We have had a few customers ask if our products are sturdy enough to keep raccoons out so we thought we would enlist the help of two furry product testers at our local zoo to test a new feature on the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door.

Two resident raccoons at Shepreth Wildlife Park, Jumbo and Numning, stepped in to help. We installed a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door in a feed box to be placed in the raccoon pen. Initially, the microchip reading technology was turned off on the pet door, so that any animal could get in through it, and Jumbo and Numning were fed treats inside the feed box to get them used to going in through the pet door.

The raccoons quickly got the idea that the pet door was a doorway to food heaven! We then turned the pet door on and put it into Custom Mode 5, a security feature that prevents dextrous animals from gaining access.

Once the pet door was all set up, we put treats inside the feed box once more. With a lot of persistence, the raccoons tried to get at the treats and we are pleased to report that they were unable to get in! The SureFlap Microchip Pet Door held fast. Needless to say we rewarded the raccoons with the treats to thank them for their assistance!

We documented the process on film. In the video below, you will see just how determined the raccoons were to get at their treats!

The keepers at Shepreth Wildlife Park were happy to help us test the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door with their raccoons as it was a great way to provide a source of enrichment for them.

Please note that Custom Mode 5 is currently only available on the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door. This feature is not currently available on the SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap.

We have been working closely with pet behaviourist Jon Bowen and Your Cat magazine on the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign, a new initiative that aims to learn more about the outdoor lives of cats and the contribution they make to our neighbourhoods.

As part of the campaign, we surveyed 896 cat owners about their cats’ home environments both inside and outside of the house. We also surveyed 206 non-cat owners to get an understanding of what they think of the cats in their neighbourhood. The survey has helped us to highlight why cats behave the way they do and has enabled us to offer advice on different ways to improve a cat’s environment for the benefit of both pets and owners, but also to improve neighbourhood relations, particularly amongst non-cat owners.

Cat Flap Invasions

Our survey revealed that 51% of households with a non-selective cat flap had experienced an intruder cat coming into the home. Cats are territorial creatures. The home is their core territory and if this is invaded, it can be very stressful for the resident pet. They can develop stress-related illnesses and feel edgy at meal times if the intruder cat is constantly coming in to eat their food.

To prevent home invasions, install a selective entry cat flap, such as the SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap, so that only your cat has access to their core territory.

Meal Times

Cats like to graze, but if a neighbouring cat can gain access to their food, they are more likely to gorge themselves than demonstrate natural eating behaviour.

33% of cats in the survey are fed 2 or 3 times a day. However in the wild, cats will eat small meals 10 to 20 times a day. Cats that only have access to food a few times a day will therefore search for food elsewhere, which is why they might intrude into a neighbour’s house in search of a bite to eat.

By supplying food regularly throughout the day, you can ensure that your cat develops natural eating habits, which will discourage them from intruding into another cat’s territory.

Cat Latrines

69.4% of non-cat owners said that their main complaint was that the neighbour’s cat uses their garden to go to the toilet. Only 14.7% of cat owners provide an outdoor latrine for the pet. If there is no place for them to go to the toilet in their own garden, then they will seek a suitable toileting spot elsewhere.

It’s very easy to create a toilet in your garden for your cat. Fill a hole with some loose sand in a sheltered area and your cat should get the idea.

These are just a few of the simple steps you can take to improve your cat’s environment so that they can live happier, safer lives. To find out more about the results of the survey, take a look at the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign Research Report.

Calling all cat owners across the UK! We’re looking for people to take part in CatWatch Day on Bank Holiday Monday on the 6th May. CatWatch Day is part of the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign in association with SureFlap and Your Cat magazine.

On CatWatch Day, we want cat owners to observe their cats for a two-hour period, and make a note of the activities (or inactivity!) they get up to. Even if your cat is asleep for the entire two-hour period, or out and about in the neighbourhood, we still want to hear about!

To take part, check out our CatWatch Day Information Sheet. To help, print this document out for making notes. If you have more than one cat, choose which cat you will be observing at random. If possible, choose the time slot at random also. There are four time slots to choose from – 7am-9am, 12pm-2pm, 7pm-9pm or 10pm to midnight.

Once you have observed your cat on CatWatch Day, complete our online CatWatch Day Questionnaire. This must be completed by 10th May in order for it to be included in our results survey.

So put the date in your diary – Bank Holiday Monday May 6 – and get all your cat owning friends involved too!

A festival celebrating cat videos is returning to the US in August, after 10,000 people attended the event last year. Taking place in Minnesota, cat fans have the chance to vote for their favourite cat videos on the internet, to be displayed on a big screen. The event last year was the first festival of its kind to celebrate internet cat videos.

Cat videos have grown popular on the internet through video sharing websites such as YouTube. A video of a mother cat hugging her kitten has been viewed over 50 million times in the last two years.

The winning video of last year’s festival starred feline philosopher, Henri.

For more information about this year’s Cat Video Festival and to vote for your favourite video, visit the Walker website for more information.

Do you have a favourite cat video? What video would you vote for?

by Ron Rutherford

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” I’ve heard that probably a million times before and to be honest it can get pretty old. It’s true that my dogs think I’m pretty awesome and I know that they are probably the only living creatures on the planet who don’t care when I eat hot wings and then use them for a napkin. All the same, I like that I can hold on to some of my minor faults and still be the best thing since bacon wrapped turkey. Instead of being the person my dogs think I am, I strive to be more like my dogs because of their unique way of approaching the world around them.

Candidness

Regardless of their shortcomings, my dogs never apologize for who they are. They are not overly concerned with their appearances and don’t care if they get to ride in the back of the newest and hottest sports car. They don’t even get embarrassed about going to the bathroom in front of others. They are perfectly comfortable with the way they are and they never judge others. I think that there are times when we all get a little greedy or discontent with what we have already been blessed with. It’s in those moments that I realize I should be more like my dogs.

Thankfulness

Unlike the people in my life including myself, my dogs never take anything for granted. They don’t care if I have hot sauce on my fingers when I pet them. They are just thankful for the opportunity to bond with someone they care about. I have to say that if someone tried to pet me with sticky fingers I would be less than amused; it wouldn’t matter who they were.

Enthusiasm

I can’t remember a single morning that I have woken up and not been greeted by a dog who was ready to seize the day. As soon as I open my eyes my dogs are bright eyed and ready for anything. They never hit the snooze button or complain about what they have to accomplish during the day. The fact that they get to wake up another day is enough for them. I admit that there are days that I don’t want to get out of bed and I hit the snooze button way too many times. It’s on those days that when I finally do get out of bed I have a bad attitude and everything irritates me. I don’t think many people have met a dog who is angry as soon as he wakes up. Instead of dreading my day, I should be more like my dogs and be thankful that I get to wake up to another day.

Forgiveness

My dogs don’t hold grudges. I admit that there has been a time or two where I realized that my dogs were supposed to get fed a couple of hours ago and I was completely out of dog food. They had to wait even longer for me to rush to the store and grab a bag of dog food. When I finally got back from the store and fed them it was as though they had forgotten my negligence. They expressed their gratitude and continued to give me unconditional love. Now if someone had forgotten to feed me I can’t say that I would respond as graciously.Instead of getting uppity when I feel as though I have been neglected, I should take a page from my dogs’ book and learn to forgive and forget.

We should not concern ourselves with trying to be the people our dogs think we are. They are simply accepting us for who we are. We should instead strive to be more like our dogs and learn to accept ourselves and others around us.

About the Author

Ron Rutherford is a writer with a passion for nature and a soft spot for Thai food. His dogs are truly his best friends and his mission is to educate pet owners on dog accessories including dog doors, collars, and chew toys.

We’re having a bit of fun in the office today and we’ve all dressed up for Comic Relief! If you like our crazy costumes, why not donate to Comic Relief through the SureFlap Red Nose Day’s Giving Page.

We asked our Facebook fans to vote for their favourites. And the winners are…

1st: Brooke the Pregnant Trojan Warrior

2nd: Nick AKA Elvis

3rd: Wei the Pink Lady

As we were dressed up, we thought we would also do our very own version of the Harlem Shake! Watch our video below!



Which is your favourite costume?

Let us know by commenting on this blog post!

Hi there folks, Alfie the SureFlap dog here!

I’ve just heard about this poor little Staffordshire bull terrier cross that was abandoned. She’s being cared for by the Leeds Dogs Trust in Bradford. She suffers from a rare condition affecting the tendons in her front legs, making her walk in a wonky fashion. So she’s been nicknamed Wonky!

Wonky is receiving physiotherapy 30 times a day to improve her legs. Watch her fascinating story below!

Is your dog suffering from a rare condition?

Why not tell me how your dog is getting on by commenting on this blog post!

Hi there, Newton the SureFlap cat here! The humans keep going on about the ‘Oscars’. Sounds like something to do with dogs. I know quite a few called Oscar…

Anyway I’ve since discovered that the Oscars are actually to do with movies. I thought I’d look back at some of the movies that have won best picture in the past and I’ve created my own rendition of my favourite ones!

Some dogs bark to be let out into the garden when it’s time for them to ‘go’. A great way to stop this behaviour is to install a dog door, so that your dog can come and go as he pleases. If your dog has free access to the garden, you may find that he stops barking altogether.

If you have a small dog, you could invest in a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door. We recently launched this product in the UK, and will be rolling it out to the rest of the world in the next few weeks. The SureFlap pet door works with your pet’s microchip or collar mounted tag to give your pet exclusive access to your home, keeping other animals out.

Marion Trew installed a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door for her dog Treacle. She used to bark when she wanted to go outside. Now that she has a pet door, she’s stopped barking, because she can access the garden without having to alert Marion that she needs to go out.

When speaking about the pet door, Marion said: “It has substantially improved my life. I was aware of having to let the dog in and out of the kitchen door multiple times a day and especially in the evening when I was trying to relax.  Now she goes in and out by herself and what I hadn’t realised was how much she barked to be let in and out. Now she doesn’t bark at all and it is wonderful.”

Have you recently installed a pet door?

Has your new pet door put a stop to your dog’s barking? Why not tell us your story by commenting on this blog post!

In a bid to limit the number of stray and lost dogs, and to make it easier to prosecute owners of dangerous dogs, all dogs in England must be microchipped from 6 April 2016. Dog owners that fail to have their pets’ microchipped could face a £500 fine.

However, just having a dog microchipped alone will not stop dogs attacking people. Dog owners must take responsibility of their pet by training them properly to prevent aggressive behaviour.

The new law will also now cover dog attacks that take place on private property, meaning that dog owners will be prosecuted if an incident occurs. Over the last year, over 3,000 postal workers were attacked by dogs, with many incidents occurring on private property. If a burglar or trespasser is attacked though, the dog owner will not be prosecuted.

If a dog gets lost and it has been microchipped, it is more likely to be returned to its owner. Collar and tags, whilst acting as a great visual way to identify your pet, can get lost. A microchip, which is about the size of a grain of rice, cannot get lost as it is implanted underneath the skin of the animal. The procedure is quick and inexpensive.

Getting your dog microchipped isn’t the end of the story. You must ensure that your dog’s microchip details are entered onto a microchipping database and that the details are kept up to date if you move house. You will receive paperwork with your dog’s microchip. Keep this in a safe place so that you can refer to it at a later date.

At SureFlap, we support this new move to make microchipping compulsory in England. If you have a small dog that is microchipped, he can use the new SureFlap Microchip Pet Door for free access to and from the garden. The new pet door has a curfew mode – a timer lock that you can set to lock and unlock at specified times. Currently only available on our UK website, the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door will be available worldwide within the next couple of months.

What do you think?

Do you already have your dog microchipped? Do you agree with this new law? Tell us what you think by commenting on this blog post!