaking the plastic panel on the Petsafe door at one point. This cat flap is very good and sturdy and in the month I've had it our cat has not broken the flap panel or managed to unlock the flap outside the allowed times.This catflap however has a larger tunnel than the previous Petmate and is very fiddly to set up with one person, be prepared to grab a saw and someone else to help you have an easier time with installation.I will say the catflap is very unintuitive to use at first. The manual has everything smooshed together without any clear bullet points or clear indication what does what so it can be quite confusing at first even for someone that works with a lot of electronics. That said programming in a cat's microchip into the system (before installing into the door/wall) is very easy, so easy that I didn't realise it was done (and was afraid it wasn't registered correctly as there's no real indication that you've done it). I suspect you'd have an easier time if your animal wears and keeps on the compatable ID disc option.If you cat has kitty friends (or if one of them sneaks into the house by another entry method) they can go outside (as long as the flap is set to allow out) without needing to be programmed into the cat flap system.Also the flap has a rather cute icon to say which programmed cat is in, and when they last used the cat flap.The timer programming is very awkward to set up (as is almost all the programming on the cat flap) and is set for all cats on the system. Personally I've got mine set to 8pm Cat In Only to 4am Cat Out and In, I'm almost certain that you can only set one timer program. It would be nice to be able to set multiple programs or be able to set a different program to a different cat.If you've got a nervous or shy cat expect them to be scared of the sounds of the lock system on this door, they locks make a noise when the registered animal is close to the sensor. Give them some time to get adjusted and they'll have no problem.The flap is very clear and even after a month's usage (and kitty wanting to go out and scratching it), the panel is still crystal clear. Our cat also liked to attacked the previous cat flap from all sides to get it to open, but this one is like a mini Fort Knox, not even Houdini himself could get out this cat flap when it is locked.I have given this product 4/5 stars only because the main selling point (the timer programming) is very fiddly to work. You hold one button and then press and hold a second one, but get the presses wrong and it's a different command or nothing happens. Also the buttons were very firm to press. Perhaps this is down to stopping a cat pressing buttons randomly however it does make it very difficult to use. I do recommend this cat flap to anyone considering it, but bear in mind it will take you a few days to get the hang of the programming (heck after a month I've still got the manual nearby in case I need to change something on the hoof)