An outdoor cat is fully occupied all day long: watching its terrain, taking a nap in its basket, annoying the neighbour’s dog, emptying its feed bowl. These creatures are constantly on the move between home and the outdoors area, even if that outdoor area is simply a cat-safe balcony. Especially in winter, it can be stressful for you as a fellow resident if your furry friend wants to be let in and out all the time. A cat flap is then – almost – as practical as an automatic door.

Basically, a cat door consists of a frame with a horizontal flap attached to a hinge at the top that the cat pushes against with its head to get through the opening. With simple mechanical cat doors, the flap closes tightly again, for example, using magnets. Elaborate models can do even more: an electronic cat flap can be equipped with a sensor that detects either the pet chip or a microchip worn on the collar, only releasing the door for the registered cat. This means that unauthorised cats have to stay outside. Other programming options can include a time function, for example, so that the door only opens at certain times or only works in one direction: the cat can still enter the house at any time in the evening, but can then no longer leave the house until the morning.

In principle, a cat flap can be installed in all doors made of wood, metal or plastic. Even glass doors and balcony doors can be used for your furry friend. Cat flaps for windows are also not a problem to install. However, before you buy a cat flap, you should make sure that the chosen model fits your door or window pane. There are special tunnel extensions for particularly thick walls, glass or door materials. For the cat flap, an exact fitting opening must be cut into the door or the glass panel; a task for a carpenter or glazier in whom you have confidence. When attached to the weather-exposed side of the house, the cat flap should be insulated against wind and moisture. As a tenant, you must ask your landlord for permission to attach a door flap.
When installing the cat flap, make sure that the entry height for the cat is comfortable and not too low. At our online shop you will find a large selection of cat flaps & cat doors from manufacturers such as Staywell and Sure Flap.