Can anyone recommened the BEST catflap out there? : )

[RooneyMara]

I've had so many awful cat flaps that are very flimsy, broken by the cat and finally by ds2 climbing out of the stable door and standing on the sticky out bit.

It might just be that we are a bit violent including the cat - recently I came into the kitchen and found the cat flap had been shoved through the door and onto the floor leaving a gaping hole. I imagine she just sort of nutted it.

Anyway we finally have a new door, a really nice, heavy, antique door and I reluctantly have to fit a new flap in it - so I'm looking for a very strong and decent one. I don't mind paying a bit more for it, I just want it to last.

Any recommendations very gratefully received!

[Melissakitkat]

Sorry can't help but I feel your pain! We have a big cat/small dog cat flap fitted in our glass conservatory door and the cats break the cat flap at least once a year so we now tend to buy three at a time so we always have one in stock. Dh is now very good at fitting the new one! (We have 9 cats though so lots of usage!)

[RooneyMara]

thanks and much sympathy!!

I've just found that staywell do an aluminium one - it seems to have a bendy flap, made of rubber, so not sure if that will last very well but at least maybe the frame won't break! They have them on amazon for about £22 so have tentatively ordered one...

I'm actually thinking of not installing a flap at all, she is 14 and I'm not sure if we'll have another cat when she goes - but how do people find not having a flap?

I'm afraid she will use it as an excuse to piss on the bath mat even more frequently than she already does tbh.

[Lovethesea]

Our sureflap microchip one seems very sturdy, I got that after recommendations on here for it.

[RooneyMara]

Ooh. Thankyou!

[QueenStromba]

Do you have a litter tray? If not it sounds like you need one.

[RooneyMara]

Hmm...I'm never sure on this. We've not had a litter tray for this old lady since we moved here 5 years ago - she is now 14 and very good, generally, but when it is snowing or very wet she has a tendency to do naughty things indoors.

I think as she gets on we'll need to get her a tray but for now there is nowhere to put it - and she is managing, most of the time.

Do you think cats should always have an indoor tray? I like to avoid it if I can, obviously it's far easier - and she only 'goes' in our own (enormous) garden which I feel ok about, she's not messing up other people's lawns.

[QueenStromba]

I think the fact that she's having accidents means that she needs a tray. Do you not even have a free corner somewhere for something like this or this? We use chick crumb as litter and it's great at absorbing smells so a litter tray wouldn't be intrusive in the bedroom or living room.

[RooneyMara]

Thanks for the links, they look great. It's not accidents as such. She can wait - she's in really good health afaik, not scrawny, not walking oddly or anything. Just a fine, plump, smooth shiny cat who doesn't like getting wet!

I find if I leave the bathmat on the floor in the bathroom, she will try and go in there and have a small wee, when it is really bad weather, I think maybe it is a scent marking exercise too? Not sure. It's always in the same place.

If I don't leave the mat down, then she goes outside as usual.
Still I will keep it in mind. The thing is we've just had another baby, and every corner is literally crammed as it's a 2 bed flat with two older kids already, and so I'm sharing with ds2 and the baby while ds1 has his own tiny room.

I'm not sure if we might go a bit more minimalist in future - hopefully - but for now there's not a spare inch.

[Fluffycloudland77]

If you look at the petmate ones they have the locking mechanism in the centre of the door not the side so it's supposed to be harder to lever the door off.

[RooneyMara]

thankyou

[ItsYoniYappy]

Oh crap you have ordered one, I have a staywell way locking one still in box ready to go to charity.

[ItsYoniYappy]

3 way locking one...

[HenriettaChicken]

Reading with interest. Our cats have just about destroyed our flap, and a local cat torments them and comes in through it (even though there's a magnet on it...) so we are looking for a good - and secure - flap too.

[notapizzaeater]

We've just bought the microchip one - tis hubby's job to do at the weekend ! Was £100 in pets at home, £75 on amazon. Our cat can and will hold wee for 24 hours rather than use a litter tray

[HenriettaChicken]

Let us know how the microchip works out. Can you use it with 2 cats?

[notapizzaeater]

Yes, it can store up to 30 cats according to the box. We needed to keep other cats out as have a huge bouncy dog that would be delighted to see them

[RooneyMara]

Oh thankyou Yoni - not to worry, I really fancied a non plastic one, I have trouble fitting plastic things somehow! Once when I was pregnant I actually put one in upside down. it were like a little shelf.

The cat sort of stood there and looked at it, and then at me like 'what am I supposed to do with THAT?'

Good luck to everyone else
I think there be a flap gap In the market, as it were...

[HenriettaChicken]

30 CATS!!! Blimey...

[cozietoesie]

That was what I thought initially when I read the spec - but then I reckoned that they're very long lasting pieces of equipment so maybe they're not thinking of 30 all at once.

[notapizzaeater]

Think hubby and dog would leave home with 30 !!!

[thecatneuterer]

Regarding the 30 cats - I think they might be thinking of me :)

[miggy]

have just bought and fitted 9 of the staywell aluminium ones in my cattery and they are really nice. Sides all solid aluminium-no plastic, door very flexible rubbery plastic, bends rather than flaps out and locked with solid panels that slide down onto aluminium runners.
Look very smart and hopefully will be strong-they have really good reviews.
I shopped around and amazon was the cheapest.

[cozietoesie]

Yes thecatneuterer - you're rather pushing the envelope!