Customer Reviews

Cat Mate Elite Selective Cat Door

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this door after my cat and a neighbor's cat had a fight in the house while I was at work. I was worried the noise may be too much, based on research, but my 14 year old cat seemed to adapt to that fine. It does work. It makes a buzzing sound as the cat pushes through then buzzes once more as it locks right behind her. One important note: I am unable to comprehend why the internal wires going to the locking mechanism are uninsulated. There is no danger here, as the voltage is low, but when I first installed it two of the wires got pushed together. This caused the door to make a horrendous sound as the latch cycled several times each time the door was operated. I nearly sent the door back but then decided something must be wrong. I removed the door and noticed two of the three bare wires going to the locking mechanism had been accidently pressed together, probably on installation. It was an easy fix, but I bet a lot of people have done the same thing, then sent their door back - or just wished they had never bought it in the first place. If you make sure not to press the wires together on installation the door works good. I've had mine for about four months.

This door is easy to install, works great, and is easy to program if you can read the english language or three foreign ones. But if you want the cats to use the door they better be deaf or not skittish. My cats have always had a kitty door but we believe that another critter has been getting in at night to mooch some food so we got this door to keep out the nightime marauders. The training period went well because the door was quiet like the old one but the minute we activated the lock they refused to use it because the lock makes a ghastly sound when it unlocks. After the first few times they don't quite elevate all the way to the celing anymore but they won't go near the door at all even unlocked.

This door succeeds in letting my cat in and out, and keeping the raccoons out. I have witnessed the raccoons trying to get in since I installed the door, and despite their repeated attempts and lots of banging and clawing at the door, they couldn't get in.

All of the negative comments by other reviewers are true - installation instructions were very confusing, and the noise the door makes when the cat goes in and out is loud - I can hear it several rooms away. But I'd rather get used to an annoying noise, than get used to waking up to find families of raccoons in my bedroom.

Also, the door is smaller than a standard cat door - my 20 lb cat has too squeeze a little to get through, but he works it out.

We got this door to replace our magnetic Cat Mate, which raccoons could break into. I installed it yesterday. I may update my review in a few weeks after seeing how the raccoons fare against it, but the major issue I see so far is the installation instructions. Written in six languages, they start with drawings showing 12 steps to install - but the text actually describes only the first six! The tenth panel shows a step involving a needle-nosed plier (unexplained), and the last looks like the outside screws go through some kind of thick washer, whereas they don't; your guess what that's all about.

What the instructions don't explain is how to drill the holes on both sides of a wood door so long screws actually line up with the screw tabs on the inside door. FYI, you assemble the Pet Mate through the hole, then drill the outside holes through the outside frame holes, and mark the inside holes with a nail through the tab (don't drill through the tabs; if you damage them, the screws won't catch). Then remove the Cat Mate to drill the inside holes, and you're ready to screw the inside and outside assemblies together.

The instructions also include a tiny, loose piece of paper with drawings showing how to add two little foil squares if you're installing through a metal door; but the illustrations are so bad and so light I couldn't distinguish the foil. Fortunately, our door is not metal.

Also, AniMate should try to quiet the lock; the mechanism is so loose it rattles like pennies in a can when slamming open and closed. Mooki adapted from the old one to the new one almost immediately, but it wakes me at 3 a.m. when he goes in and out through the kitchen- and I'm in the bedroom!

This door was replacing another one that had died (diff brand), so installation was easy for us. However, there are a couple things potential purchasers should consider (1) how it works, (2) the noise, and (3) can't disable the lock.

First, you should know how this door works. To open the door, it must detect the presence of the key AND the cat must attempt to open the door. At that point, the lock will retract. This confused our cat a little, as our previous cat door unlocked simply when he came near it. So he was waiting for the unlock sound before he would try to push through. It didn't take him too long to figure it out. And for us there is an upside: We no longer have to listen to the cat door unlocking-and-locking over and over when kitty decides to sit right outside of the door.

Second, the other reviewers aren't kidding about the noise. The lock mechanism makes a whirring, grinding noise as it unlocks and re-locks. It takes some getting used to, but some will consider it too loud (e.g. if the cat door is too close to your bedroom).

Third, you should know that you can't disable the lock so that a cat can go through without the key. The door sits idle in the fully locked position; when it detects the key AND the cat attempts to open the door, THEN it will unlock or not depending on the current setting. But you can't set it to sit unlocked.

No more raccoons in the house. Took little time for one cat to use it and a day for the the other one.

I needed a pet door that wouldn't let the outdoor only cat in, wouldn't let the indoor only cat out, but would let the indoor/outdoor cat in and out. This does that perfectly. The door does make a noise when activated like other reviewers said, but my cat is ok with it, and he's skittish. I used a treat to coax him through the door and show him the way. After 4 assisted exits, he's got the hang of it. (The indoor cat is perplexed as to why she can't go through but he can!) One thing that I had to figure out is that the cat has to get close to the door with his tag (like 4-6 inches away) AND touch the door (most likely with its head) for it to activate and let 'em out. Contraction is solid and installation (wood door) was a breeze.

One of my cats adapted to this door in a matter of seconds. The other took a month of coaxing, shoving, incentivizing...the works! Now, both kitties are happy as clams with the door. One logistic problem for us was finding a place to put the door, but with some innovation, thick Styrofoam and patience, we got the door to fit in a small bathroom window.

It's true that the door makes some noise - if you're a light sleeper, this may be a problem. I'm a light sleeper but don't mind waking up briefly to know that the kitties are happily going in and out.

Background - Protecting the Fools:
I purchased this cat door for indoor use to keep my small dogs away from the cat litter and the cat food. Dogs love to eat cat food but because it is high in fat and they will eat until the explode, it is very bad for them. The previous cat flap was fine until after several years one of my three small dogs figured out how to use it and have a feast on the cat food. The other two eventually learned by watching. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? After one of my little guys secretly gorged himself on the cat food he ended up with an extended stomach. A rush trip to the Vet and a medical bill of $750 convinced me it was time to upgrade to a secure system. This seemed like the perfect solution.

Installing the Unit - Enduring the Pain:
I returned the item for a replacement after spending almost 2 hours trying to screw the back to the front cover. First the holes I drilled weren't large enough, so do use 1/4" bit as directed. Gives more room to wiggle and line up the screw into the hole in the metal clip (the receiver). After drilling a larger hole and making sure I had the screws well lined up, it still wouldn't screw in. Thinking that it was a defective screw or metal clip (wrong size, or thread worn out, whatever...) I returned it as a defective item. I was tired and my back hurt from sitting on the floor bending over with one knee against each side of the door, pressing hard while trying to drive the screw in.
So the replacement comes after just 2-3 days. Very fast. I was now looking forward to installing it in a jiffy, as the door preparation was all done and waiting to receive the new cat door. I was tired of smelling the cat litter leaking through the gaping hole in the door. I attack this task with new fervor, but alas I run into the same problem again. So, it isn't a defective issue but a bad design issue. I didn't notice any similar complaints on any of the other reviews, but then I didn't look past the first ones.
Since I had my heart set on this door I wanted to give it one more shot before returning it. I went to my local family run hardware store with the cat door in hand. With the help of their professional hardware personnel, I found out that the screws that are required are #6 metal screws and not #10 (or #8) as was provided in the installation kit. Using 2x #6 screws and a little more effort I was able to screw the back and front together. Success!

Programming the Unit - Finding the Button:
The battery cover is a bit difficult to open but it eventually slides out. Programming the unit is easy once you figure where the little button is inside the unit that you have to press. I suggest installing the batteries and programming it before installing the door so you can see where the button is without having to lay down with your face against the floor trying to look for it, as I had done the first unit even though the door was not properly installed I wanted to see how it worked (I was desperate and frustrated, ok?). I installed the batteries and programmed the 2nd unit and tested it before I installed the door. I didn't want to go through all the trouble of the installation to find out it didn't work. It turned out much easier, too.

Using it - The Final Frontier:
Now for the effectiveness of the door. The noise isn't loud or annoying, except for my cat. It is freaking her out a bit. As the cat pushes the door it buzzes as it unlocks the flap. She freezes and darts away. I have had to convince her with gentle nudging and pushing though the flap that it isn't going to hurt her. It's only been 2 days so I will give her time. The way I figure it, she will have to overcome her fear of the buzzer to get to her food. As for getting to her litter, well last night she found that she could pee in the dog's (small) food bowl and let me tell you it runneth over, all over the floor. But I am as stubborn as she is, so we'll see who wins. The last 2 times that I got her through the door she come back to join us on her own, so I believe we are almost there.

Suggestions - The Final Word:
I would like to see two improvements: 1 - Provide the correct screw size (#6) for goodness sake, and 2 - Make the unit silent, not for us humans but for those poor cats. Otherwise I am quite happy with it and it looks nice for an inside cat door. Because of those 2 shortcomings I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5. Although I am quite tempted to give it a 2 star as a punishment after my twice ordeal with the wrong screws.

I have to be honest...the cat door works great. Our cats love the ability to go outside, and we love the ability to not have a litter box anymore.

But here's the thing...the motor that locks/unlocks the door is LOUD. I mean comon...it's VERY loud....stupid loud.

One other issue is an engineering flaw (I'm an electrical engineer). The antenna that activates the cat's collar is located flush against the opening of the cat door. Sounds appropriate...but there is one problem. The cats naturally want to push the door with their nose right at the bottom of the door...so the tag is hanging down another inch below their neck, which means it is not witihin the antenna's range.

Simple fix (probably not for you to do yourself) is to reroute the antenna around the outer edges of the inside of the cat door's frame. The reason I say you can't do it yourself is because you'll have to get more copper wires, and cut the ones that are there....probably too much work..

so instead, you'll just have to put up with your cat banging it's nose on the door several times before they can get the hatch to unlock.

On the plus side, I contacted Pet Mate and got a VERY quick response from the company about this exact issue.

Summary. The door works. It's Stupid Loud. Sometimes the cats have trouble getting the door to respond.

EDIT: Oh, one last thing, if you want this to go through a wall instead of a door, you'll need ATLEAST 2 extension tunnels, more if you have a brick house. 1 is not enough. I just have vinyl siding.