Measure the distance between your cat’s belly and the floor. This is the height of your cat flap. Mark a line on the door or wall at the same distance from the floor.

Measure their torso – Excluding their legs, you want to measure the longest part of your cat’s torso, which is usually from the top of their shoulders to the bottom of their chest or stomach Don’t get disturbed at night – No more being woken by your cat meowing to be let out while you’re sleeping You also want to make sure that your cat flap isn’t too close to a door or window, as creating the hole for the cat flap could weaken the structure of the wall. Smooth the edges – Before fitting a cat flap, smooth the edges with sandpaper. Again, go slowly and keep an eye on the lines to make sure you don’t remove too much of the door

It reads the chip to keep uninvited guests out, but this isn’t all the hub can do. It can monitor their activity, and notify you of any changes in their behaviour such as a difference in timings or spending longer outside. You also get intruder alerts when another animal has attempted to get in, which could signal the behaviour patterns. Installing a cat door is a great way to give your pet some agency, allowing them to come and go as they please. Cat doors can also be used indoors— a cat door can give your cat access to rooms where the door is frequently closed. Doors can be wooden, aluminum, or plastic, as long as they are lightweight and easy to push through. Cat flaps in general are a godsend for those of us who are servants to moggies, meaning we don’t have to get up and down every five minutes to let a cat in or out through a window or door. Allowing cats access to the outside world, in a safe environment, gives them the best life possible, so it’s worth investing in a good cat flap to let them come and go as they please. A cat enclosure, or catio, could be ideal if you are happy to leave a window open but not let anything other than your cat in. Setup is easy, with one-button programming. However, this flap is marginally slower to open than some others and this may take your cat a little while to get used to, so be patient. The cat flap has a green light that appears when a chip is read successfully, and the LED light will also indicate when the battery is running low. Powered by four AA batteries, battery life is impressive at around 12 months.

Mark up your door – Using the above measurement, draw a mark in the middle of the door at the same height from the floor. Then position your cat flat template so that the centre of the bottom edge sits on the mark you’ve just drawn, then mark the four corners of the cat flap on the door and connect those marks with straight lines to show the four edges of the cat flap This article was written by Steven Asarch, a freelance writer and product expert, for The Spruce. A devout cat dad of two, he has expert experience figuring out which products are perfect for them. Steven has previously analyzed testing data, tried out products at home, and provided recommendations for other categories of cat products, including catnip toys, wand toys, litter disposal systems, and also wrote an exhaustive list of the essentials you should have before welcoming a new kitten into your home. Some can even be set to ensure your cat can’t come and go as they please. Maybe you’d rather they didn’t go out between 11pm and 6am? But that they’re still allowed to come in if they’re out beyond midnight? Most cat doors include a template for installation. Along with the template, you'll need the following materials: Choosing the best cat door can be challenging if you are unsure of what you need, so here are some things to consider when buying:For a window, you will need a special flap which can be installed in glass, which is usually thinner than door flaps. They often have to be fitted at the same time as a new pane of glass is placed into the door or window as it is hard to cut into an existing piece, which could be expensive and limits when you can get one. It is the best idea if your cat currently uses a window for access and you don’t want to confuse them though. More exercise for your cat – Cats that live in a home with a cat flap are typically more independent and get more exercise, which helps keep them healthy and means they’re less likely to suffer from health problems such as obesity and diabetes Advanced microchip cat flaps have timer settings. These enable you to pre-set a 24-hour schedule. For example, if you don’t want your cats out at night you can set it to ‘entrance only’ between 9pm and 6am. If you have more than one cat, DualScan technology lets you set exit permissions for each cat, and up to 32 are remembered. You can fit it in a door, wall or window, and the batteries should last around six months. Do make sure that your cat’s microchip is one that’s recognised by the cat flap you choose. Some older microchips and foreign chips may not work with a microchip cat flap. Where should I install my cat flap?

To position the cat flap at the right height in your door or wall, you’ll want to measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of your cat’s belly. If you have multiple cats, take the measurement for the smallest of your cats. Similar to a microchip, except it only needs a magnetic strip on the collar. You can choose to only let your cat in or out rather than both ways, and it limits strays, but any cat with a magnetic collar can still enter. There is also a risk they could lose the collar key Two-Way Manual

The best microchip cat flaps you can buy in 2023

Some cat flaps have magnetic strips which secure the flap when it’s not in use. This is a good protective measure against wind.