SureFlap DualScan Microchip Cat Door - Door Opening is 4 3/4" H x 5 5/8" W

i LOVE this door! I don't get why anyone would want to return it. It's great to keep your cat safe from wild life (racoons) or strange cats from entering your house or barn. It works off a microchip in your cat and will only open for him/her and then locks behind them. You can program up to something ridiculous like 25 cats. You can manually lock the door (i.e. you are feeding them their evening meal, and want to keep them inside, turn the knob, lock the door). Or you have a wayward cat that hasn't made it home yet, but you don't' want anyone else to leave, turn the knob to "enter only." You have a cat you don't want to go outside ever. You never program their microchip so they can't use the door. This door never failed. It operates on AA batteries and has a low battery power light to warn you. Instructions are simple. If someone returns this door it's because they are lazy and don't want to train their cat on this door. Yes, it takes some of that, but I am here to tell you, invest the time to teach this to your cat, and you will sleep better every night. My cat was skittish of other people. He was a barn cat, but I took the time to let him know me, and he allowed me to train him. He flies through this door faster than a cat doing zoomies in your house now. Best investment i made into my safety, and my cat's safety. Easy to install, sturdy, durable, and great battery life. Yes, there is a click as the door reads your cat's microchip, but that's also a training aid. They learn they have to hear a click and then the door works. And if they are like my cat, who never went through a cat flap till this door, it took him some time to get used to the flap sliding across his back. But cats are smart. They get this. Too bad some people don't.

I wanted to provide this review for the SureFlap DualScan operation in Metal Doors. First off, I really like this product and I felt that the Customer Support was one of the best that I've ever dealt with. The reason that I'm only giving this product 4-stars instead of 5-stars is that it does have some issues with Metal Doors, but the issues are not necessarily insurmountable, at least in my experience.Our cat lives in our garage and we have a problem with raccoons stealing his food and making a mess. Out of desperation we purchased the SureFlap DualScan to help keep the raccoons out of the garage. We also had our cat chipped. We installed the device in our metal door, but unfortunately, it didn't work. We pulled the DualScan out of the door and it worked perfectly; the cat could pass through either direction. But once we put it near the door it didn't work anymore. I contacted Customer Support and they recommended using the Cat Door Mounting Adapter with the larger diameter hole in the door. I did this and it improved the performance slightly, but not enough so that the device would work when installed in the door. When Customer Support realized that I had the DualScan model they had me place the device in Metal Mode. This also improved the performance slightly, but still not enough. Customer Support then sent me a newer replacement unit from the factory and this worked better, but it only seemed to work consistently in one direction. Finally, I purchased the RFID Collar Tag and placed it on our cat and that seemed to provide the most consistent operation. We have limited experience with it but so far, so good. I'll try to post an update once we have more experience with it.In summary, here are instructions to maximize the device's sensitivity in a metal door:1) Make sure you have one of the latest SureFlap DualScan models. It appears that they continue to make improvements on the antenna layout and/or design.2) Plan to use the Cat Door Mounting Adapter, product GMA001, and cut the hole as large as possible; instructions say to make a 10.6" diameter circle. (The Mounting Adapter is a bit lightweight but seemed to work okay.)3) The SureFlap DualScan product has a METAL MODE for Metal Doors. Set the device to METAL MODE as follows:3a) Remove one battery, leaving the SureFlap to power down for 2 minutes (or press the button until the light stops showing).3b) Press and Hold the “M” or learn button; continue holding the button while inserting the battery.3c) Continue to hold the button, after 10 seconds the unit will start to go through its Custom Modes: Red..Green..Orange..Flashing Red..Flashing Orange..Flashing Red and Green.3d) Each of these states will last for around 5 seconds and releasing the button during any of the states will enter the unit into the Custom Mode.3e) You need to release the button on ORANGE (steady Orange). This puts it into the METAL MODE.4) Sensitivity is also a result of the location of the RFID Chip in the pet. As a Contingency Plan, purchase a pack of SureFlap RFID Collar Tags to use in parallel with the pet's internal RFID chip to maximize the product's operation.NOTE: Keep in mind that if the product still doesn't work you will have a large round hole in your door. Of course, you will still be able to use the device to fill the hole and as a manual cat door.

We have one big old senior cat (19lbs) who comes and goes as he pleases - he never leaves our yard. We also have a younger, far more adventurous cat that is not allowed out under any circumstances - he will jump the fence in a heartbeat and disappear for two days. So this was a perfect solution for us - with one big question mark. Could our senior cat even fit through the hole? It's a very small opening, and there's only one size to this.I tested him before I bought this door - I cut a flap in a cardboard box and put some treats in it, and he squeezed through just fine. (Ironically, the treats are how he got to be so fat ...)This door was bought to replace a manually operated door, which we used before we got our younger cat. It fit in the same opening, which had been cut into the aluminum panel at the bottom of a storm door. Despite the fact that the instructions cautioned against interference if mounted in metal, it was worth a shot because the hole had already been cut.Mounted like this, the performance was inconsistent - sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.I called the company to see if there might be some other cause i could look into - they listened carefully and were very certain that this was the problem. They recommended the circular mounting bracket that will offset the sensors from the metal by an inch or two, which they say is enough. Instead, I found a nice piece of plexiglass in the garage, left over from another project, that I repurposed as a window to replace the aluminum.The installation is very straightforward - but it does require a little bit of skill. Basically, it's "trace the hole, cut the hole, push one end through and stick the other side on with two screws and you're done!", but the trick is in cutting the hole. Initially (with the original door) I just traced the hole and cut it out with a pair of tin snips. The plexiglass was a little trickier. Going through a wall or an exterior door would require some thought for sure.I measured the size and cut the plexiglass on a tablesaw, but I put masking tape on both sides to prevent chipping. Same with the cutout - I traced out the rough size of the opening using the door, then used masking tape on both sides. I made a more accurate line with a marker, drilled a couple of pilot holes and cut the opening out with a jigsaw and a fine-tooth blade.Electronically, it works great. After a little encouragement, our old-timer just sticks his nose up against the little window and we can hear the "click" that unlocks it. I think he has learned to listen for the click himself. We'll see if the other cat figures this out and tries to follow close behind - I wouldn't put it past him.There's a locking mechanism that offers all possibilities. It can be locked both ways, or open one way and locked the other (right now we have some rodents in the yard; we have it set to let him out but not in; we want to check first to see if he's bringing in a mouse or rat). It can also be set to let him in but not back out again - which is great for keeping him in at night. It can also be unlocked both ways for the cat with the right chip, or unlocked and completely overridden to let anyone in or out.Once again, the big downside is the size; it's really tight for our cat. The company assures me that they are "in production" for a larger door, which I will probably buy once it's available.