Topic: Sureflap - making progress! (Read 22203 times)

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #69 on:** October 16, 2013, 06:58:24 AM »

Yep, my OH was the same. dead against getting it, and really chuffed that we have.

Have been on touch with Sureflap about their dual scanner flap, as we too now have a kitten we need to keep in, whilst allowing our other cat to come and go at will. They did say it would be released two weeks ago - then it was arriving in the UK last week, but still not heard anything. Am just thinking of buying another ordinary sureflap and fitting it in reverse., but if the dual scanner really is that imminent it would irk me no end to buy a "one way" sureflap only to find the dual scanner coming out in the next two or three weeks. Sureflap are normally very reliable with their info, but I admit I'm growing anxious/impatient, as Murray now figured out how to operate the manual flap leading from living room to kitchen......

OH has programmed a spare tag we had, and added that to his collar, just in case.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #68 on:** October 15, 2013, 22:47:37 PM »

After all his initial scepticism, hubby is definitely a convert! We just moved house so have been talking about where the new cat flap should go when we are ready to start letting the cats out, and hubby said 'I think we should buy another one of those microchip ones'. I reeeeallly had to bite my lip and nod sagely instead of shouting "see, I told you so"

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #67 on:** August 27, 2013, 07:14:41 AM »

I couldnt agree more - I'm really glad we got ours. Ross was put off by the clicking at first, and the fact he had to push harder at the flap, but then again, Ross sometimes still sits in front of the inner flap, bashing it with his paws and looking concerned that it might not open.

Definitely worthwhile Pav.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #66 on:** August 26, 2013, 15:05:32 PM »

Ooh yes the new dual scan one looks like it will be really helpful for many multi-cat households! I wonder how long it will be before it is launched.

I can see from this thread that it's been nearly 4 months since I fitted the sureflap and I am absolutely pleased as punch with it. Milly didn't like it at all to start with, as she didn't like the clicking noise and the tunnel and double magnets made pushing it open much harder for her, but having taken the magnets out and let her get used to the different posture and noises without having to push hard, we were able to get past that and now it's all back together and working perfectly for both of them. Seeing them come rushing in and seeing psycho cat outside unable to get to them makes it all worthwhile

as does being able to stay out after work or go out for an evening without having to either lock the cats in early or worry about rushing home to get them safely locked in. Definitely one of my best ever purchases

pappilon · « **Reply #65 on:** August 25, 2013, 22:17:37 PM »

Sue thank you so much yes thats what i need now to let Felicity have access to out and in till Mr Jingles is old enough to be spayed. Thank you

Sheila i am going to go with the latest not sure if its the noise that keep Felicity using the flap atm i mean it is the old flap but when i showed her it does make a noise open and close. I think she just cant be bothered she looks puzzled not very bright my beautiful girl

I am going to get it from the site then.
She probably wont use it and its me who has to get up and open and close windows/door for her to get out/in but i wouldnt know unless i have one fitted

Thnak you every one

sheilarose · « **Reply #64 on:** August 25, 2013, 21:43:43 PM »

Agreed, Sureflap have been improving their product over the last couple of years, the latest model has a quieter mechanism that doesn't spook the cat. I bought the upgrade kit for mine as Tufty was frightened by the "click" it made when the lock opens but he's fine with the new one.

I think if you buy elsewhere you may gt the older model, so I'd buy direct from Sureflap themselves to be sure of getting the up to date model.

The Sureflap works on the cat's microchip, no collar needed. You can programme up to 32 cats! Easy to do. The flap also works on batteries so no need to have wires leading to a plug socket. My batteries last around 4 months, but then I have seven cats in and out 24/7 so it gets a lot of hammer.

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #63 on:** August 25, 2013, 20:40:31 PM »

Hi Pac - I don't, but the latest model sureflap are bringing out enables you to select which of your csts can come and go - you can set it to let one come and go, and another is prevented from leaving, if that was what you preferred. Their site is the best place to look.

pappilon · « **Reply #62 on:** August 25, 2013, 20:21:33 PM »

Thank you Sue as long as i dont have to put a collar on her. What is the latest model please?
I am really useless with all this so am trying to get every thing to details and then place the order

Kay my cat flap was fitted in 1990 so its a very old one but now i need to get the microchiped one because of this little man here as in few weeks time when he can jump high enough to get to window sills then i cant leave the windows open anymore for Felicity to go out and shehas to learn to use the flap

At the moment she refuses to use the old flap i have shown her the way in and out
but she ignores full stop

I am going to check Amazon and their site.
Thank you Kay
Sue do you have a model number by any chance which you could give me.
Thank you so much.

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #61 on:** August 25, 2013, 18:18:14 PM »

Sureflap works only via a Microchip in your cat or a programmed disc on its collar. It's customer service team are second to none - really.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #60 on:** August 25, 2013, 18:14:39 PM »

I've never had anything more than the bog standard cat flap, Pav, but I believe there are two types - one which works via a magnet on the cat's collar, and another which reads the microchip

I suspect the price of both varies a lot, and there are probably bargains to be had if you can wait for one - personally I always start by checking out Amazon, as you get the reviews of previous purchasers, and their returns system is the best there is

but they are not always the cheapest

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #59 on:** August 25, 2013, 18:12:45 PM »

Pav, you can just register the chip. I'd try the sureflap site but there are offers around if you look online - trouble is, some are older models, so if you order from Sure flap you know what you're getting.

pappilon · « **Reply #58 on:** August 25, 2013, 13:29:35 PM »

Hi i am considering to get a sure flap for Felicity, where is the best place to order one? Zooplus , ebay or they have their own site also are they all the same ? Sorry just want to get the right one as i have found some one who can fit it next week for me

Just one more question does she need to wear a collar in order to use the flap or can i just reg her chip id?
Thank you

sheilarose · « **Reply #57 on:** May 13, 2013, 10:00:09 AM »

Am delighted for you all.

Must admit, having been one of the greatest advocates of Sureflap, I feel a slight sense of trepidation/guilt whenever someone has teething problems.

Our good news is that Tufty now happily and frequently lets himself in through our sureflap

It's taken him almost two years to overcome his fear of the "click" but I invested in the upgrade which has a softer click and he seems to be much more comfortable. Well, that and Sly's deteriorating agility which means he can't quite get there in time to ambush Tufty as he pushes in, which I'm sure was as great a deterrent as the "click".

We had similar invasion issues with our old catmate. The neighbours cats all had similar magnet collars at the time and we ended up with dreadful territorial battles and spraying. Not to mention the regular failure of the catch which resulted in a small mangey fox getting in one night.

Since the sureflap we no longer have flap-phobia which, in turns, Jarvis, Theo and Beau all suffered from and they now all sleep comfortably knowing they are the only ones who can come and go. Excellent result. Must do another review on their site actually, re the upgrade, as I firmly believe in this product.

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #56 on:** May 13, 2013, 06:53:01 AM »

Oh it makes such a difference. Ross and Dickie both know now they're safe in their own home, and they're much more relaxed than they were when BBC and LC were coming round making their lives hell (oddly, we've not seen either of the bullies for almost a month now. I do hope nothing horrible's happened to them, because at the end of the day it wasn't their fault they weren't neutered) but I am glad they aren't hanging around to pounce on the boys elsewhere.

Am so pleased Milly's fur is starting to grow back - and not least because it lowers the stress factor for you too, with your new working arrangements. Results all round, eh?!!

fluffybunny · « **Reply #55 on:** May 12, 2013, 19:02:42 PM »

I can't tell you how pleased I am, Sue. Milly's fur is starting to grow back so she's less stressed/itchy, and I am far less stressed too. I've just started a new job which involves being in the office every day (before I worked at home a lot) and working much longer hours, and it just takes so much stress away from me too, knowing that even if I can't get away when I'd like to, that they will still have a safe haven from psycho during the day and get locked in safely at night too.

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #54 on:** May 12, 2013, 18:13:49 PM »

Am absolutely delighted to know that this is working really well now - well worth the persistence.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #53 on:** May 12, 2013, 17:18:09 PM »

Excellent

You could leave a webcam pointing at the flap overnight to catch psycho bengal in the act scrabbling around

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #52 on:** May 12, 2013, 17:16:00 PM »

Thats great news

fluffybunny · « **Reply #51 on:** May 12, 2013, 17:04:40 PM »

Both kitties are now using the flap perfectly and I think even OH has now been won over...so it was definitely worth persisting and continually bugging customer services until we resolved it! We've stopped barricading the door over at night now and just letting the lock do its thing.

I think the scrabble marks up the door would suggest that it's doing its job of keeping psycho et al at bay

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #50 on:** April 25, 2013, 09:11:47 AM »

well, I know it may still only be temporary, but you shoulda seen the snoozles I had from him this morning - belly tubs, head rubs, purring fit to burst...... Ross has taught him well.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #49 on:** April 25, 2013, 09:03:00 AM »

Quote from: Sue P (Paddysmum) on April 25, 2013, 08:55:58 AM

both of ours

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #48 on:** April 25, 2013, 08:55:58 AM »

That's really good progress - the fact Milly can use it means she will if she has to, and that's what you needed.

It took both of ours a while to get used to, but now they don't even give it a second thought.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #47 on:** April 25, 2013, 08:38:47 AM »

Much better, ta! One of the magnets is currently out which does destabilise it a little but all the catches seem to be blocking the door in the right place (which they weren't with both magnets out) but it does mean that Milly will still use it. She doesn't really want to and she will try and avoid it when she can, but she can and does use it if no-one is there to open the door for her. The custom mode which changes the read frequency seems to have done the trick with reading both chips, too. It still makes Milly jump a little whenever it clicks but hopefully it won't be long before she gets used to that and knows what it means.

My oh is away this week so I'm hoping they will both be using it like a dream when he gets home tomorrow, so he can see that it does work fine for both of them. We saw psycho out on the front lawn at the weekend so he is still round and about.

Now Milly is using it fine(ish) it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to her overgrooming too. We've added valerian drops their beds to the daily calming routine as well. Fingers crossed!

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #46 on:** April 25, 2013, 07:51:14 AM »

How are you getting on with this now, FB?

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #45 on:** April 14, 2013, 07:07:24 AM »

That sounds really encouraging FB

Fingers crossed here and looking forward to an update in due course.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #44 on:** April 13, 2013, 23:02:07 PM »

Sounds promising

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #43 on:** April 13, 2013, 21:50:28 PM »

Loads of luck

fluffybunny · « **Reply #42 on:** April 13, 2013, 12:27:36 PM »

Oooh, well we may be making progress! Custom mode 10 which changes the read frequency seems to find Geoffrey's chip - I haven't had it on much to test it rigorously but he did come in through it fine earlier on so fingers crossed

Hopefully it's ok to keep it on that custom mode all the time and it doesn't eat batteries too much! I haven't tested it on Milly yet, but hopefully if it's found his, it will also continue to find hers as they are the same chips implanted at the same time.

So onto problem 2: Milly! Now the chip seems to be ok, I have removed both the magnets so the door is swinging freely (let's hope it's not too windy

), and have switched the chip reader off again. Milly seems to be able to get through the door fine without the magnets in it, so I'm going to leave it like that probably all week to get her used to it and the different posture she needs to adopt to get through it, and then I will try reintroducing one of the magnets, and then switch the microchip reader back on...and see how we get on. Everything crossed.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #41 on:** April 11, 2013, 15:23:20 PM »

Yeah I know, he did warn me of that. I think it's less of an issue of persistent pushers because the locking tabs will stop that, it's more that if the door doesnt flap shut at the right time, there is a risk that the locking tabs will push up on the wrong side of the door, if you see what I mean.

I had just wondered if it would help her get used to the door until she's got the hang of opening it. I think it's possible that once she's used to putting her head through the tunnel and pushing at a different angle and has got more confident with the new thing, it might be ok to put the magnet back again.

Anyway, I'll give the custom mode a go tomorrow when I'm at home and we'll see if it finds Geoffrey's chip...

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #40 on:** April 11, 2013, 14:45:28 PM »

Good luck FB.

I'd be wary about removing one of the magnets - because the door is larger than the smaller flap, the two magnets are used to ensure that persistent cats don't manage to force the door open. The locking points are at equidistant points on the door for durability.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #39 on:** April 11, 2013, 14:03:52 PM »

Sorry, me again

well the lovely chap has been back in touch, he has suggested I try one of the 'hidden' custom modes which boosts the frequency of the unit to see if this makes a difference. He did also say I could try taking one of the magnets out, but perhaps less helpfully didn't tell me how! I don't want to go breaking the unit thus presumably meaning that they wouldn't accept a return.

So I think I will try the custom mode first to see if that finds the chip. If it does, then I'll give them a ring (to avoid this annoying daily wait for a return email) to find out how to remove the other magnet...if it doesn't then I think I'll probably have to return it and try plan 'b' instead!

fluffybunny · « **Reply #38 on:** April 11, 2013, 12:39:31 PM »

Still waiting for a reply from sureflap, the poor guy is probably scratching his head

I had a thought for another solution if this really isn't going to work. Petporte flaps have a porch rather than a tunnel, so that might be easier for Milly to use. The hole is smaller than the sureflap pet door but bigger than the sureflap cat flap (I think), so Geoffrey might fit. Most reviews say it doesn't work with the biotherm chip although I found a few reviews who say theirs work fine. So another option might be to get a refund on the sureflap and try a petporte instead...even if that means resorting to re-doing Geoffrey's (and potentially Milly's) chips. This could potentially result in less moaning from hubby as there isn't the tunnel he thinks is bad for Milly, although I think the current cat flap hole may be too big and I may need to fashion an adapter

Not my preferred option, but another definite possibility I guess!

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #37 on:** April 10, 2013, 20:53:22 PM »

Good woman.

fluffybunny · « **Reply #36 on:** April 10, 2013, 20:16:03 PM »

I don't think so - he was only at the vets a couple of weeks ago and her pocket scanner picked it up over his shoulder blades as it usually does. I might be wrong but I think I can feel it there, too. I know the biotherm chips are supposed to have a smaller range, I don't know whether the tester board I have been sent contains a normal or a biotherm chip though; whichever it is, it is being read significantly further away than I think Geoffrey's chip is.

I refuse to be beaten

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #35 on:** April 10, 2013, 19:43:52 PM »

Quote from: fluffybunny on April 10, 2013, 18:24:27 PM

There's no way Geoffrey's chip is further back than the distance tested, so I can only imagine that the range on his chip is lower than that on the sensor, and his size isn't allowing it to be picked up.

Are you sure Geoffrey's chip hasn't migrated at all? Riley has two chips as the first one migrated to his side near his armpit, the smaller pocket scanners don't pick this up at all unless swept over his armpit area whereas the large satellite dish looking scanners locate it with a much less accurate sweep. If Geoffrey's chip has moved this could be the reason why it's not being reliably picked up by the sureflap ?

fluffybunny · « **Reply #34 on:** April 10, 2013, 18:50:47 PM »

Yes Sheila, that had crossed my mind as a last resort! It's far from ideal, it still relies on Milly being able to use the flap too so I still need to sort that out first, and because it will mean that his original microchip details will get smothered by the new ones, so it will no longer be able to be used to monitor his temperature...and while I'm not planning on taking them anywhere, apparently it can cause problems with pet passports if an animal has more than one chip. It's definitely something I would consider if everything else can be made to work, though. My usual vet is away until the end of the month and it's something I'd rather discuss with her than with any of the other vets at the practice, as she knows me and my animals, but it's definitely there on the 'things to consider' list.

I haven't registered it online yet, Sue - I must do that actually! I did buy it directly from them though so they will already have a record of its purchase. I have gone back to them this pm and made clear that there are 2 cats and 2 issues, so I'll see what they say tomorrow. I also asked whether it's worth considering trying the cat flap rather than the pet door (if Geoffrey can get through it...need to try him out with a hole in a piece of cardboard!) - don't know whether the technology/range would differ with the smaller flap and whether it would be easier for Milly to operate. Again, not ideal, but perhaps something to keep on the 'things to consider' pile. I'm determined to make this work somehow!

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #33 on:** April 10, 2013, 18:46:18 PM »

I think this is something FB has already thought about as a possible solution Sheila. I would also go back to Sureflap to make sure they know the difficulties involved two cats, each with different issues.

I've only ever seen positive feedback for the company, and am sure they wouldn't want you to go away dissatisfied. I've seen instances where they've given an unhappy customer a full refund, even where the flap was not purchased from them.

Did you register the flap online when you purchased it?

sheilarose · « **Reply #32 on:** April 10, 2013, 18:32:26 PM »

This might be a bit of a daft idea, but would you perhaps be able to fit Geoffrey with a second, purely functional microchip? I mean implanting one? Just to get him through the door?

fluffybunny · « **Reply #31 on:** April 10, 2013, 18:24:27 PM »

Still no further forward

The tester kit arrived (it's like a long cardboard rod with a chip attached to a ruler, so you can put it into the flap and move the chip along to measure how far out the sensors are sensing the chip) and it's working fine - picking it up at the furthest setting. There's no way Geoffrey's chip is further back than the distance tested, so I can only imagine that the range on his chip is lower than that on the sensor, and his size isn't allowing it to be picked up.

Having reported my findings back to sureflap, along with the observation that I think Milly's flap-opening problems are due to the tunnel - i.e. she can't get as much bodyweight behind it because the flap is in a tunnel rather than flush with the door, he couldn't suggest anything else other than leave it on manual for a while to see if she gets used to it. With lots of enquiries, I think he might have lost track of the fact that I have 2 cats and 2 separate issues here, so I have responded asking if there is anything we can try that may result in a stronger signal, and whether it is possible to remove one of the magnets to make the door easier for Milly to push. Another day, will wait for another response!

fluffybunny · « **Reply #30 on:** April 09, 2013, 17:43:52 PM »

Thanks - when I try putting it back in 'll experiment with some different height podiums and see if any of them help!

Mr sureflap customer services has posted me a test kit which I am instructed to use to test whether the scanner is operating properly, so I guess that is the first stage in working out what to do with Geoffrey. I wonder if Milly's issue is that the flap is now on the inside of the tunnel, and the tunnel itself is longer than the normal cat door, so she is struggling to get enough weight behind it to push it open. Mr sureflap says that yes there is a slightly stronger magnet on the bigger pet door rather than the cat flap as it has two magnets, but it really shouldn't be a problem. One step at a time, I guess, let's see what happens when I've done the door testing first. Leaving her out and hoping she eventually gets the hang of it isn't an option, though; if she comes across psycho she needs to be able go get back into her house quickly at all times.

I must say I am impressed with their speedy and helpful customer services, it's the sort of thing that really gives me a lot of sympathy to want to stay loyal to a company.

Author Topic: Sureflap - making progress! (Read 22203 times)