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.

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!

Are you a neighbourhood of cat-owning and non-cat-owning residents? Are you looking for ways to live in harmony with all the cats in your neighbourhood? Is your neighbourhood in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire or Lincolnshire?

At SureFlap, we’ve teamed up with leading animal behaviour specialist Jon Bowen, Cambridge Cat Clinic and Your Cat magazine to help a neighbourhood of cat-owning and non-cat-owning residents tackle their turf wars.

If you and your neighbours would like to take part in our campaign, you and the cats in your neighbourhood will benefit from expert advice on how to create a feline friendly environment. Learn how to adjust your cat’s environment to improve their behaviour and make them feel happier. Those without cats will learn how to keep the neighbour’s cat out of their garden in a humane way.

To take part in the SureFlap Neighbour Cat Campaign, your neighbourhood should have cats with regular access to the outdoors. Ideally, you should live in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire or Lincolnshire.

To apply, complete the submission form on our website here. If you can, include the number of cat-owning households in your street and whether there are any on-going issues related to the local feline population. If you are chosen to take part in our campaign, we will be in touch!

by Niamh Carter

Happy, playful and confident is exactly how I would describe my beloved cat Maisie. When she was a kitten, she looked like the perfect little bundle of fluff. Before she was allowed out of the house for the first time, we installed a normal four way locking cat flap and popped her through it and she was off! Within a few days we noticed she much preferred being indoors (which was the total opposite of our old cat) but we thought maybe it was because she was younger and enjoyed our nice warm house.

Within a couple of weeks we noticed her eating habits had changed massively. She had always been a fussy eater and left most of her meals but since she started going out she was devouring every last bit of her meals and constantly meowing for more. One afternoon I went to feed her and instead of finding our little feline Maisie I came across a rather large tabby cat, better known as the fat tabby from next door, Bandit! Adding to this, Bandit did not just stand there, but was polishing off Maisie’s food! Now things made more sense, Bandit had been sneaking in through the cat flap and eating Maisie’s food.

As weeks went on, things seemed to have gotten worse between Maisie and Bandit. Maisie became a very timid cat, there was cat fight after cat fight and several times Bandit would chase Maisie back home, into the cat flap and then follow himself! We used the locking system on the cat flap to try and prevent him coming in but unfortunately this sometimes ended up with Maisie being locked out instead. I then decided that I needed to purchase a more secure cat flap so Maisie has a safe haven, where she can enjoy her food, uninterrupted sleep and then eventually build her confidence back. Working in a pet store helped me at this point because I already knew of microchip cat flaps and knew this is what I needed for Maisie.

I booked her in at the vets and had her microchipped which was no hassle at all; she was in and out in no time. I then brought home the latest version of the SureFlap, set this up and fitted it in the already used hole from the previous Staywell cat flap. For the first few days we saw Bandit lurking around outside, very confused as to why he couldn’t get in. After the first week or so, we saw a lot less of Bandit and a lot more of Maisie, she was back to leaving some of her meals and seemed much more herself. She is still more timid than she was at first but we’re hoping this is the start of her getting her confidence back and she will soon be that happy and playful cat we love.

About the author

Niamh Carter is a fan of Easy Animal, a family run business based in the heart of Staffordshire with many years experience of handling cats & dogs. It’s through their love for pets that they jointly made the decision to bring to the marketplace an exciting range of products backed up by free advice on any aspect of pet care and training.

The SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap is powered by 4 AA batteries. When the SureFlap is used correctly, the batteries should last up to a year with normal use. We’ve put together some tips on how to get the most out of the batteries so you don’t have to keep changing them.

Use good quality, non-rechargeable batteries

We recommend you use non-rechargeable Energizer or Duracell batteries in your SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap. Poor quality or rechargeable batteries are not recommended as they do not provide enough power to operate the SureFlap.

Keep your SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap sensors clean

In the tunnel of the SureFlap there are two sensors that detect when a cat is present. When a cat is in the tunnel, SureFlap powers up to read your cat’s microchip. If the sensors are dirty, the SureFlap may think there is a cat in the tunnel and will remain powered up, causing the batteries to drain quickly. Keep these sensors clean to prevent this from happening.

Remove loose fur from the draft excluder

Sometimes cat fur can get caught in the top strip of draft excluder. This can also cause the batteries to drain quickly by obstructing the sensors. Remove any build-up of fur regularly. Don’t forget that the sensors are in the tunnel of the SureFlap, so you will need to go outside to remove any fur that has collected near the sensors.

If you have a brown SureFlap check the sticker is still in place

In the tunnel of all brown SureFlap Microchip Cat Flaps, there is a reflective sticker. This sticker is used in conjunction with the sensors in the SureFlap. If the sticker has moved, or has come away completely, the SureFlap may think the brown plastic is in fact a cat inside the tunnel and will continue to power up, causing the batteries to drain. If you require a new sticker, please contact us and we will send one out to you.

We’ve teamed up with MeowSpace® to offer US pet owners an alternative use for the SureFlap Microchip Cat Door. MeowSpace is a clear, polycarbonate pet enclosure that contains a cat’s food bowl or cat litter tray with a selective entry cat door installed at one end for exclusive access to certain pets in the home.

View the short video below to see a SureFlap/MeowSpace enclosure in action.

SureFlap and MeowSpace

Because SureFlap unlocks for a cat’s implanted microchip, your cat won’t need to wear a collar to operate it. Your cat can go in and out of its MeowSpace enclosure without the worry of it losing its collar.

Here’s what MeowSpace had to say about our microchip cat door:

“We are thrilled with the way the SureFlap works. The other doors we use, namely a magnetic system and RFID system, both needing collar devices for the door to function work great; but the SureFlap system is exceptional!  We are already getting orders for MeowSpaces with the SureFlap doors, and we haven’t even posted our announcement yet!”

Create separate feeding areas

If you live in a multi-cat household, with cats on different diets, a MeowSpace could be the answer to problems at meal times! Install a food bowl in a MeowSpace pet enclosure and only program the cats that are allowed access to that food into the SureFlap. For even more controlled access, an enclosure per cat will keep their food bowls completely separate.

Stop your dog eating cat poop

If you own an indoor cat and a dog, you might be familiar with this problem. To stop your dog eating cat poop, place your cat’s litter tray in a MeowSpace enclosure for your cat to perform their toileting routine in peace and keep your dog’s nose out of the litter!

Are you using the SureFlap Microchip Cat Door to create separate feeding or toileting areas? If so, why not tell us about your experience by commenting on this blog post!

To celebrate the impending launch of the new SureFlap Microchip Pet Door, we have set up a Facebook contest to give you a chance to win one!

The SureFlap Microchip Pet Door will be suitable for large cats and small dogs. It uses the same microchip reading technology as the SureFlap Microchip Cat Door, and also includes some exciting new features, such as programmable locking. For more information about our new microchip pet door, visit our website. The SureFlap Microchip Pet Door should be available to UK customers in November 2012 and to customers outside of the UK in December 2012.

To enter our contest, just become a fan of our Facebook fan page, submit your details and tell us why you think you and your pet deserves to win a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door!

We will be giving one microchip pet door away per every 50 entries we receive, so don’t forget to invite your pet owning friends to enter the contest too!

Closing date for entries is 3pm GMT Friday 26 October 2012. Good luck everyone!

Did you know, today is World Cat Day! And we’re celebrating the joy of cats by offering 10% off a SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap. But this offer isn’t just for today; it’s valid until 21^st August 2012!

Not only will you receive 10% off a cat flap, we’ll also be donating a percentage of every sale to two great charities.

5% of every sale will go to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). This fantastic animal charity launched World Cat Day in 2002. The IFAW was founded in 1969 to save individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world. They have animal welfare projects in over 40 countries across the globe.

We will also donate 5% of every sale to Tiertafel Deutschland, an animal charity based in Germany that is supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

If you would like to take advantage of this great discount for World Cat Day, and help us support these two great animal charities, just enter the discount code WCD2012 at the checkout on any of our webshops. Just click on a flag below to be redirected to the relevant SureFlap website.

(Note: Residents of the following countries can purchase a SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap from our UK website which incurs a £5 shipping fee: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden).

Are you doing anything special for World Cat Day?

Why not tell us about your World Cat Day event by commenting on this blog post!

Tim Scarff - SureFlap Technician

Hi, I’m Tim Scarff and I’m a Technician here at SureFlap! My passion for electronics started in the 80s and I’m using my knowledge to help develop new SureFlap products. I originally joined SureFlap on a temporary basis at the beginning of the year, but I became a full time, permanent member of staff in April.

I am an animal lover with a menagerie of pets at home! I have:

• Two 14 year old Birman cats called Billy and Casper
• A bearded dragon called Quagmire
• An old tortoise called Tommy who is at least 50 years old
• A rabbit called Wabbit
• A pond full of koi carp

I am a keen fisherman and I particularly enjoy fishing for carp. I’d love to go to the south of France – the carp there are HUGE! If I were a famous person, I’d be a TV fishing presenter so that I could share my passion and knowledge of fishing!

I like watching action adventure films such as Die Hard and Fast and the Furious and my favourite food is a big old roast with all the trimmings!

Say Hello to Tim

If you would like to say a special hello to Tim, just leave a comment on this blog post!

by Helen Hollick

I am an author. I write Historical Fiction and pirate-based adventure. I have a pleasant office, with my desk beside a window which looks out over a small patio, a pond, and some trees. The wisteria hanging down over the pergola is beautiful in spring.

My two cats love fishing and climbing; hanging from a trailing wisteria creeper is the feline equivalent of bungee jumping. The window must remain open even though they have a perfectly good cat flap. Who wants to use the public entrance when the private one is much more fun?

Mab is black and white and almost two years old. She’s more aloof than ten month old Sybil, the white and black cat. Sybil’s full name is Sybil Suitcase for as a small kitten she was found abandoned in a suitcase. When she came to us she was very frightened and hid for almost three weeks, but she was eventually lured out with toy mice and ribbons – oh my goodness does she love ribbons!

I have had cats for many years, including Basil, Poppy, Tizzy, Allie Cat, Daisy and Maddie. There was also Bootsie, who stole some steak from a neighbour’s kitchen and Bill, a retriever cat. He used to bring me presents. Not boring cat things like birds and mice. He collected pegs, string, slices of bread (meant for the birds), take-away food cartons, newspaper binder twine… all of it came in through the cat flap to be left on my kitchen floor. The worst gift was a corn cob. That inner bit of cob looks revolting without its outer layer of corn, and at first, you’re not sure what it actually is.

I realised I was a slave to my cats when I was trying to write a difficult chapter and had to keep bobbing about to see the VDU screen because Sybil was trying to catch the moving cursor. And I have sat here at my desk wearing fingerless mittens while wrapped in a blanket because Mab insists on the window being open.

Cats, Kittens and mittens – I wouldn’t be without any of them!

About the Author

Helen Hollick started writing pony stories as a teenager. She moved onto science fiction and fantasy, and then discovered the delight of writing historical fiction.

Helen is published in the UK and USA with her books about King Arthur and the 1066 Battle of Hastings, officially making the USA Today best seller list with her novel Forever Queen. She also writes a series of seafaring books inspired by her love of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Helen lives on the outskirts of London with her husband, adult daughter, a dog, two cats, and two horses. She is investing in a SureFlap cat flap because a local tom has become an unwanted nuisance. Sybil and Mab often lose their collars so a magnetic flap will be no use – SureFlap operated by the cat’s own microchip seems the perfect solution. And the window will have to remain closed. Sorry Mab!