Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsNoisy, poorly designed... nice concept though.
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2018
Nice idea, but poorly implemented.
1. There's no off switch, and it's too noisy to leave the batteries in it all the times. Not only are the unlock and locking clicks really loud, but when a cat lingers it continues to make sounds occasionally. One of my cats goes in and out constantly, and the other sits at the portal to see outside, despite spending the past year sitting on a perch at the window next to the door, which was specifically designed for viewing purposes. (The flap itself is not annoyingly loud, probably about as noisy as any other pet door)
2. Some water is leaking indoors during heavy rains, which happens near daily during the summers here. I have yet to determine how the water is getting inside exactly. So I might be able to stop it with some caulk, but it may also be getting in through the device, as the locking mechanisms are at the bottom of the door, where water would pool if it splashed into the outside opening (they don't look waterproof). (I have tile flooring, so this isn't an emergency issue for me, but if I had wood or carpet flooring I would have been more upset to find the puddle after the first rainy afternoon.)
* I might adjust #2 later, depending on my findings.
3. The hole is too small, and the bottom of the passage is longer than necessary (it sticks out in both directions). The cats can get in and out, but it's very tiny, and I don't have large cats. I'd say one is small and the other medium, and neither are overweight. It makes sense for the top of the portal to jet out, to contain the electronics on the inside, and to block rain on the outside, but it doesn't make any sense to unnecessarily elongate the bottom. Both my cats usually 'drag' their hind quarters through the portal as a result of it's tiny size and it's length. And I assume that that is not going to be a good thing over the long haul.
4. This is not SureFlaps fault: one of my cats did fine using it to get to food, when it was installed in a box, for training. But she has had no interest in going outside unless the human door is left wide open (even when she can see her food outside and is 'hungry'). She's 'naturally' an indoor cat, I suppose. We've been taking her outside since she was a kitten, but she really doesn't like it. She usually just sits on the porch if the doors open. So having a pet door is really just a nicety for the other cat, as she can now come and go as she pleases, even during hot summer months, or cold winters... but they both still need a litter box! And that kinda defeats 90% of the point of getting a pet door, or cutting a hole in my $250 high energy efficiency door.
I have other minor qualms not worth mentioning here. All in all though, I wish I'd have saved the money and just bought a regular pet door. I suspect that 'someday' I might actually have use of the two way electronic control mechanism. But at the moment we don't have any coons or anything trying to get inside. And I'm not worried about other cats. And I also have to lock it manually at night to keep my outdoor kitty from bringing in live or dead animals to play with on our couch while we sleep (first night issue, 1 small bird, everyday issue, lizards a plenty).
I suspect that 'someday' I might buy another door such as this, if it's 'silent' and can be controlled via smartphone or direct digital controls, and is compatible with third party smart home systems like Nest, so I don't have to have a separate app for each device I have.
I'd say there'd absolutely be a market for proper 'smart' pet doors, but I don't think the SureFlap, or any door I've found, qualifies just yet.
