I generally recommend the use of a microchip cat flap to control access. The problem that may arise with manual cat flaps is that either a local cat has discovered the new cat flap or suddenly there is a new cat in town. This can lead to food being eaten, your cat(s) being attacked, or other cats spraying inside your home. I occasionally replace manual cat flaps with microchip models because of this. Manual cat flaps also require greater user attention of the locked state of the flap. Despite these pitfalls, the manual type remains popular
The manufacturers and models below are those that I tend to use. My reasoning is that I believe them to be of good quality, and the savings in cost of some cheaper models are outweighed by the time and cost of fitting them. Please note that cat flaps are either designed to fit into glass, or other types of material (wooden doors, uPVC panels and so on). I do not install manual cat flaps in walls as it's far cheaper to fit a microchip model using a coring technique that's based on a Sureflap
Please note that the following information should only be used as a guide and reference made to the manufacturer's website for confirmation of any details
The former Cat Mate name is being replaced with Closer Pets branding. I tend to use the 4 way manual locking versions with door liner or the equivalent glass models for average sized and large cats. For anything larger in glass I tend to use a Pet-Tek
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
Flap opening 146mm (W) x 146mm (H) |
 |
|
Flap opening 178mm (W) x 184mm (H) |
 |
The Pet-Tek uses a Bayer polycarbonate that is stated to be 'virtually unbreakable'. I tend to use the Closer Pets models, but the manual glass fitting models here are useful in a range of sizes not found elsewhere. This is really only for larger cats, with larger dogs models being detailed in the appropriate section)
|
|
 |
