All Cat Flaps

Letting your cat in and out of the house requires constant attention. But a cat flap may do this work for you. At bitiba, you will find a wide range of cat flaps, from large, conventional to microchip ones – all for your cat's freedom and independence.

A cat flap is always practical if a cat is to get from one side of a door to the other without support. This can be the front door, as well as garden door or porch.

Cat flaps are sometimes useful inside the house too. For example, if a room should be accessible for a cat, but the door is generally closed to save energy. Altogether, cat flaps give unimagined freedom and ensure happy, satisfied feline.

If you purchase a cat flap, you may consider the following criteria in order to make a good choice:

- Right size for the cat

- 4-way closure (in only, out only, closed on both sides, open on both sides)

- Suitable installation depth for the door or wall

- Low-noise operation (brush strips soften flap noises)

- Suitable for the material at the installation area (glass, wood, walls, metal, plastic)

- Cat flap with a microchip (access only possible for your cat)

- Windproof cat flap (insulated model with draft sealing)

First choose the position of the cat flap in the door and make sure that it isn't too high for your cat. Now hold the tunnel of the cat flap and align it horizontally with a spirit level. A template that you can use as an alternative is included in the delivery with many cat flaps. Now mark the outline with a pen and drill a hole in each corner. You can now saw out the shape from hole to hole with a compass saw. Insert the tunnel, place the frame around it, mark the screw holes and screw the frame together.

You have to get your cat microchipped so that a cat flap with a microchip can work. The microchip is roughly the same size as a grain of rice and is placed under the skin in the cat's shoulder area. Every microchip contains an individual code containing the owner's contact information. The microchip is used for categorisation if a cat has run away, but it can also be read by suitably equipped cat flaps. The cat flap will then open only for your cat.

With a cat flap without a microchip, there's always the danger of other animals than your own cat using the access. This doesn't just refer to other cats, but wild animals like rats, raccoons or martens too. This risk is eliminated with cat flaps with a microchip, although they are somewhat more expensive. A cat flap with a microchip is merely unnecessary indoors, where it can only be used by your cat anyway.

The size of the cat determines the correct size for the cat flap. The inner passage width is crucial here rather than the external dimensions. There should be enough space on all sides for the cat to fit comfortably through the flap and not have to force its way through. Measure your cat's height and width whilst standing and add another two to three centimetres. The size should then be right.