A lot of people think that a traditional cat flap should be enough for them. After all, what do you need to worry about? The truth however, is that there are a lot of things that you should be worried about. With a traditional cat flap your cat may want to come in the house and something else may want to come in with it. Or maybe you’re sleeping one night and something comes in through that flap. You may be thinking it’s too small for a person to get through so you’re not concerned, but the truth is there are ways that burglars have used traditional cat flaps and even if they don’t, there are other animals that could gain access to your house through that traditional cat flap. When you have a microchip flap however, only your cat has the ‘key’ to get in and that means only your cat is going to actually get in. That gives you the best of both worlds. You don’t have to worry about your cat getting locked out of the house and you also don’t have to worry about anyone or anything else getting into the house through that open flap. Of course, finding the best microchip cat flaps isn’t always easy and that’s why we’ve done some of the hard work for you.
Best Microchip Cat Flap List
1. SureFlap DualScan Microchip Cat Door
$149.99 From Amazon
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This cat door is great because it actually works with the microchip you already use to keep your pet safe. You can program the door to interact with that microchip so that they can easily get in through the door. This works through a double antenna and makes sure that other cats or other animals aren’t going to get in, but even your indoor cats will be able to get back inside if they escape by accident. No matter how your cat manages to get out of the house, their microchip activates the door, and that means even indoor cats can have a way back inside. All you have to do is make sure the microchips are connected and monitored.
That’s because microchips can be programmed however you want. If you have indoor cats you can program the door to allow them in but not out, whereas you can program it to let other cats come and go as they please. If your cat doesn’t have a microchip you can use a special RFID chip located in a collar tag. That way you still can restrict your cats’ movement as much as you need to and you’ll be able to keep your cats the only ones able to get in the house.
This system is easy to install and it works with just a few AA batteries, which means it’s easy to get what you need to keep it running. With normal use just the one set of batteries can last a year, but you’ll want to keep an eye on the door to make sure that that batteries don’t die sooner. You don’t want your cats to be trapped outside the house. It’s also lightweight, at only a little over 2 pounds, and small enough that you don’t need to worry about anything else getting through.
2. Cat Mate Elite Microchip Cat Door with Timer Control
$130.29 From Amazon
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This door is actually inexpensive to purchase and that is just one of the added benefits, not even considering the way that it works and everything it’s going to tell you right off the bad. It’s entirely draft and weatherproof so you don’t need to worry about leaking air. You’ll be able to install it quickly and easily and then you won’t have to worry about anything else because it even includes a rain seal that will keep out any kind of moisture while still allowing your cats to get in and out when they need to.
This particular door also includes an LCD display that will let you know whether your cats are inside or outside, displaying the location for each of your cats and even showing you the last time that up to three of your cats used the door. You can also see whether the door is currently in a locked or unlocked status, because you get to control when your cats are allowed to use the door in order to limit their time outdoors or keep them in during the night.
You can connect the door to your cat’s current microchip or you can connect it to an RFID chip that you can add to your cat’s collar. That way you can make sure only your pets are allowed to get in and out the door. It works on 4 AA batteries which can work up to 9 months, so you’re never going to have to worry about your cats being locked out by a door that doesn’t work.
3. SureFlap Microchip Cat Door
$124.99 From Amazon
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You don’t need to have a special collar for this door because it can connect to the microchip your cat already has. It works with any 9, 10 or 15 digit chips, though you can get a separate tag for cats that don’t have a microchip. The door is also entirely battery powered so you don’t need to worry about loss of power and you’ll know when you need to replace the power source so your cats are never going to get trapped outside of the house because their door doesn’t work.
Weighing only about 2 pounds, this door works well for small or medium sized cats but is not intended for larger animals because of the size, being only 8.2 inches square. The door is able to be locked entirely if you want to make sure that your cats aren’t getting out later in the evening or if you want to keep them in for the day. Conversely, you can also completely unlock the door so that your pets can get used to the system before trying to get them used to the locking mechanism.
Made with a high quality, high density plastic, this door has a good draft protection so you don’t need to worry about getting moisture, wind or anything else in the house or out. You also get a very quiet lock mechanism and there’s very little noise leakage through the door as well. Even better you don’t have to worry about your cats (or others) scratching the door because it’s protected against damage and stays sturdy.
4. Cat Mate Elite I.D. Disc Cat Flap with Timer Control
$108.98 From Amazon
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The moderate price of this cat door definitely makes it a good choice. It also includes 2 I.D. discs so you can use it with cats that currently aren’t microchipped. It uses 4 AA batteries to run for about 12 months, which means that it’s easy to replace the batteries and you don’t have to do it very often. There’s even an LCD screen that will let you know what your cats are doing at that time. Because it stores up to 8 different I.D.’s you’ll be able to make sure all of your cats can get in and out but you’ll also be able to see when the last three of your cats came in or out right on the screen and you can check their location too.
This door is smaller than others being only 6.5” x 7.5”, but it is large enough for most cats. It’s also fully programmable so you can make sure that your cats aren’t going outside when you don’t want them to. You get to set the times that they’re allowed to leave and can even fully lock or unlock the door to make sure they can get where they need to be. The door itself is fully sealed to make sure that rain, wind and anything else is not going to get through the door or the outside where it’s framed into the door. It’s made with 2 inches of self-lining to keep the door secure.
At only about 2 pounds, this door is also lightweight and won’t hurt your door either. You will also have no problem getting the entire thing installed, programmed and ready for your cats to start using.
5. SureFlap Microchip Pet Door
$194.94 From Amazon
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Moderately priced, this door actually comes in two different colors, brown and white. It also is designed with a clear plastic flap and has a 2 ¾” thick frame to ensure that no weather or rain gets through. You can sign up to 32 pets through their microchip or you can add I.D. tags that contain RFID chips. It’s a larger door than other options with clearance of 10.7 inches by 12.5 inches. It’s also just over 3 pounds in weight.
This door is going to run on 4 C cell batteries, which means that it’s a little more difficult to change new batteries but they do last about a year, which means that you’re not going to need replacements often. You also don’t need to worry about other animals getting into the door because it’s been fully tested with raccoons and other wild animals to make sure that they won’t get through without a collar or microchip that’s been linked to the system.
