Magnetic and electonic cat doors work well?

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John Smith - 10 May 2006 21:41 GMT

Hi All -

I am considering buying an automatic (magnetic or electronic) cat door but
am having difficulty finding out how well they work.

On eopinions.com, the reviews are mostly negative regarding one model, but
there are a very few (2-3)reviews.

Do any of you have any comments or feedback about these types of doors in
general or specific models in particular?

Thanks in advance!

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Ted Davis - 11 May 2006 02:46 GMT

>Hi All -
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>Do any of you have any comments or feedback about these types of doors in
>general or specific models in particular?

They all require a collar with a weight. Outdoor cats and collars *do
not* go together well: either the cat loses the expensive collar or it
may get hooked on something and the cat be unable to get free.

If someone came up with one that worked with implanted microchips at a
less than outrageous price, I would become instantly interested.

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T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu)

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~*Connie*~ - 12 May 2006 23:07 GMT

I just installed a magnetic cat door in my bathroom door so that my elder
cat can have access to food all day (she vomits if she has to wait the 12
hours)

I would not recommend them for an out of doors access way. for one the
magnet is bulky and annoying, and Im sure most young healthy cats would
conveniently loose the collar themselves. Also, while for the most part the
door works as it should, there are times when sneakier cats can get through
it... so it isn't full proof.

as a side note.. I hate the magnet. My poor kitty has come in contact with
several items (a fork, a can, the bell on a catnip mouse) that has been
attracted to it. while it is odd to see, for the most part it freaks the
cat out - which is not good.

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Ted Davis - 13 May 2006 01:56 GMT

>I just installed a magnetic cat door in my bathroom door so that my elder
>cat can have access to food all day (she vomits if she has to wait the 12
>hours)

I'm going to keep that in mind: Smokey is getting old, ill, and
partially toothless, and it's almost impossible to feed him gooshy
food because, with twelve cats, there is always somebody to take it
away from him.

>I would not recommend them for an out of doors access way. for one the
>magnet is bulky and annoying, and Im sure most young healthy cats would
>conveniently loose the collar themselves. Also, while for the most part the
>door works as it should, there are times when sneakier cats can get through
>it... so it isn't full proof.

Where I work, we have a scale of "proofness": fool proof, student
proof, masters candidate proof, PhD candidate proof, post-doc proof,
and professor proof. Since a cubic meter of limestone is fool proof
but not student proof, you can imagine what it takes to make something
professor proof. In my experience, cats are much like professors when
it comes to doing things they shouldn't.

>as a side note.. I hate the magnet. My poor kitty has come in contact with
>several items (a fork, a can, the bell on a catnip mouse) that has been
>attracted to it. while it is odd to see, for the most part it freaks the
>cat out - which is not good.

Yeah, I don't like the magnet, or collar since he goes out, idea much
either. I think I'll probably go with some sort of computer based
recognition.

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T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu)

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