Gadget time! This time it’s the feline related Sureflap RFID cat flap.

What’s so special about this cat flap? WT@ is RFID I hear you say? Well I shall tell you.. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) can be thought of a replacement for a bar code – a miniature micro-chip that emits a unique code when stimulated by a special reader device.. however where it differs from a bar code is that it is contact-less and doesn’t require line-of-sight to be read. So you can embed a microchip inside something. Many shop security systems use RFID tags to prevent theft, and so does the Oyster card that many London travellers should be familiar with. Tinkerbell has a microchip embedded in the back of her neck between her shoulder blades and this cat flap can detect and read it. If any other cat attempts to get through the cat flap, regardless of whether they also have a microchip, the flap will not open.. Tinkerbell’s identification number is hopefully unique! This so far seems to work a lot better than the last techie cat flap I purchased (a Staywell electromagnetic one) which needed a special dongle to be attached to her collar, and is certainly better than the cat flap that I replaced today (a Staywell passive magnetic flap) which didn’t even let Tinks in with the special collar dongle.

All the effort with that flap is however wasted unless I fitted a second flap allowing her to actually get out of the house and in to the garage where the Sureflap is. So I got a bog standard Staywell one from Argos and spent the afternoon drilling out a hole for it to go in. I’m hoping that all of this effort will reduce our cat litter bill and more importantly reduce the smell that fills the house every morning. She has used both flaps so I know she can get through both ways – now the next step will be to see if she’ll go through without being pushed from behind…..