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List Price: $209.95
Sale Price: $89.19
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We have raccoons in the area and I have tried a lot of cat doors. We were using the older version magnetic locking cat door from ani mate. Since the raccoons easily figured out how to open that, we just locked it every night, which was tiresome, but worked. I was exicted to see this one advertised as raccoon proof. There is even a picture of a raccoon on the box with a big red X through it. I happily installed the door, carefulling following instructions. It lasted 2 nights. Raccoons broke in, then because they were locked in (it locks both directions), then tore it out of the wall trying to get out. Now I have a broken, non-functional cat door.
I called KV Pet who sold it too me and was told that even though it said raccoon proof and had broken in two days, they would not replace it or refund my money. I called ani mate and was told that if I wrote a letter and mailed the door back to them (at my cost of course) they would consider replacing it, but not refunding my money. So much for the guarentee.
I think the door is great, unless you have raccoons and then it is sucks and the company sucks and the seller sucks.
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I installed this door 24 hours ago for my 5 (yes 5!) cats, 3 of which are kittens that have not yet been altered, so I don't want them going outside. I've got a problem with strays in my neighborhood, which was my main reason for purchasing this cat flap. In response to a previous review, I've had no problem purchasing replacement/ extra ID tags in case my cats lose theirs.
I installed the flap in a wooden door, with the bottom of the opening precisely 6 inches above the ground as the instructions indicated. I used the training mode (no lock) and treats to adjust the 2 inexperienced cats to the flap. It took them maybe 10 minutes to learn, and once I enabled the lock it read the collars perfectly the cats were not at all intimidated by the lock noise and had no trouble unlocking the flap. Once curfew hit at 6pm, they beat on the flap pretty good to be let out, but no go and they eventually gave up. I was also glad to note that although the flap will stay unlocked from 5 90 seconds (depending on your preference) once a collar is read and the cat has not yet gone through the flap, it locks immediately after the cat successfully makes it through the flap.
The next morning, within the first hour, one of the 3 unaltered kittens managed to get outside. A few hours into the morning, all 3 had figured out how to go through the hole in conjuction with one of the 2 collared cats. I then tried putting collars on the 3 kittens and setting the flap to not allow them out I hoped that if the flap read a collar in range that was not to be permitted through the flap, it wouldn't open for the adjacent permitted cat, but no go. I even tried letting the 2 cats out myself through a different door and setting the flap to in only, but the kittens just caught the flap as the other cat entered and made their way out! To be fair, the operating instructions do allude to this scenario, but none of the websites that I perused noted this potential problem in their sales pitches.
So, for the moment, I can't use the flap. Hopefully, after the kittens have recovered from their spaying (in the next month or so), I'll be able to use the flap for all 5 cats. It does seem that it will keep strays out because the flap re-locks so quickly after entry. However, if my cats decide to befriend any neighborhood cats and don't mind them being in close proximity, this cat flap may not meet its intended purpose.
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I build a special frame (from a 2"x2"x6' shim, a few screws, paint, a bit of Plexiglas and silicone) to fit the flap into a horizontal sliding window. This avoids replacing a double-glass pane. The way it's done, I can take out 2 screws from the inside of the house and remove the entire thing with only 2 small holes in the window frame (not exposed with closed window, easy to patch). It's weatherproof and just as burglar-proof as the original window.
As other reviews said, the flap lock is *LOUD*. So FIRST of all, I took care to train my cat to be curious about that noise. I now know when my cat comes and goes from anywhere in the house. I rather like that. I had contemplated to install a walk-through door-bell which I now certainly don't need. If your cat is going in and out all night and that thing is in your bedroom, don't say you haven't been warned.
I suggest you play with the flap a little before you decide exactly how to mount it, because the it clearly has limited scanning range and if you mount the door too low or too high, the chip may hang too far below the lower frame when the cat-nose pushes the door and triggers the scan. The instructions are rather clear (also with respect to how to mount in metal doors), so if you stick to them it should work.
My cat had never seen a cat-door before, so I took some time letting the cat in and out through that window only for a few days, then used the door as a tunnel (taped open during the day) for a few days, then in training mode (flap down with magnet, cat pushes through without chip use).
I also made sure that the cat would not encounter the lock-sound for the first time while pressing her nose against the flap: just triggered the lock myself several times while the cat was in the room and she eventually came to investigate. Lots of treats throughout the process. After two weeks, the door was in use with the chip. A few days later, I made the door-flap opaque to further discourage possible future stubborn raccoons and strays (pure precaution, suggested by somebody on the 'net). Finally, I engaged the timer to limit my cat to in-only at night. Now the door is fully operational. So far, it's been keeping the stray cats and a single stupid raccoon out and keeps my cat in until a few hours after dawn, which has reduced her previously regular hunting success to an occasional house-mouse (which I suspect is caught indoors anyhow).
The chip is rather big, and if your cat is not good with collars, this might not work for you no problem with my cat who always had a (breakaway!) collar with a tag and a bell. The metal bell is still on the collar and does not seem to interfere with scanning the chip.
I operate the door on (4xAA) rechargeable batteries which seems no problem so far (getting them into the stupid compartment was not so easy). Programming was a breeze with instructions in hand if I ever lose them I'll have to buy a new cat door though.
Give a cat a piece of freedom :-)
Honest reviews on Cat Mate Elite Super Selective Cat Flap White
I bought originally bought the Pet Safe Magnetic door (not this one) because I liked the idea of not needing batteries as the Cat Mate doors did. I needed an electronic door for a feeding box to separate my two cats during feeding time since one had to be put on a prescription diet. I was going to put the non prescription cat's food in the box (since it would be bad for the sick cat to eat the regular food, but not the end of the world if the other cat had a bit or two of the prescription food).
The sick cat is definitely the dominate, more food-motivated cat, so I figured he'd be first at the trough when the auto-feeder went off with his food anyways. So, everything should have worked out.
I bought a large storage tote with handles that locked over the lid, cut the door-sized hole in the side of it, installed the door, and set it up with the non-prescription food in it.
Literally, in under 10 seconds, the dominate, food motivated cat had popped the Pet Safe door open and had gained access to the off-limits food. I returned that door.
I think it really is a design flaw on the Pet Safe door that the latch that holds the door closed until the magnetic tag trips it is located at the bottom corner of the door. When a cat (or raccoon) pushes hard enough on the other corner, the clear plastic door is flexible enough that the whole door just pops over the latch that is supposed to be holding it closed.
I ended up deciding to get two other different doors so each cat could have their own private eating space. I got a Cat Mate magnetic door, and a Cat Mate Super Selective microchip activated door (the one described on this page). The magnetic Cat Mate door is similar in price to the Pet Safe, but the Super Selective costs more than twice as much. But, if you have two cats in my situation, you can't have two magnetic doors because any magnet will open either door, so they wouldn't be kept away from the other's food.
I love the Cat Mate doors. Even on the magnetic one, the latch is centered at the bottom of the door, so it would be much harder to get open just by pushing on it. But, a smart racoon with claws might figure out that he could pull the door back toward him and get in that way. My cat that is not allowed in this door is not super aggressive, so I haven't seen her try to get in, but I can tell this is a sturdier magnetic door than the Pet Safe and would probably keep most all cats out.
The Cat Mate Super Selective has little pegs that pop up into the base of the door and hold the door in place from both directions, so it is advertised as "raccoon proof." I have found it to be very effective against my food bully tomcat. He's almost tipped the box over (and spilled the water bowl inside), but he hasn't opened the door. Plus, if you have several cats you need to separate, the Cat Mate Selective or Super Selective is your only option since it senses each cat's unique microchip tag and allows or disallows access based on each individual cat's chip. If you only need to separate two cats, or two groups of cats, you can get away with using one magnetic door and one microchip door.
I got the "Super Selective" frankly because I could not find the plain old "Selective" in stock anywhere. It is nice to have the display window that the Super Selective provides over the Selective. The only feature of this that I regularly use is the button to see how long ago the cat went through. This is nice so I can see if she's eaten during the day when I'm gone to work. I imagine having the display also makes it slightly easier to program.
The Super Selective does make a little noise as the pegs are released and then when they pop up again. My cat that uses this door is a little skittish, but she's gotten used to it in a matter of a few weeks. She's still a little hesitant, and it sometimes takes her a few tries, but when she's hungry, she can make her way in to eat, and then back out again.
I have not used most of the fancy programming features (giving certain cats different access rights, timing which cat is allowed to go where when), so I can't say how well those work, or if there are any flaws there.
I think the tripping mechanism for unlocking the doors has worked really well. When the cat nudges the door with her nose or paw, the sensor starts looking for her microchip, sees it, and unlocks the door. So, the cats have to get used to giving it a little nudge, hearing the pegs disengage, and then walking though. My cat that uses this door is still very hesitant. She often nudges several times before she actually decides to push her way through the door, which means that the pegs go up and down several times. It seems as though the door is designed so that the pegs don't pop up again until the door is down, vertical, and centered. I've held the door open for her for long periods of time, and the pegs don't pop up again until the door is closed and ready to be locked.
On occasion, due the the multiple nudges and hesitancy of my cat, the pegs have popped up with the door not being perfectly centered, which, theoretically, could lock the cat in on one side of the door. But, the door seems to sense this, and after a few minutes, corrects itself by dis-engaging the pegs (which lets the door get centered again, and then re-engaging the pegs so that the door is in it's normal state again.
In summary, I would not use the Pet Safe magnetic door if I were using it as a door to the outside. It would be too easy for other animals to get in. If you need to separate indoor cats for feeding purposes, and none of the cats are too strong or motivated to get at the other's food, the Pet Safe door might work, but I believe the Cat Mate options are better designed, sturdier, and just better doors. I've been using these for just over one month now, and am very happy with them both.
If I were needing an outside door, the Cat Mate Selective or Super Selective are the only ones I would consider. Also, if you are in my situation (wanting to give two cats private feeding areas), or need to separate 3 or more cats, the Cat Mate Selective or Super Selective is the way to go. They are more expensive, but if you want to keep unwelcomed critters out, that's the best I've found.
UPDATE: my timid cat got used to this door pretty quickly. The noise did not bother her at all after about a month. You do need to work with your cat to help train them to use it and not be scared of the noise (which I don't think is really all that noisy). For my purposes, I took the lid off my feeding box, put the cat inside to eat, put the lid on, and let her find her way out, sometimes pulling the door open for her once she'd triggered the pegs to release. Going on two years now, and I don't think I've even had to change the batteries. Very pleased.
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I have had three cats using this door constantly for a few years, I immediately tossed our literbox out after they were all trained totally changed our lives for the better. still on the first set of batteries too.
we went through a few tags before we started using non-breakaway collars. to those that are concerned there was recently a study published by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, finding that the most effective collars are actually the standard buckle type and there were no serious injuries in their sample group. we buy small dog collars with reflective prints. so, this isn't really an issue with the tags, it's the horrible break-away cat collars to blame.
I installed ours through a wall instead of a door and used the Pet-mate tunnel extension and threw out the flimsy screws and used lag-bolts, it would take a bear to rip this off the wall. no raccoon problems and we do have raccoons. the door itself is really tough and I have only had one jam and had to take the cover off and roll the gears to reset it. it's totally scratched up and worn with use but still keeps clicking.
at certain times of the year our cats go on a killing spree and if I don't lock them out, they will bring in all sorts of critters in various crippled states. the timer functions are invaluable for adjusting for this and the cats learn to come in during the "open" time to eat or sleep when it's extremely hot, cold or rainy. unfortunately you can't combine the timer fully with the selective function, but it does overlap, i.e. you can't put selective tags on different timers, the timer is global applies to all tags. so if one cat is set to in/out and another just out but the timer sets out only from 8am to 8pm, the in/out cat is restricted during this time too. it's great as long as you can work with these rules.
the large physical tags are really the worst part of this and there is a RFID "chip" based door SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap White but without the timer functions so it wouldn't work for me. maybe one day I'll hack these two together. there are probably patent restrictions keeping these two concepts from coming together. I would also like to see the next generation from either of these doors to include "app" support to work with home automation systems and smartphones. I would totally pay a premium to get that.
