Cat-proof dog door?

dfraz

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I have 4 cats and a very active 35lb mutt. 2 of the cats are very interested in going outside, although they don't just bolt for the door. I usually just brush them aside with my feet when I come in and they back up. I don't want them outside. I live in a wooded area with lots of large birds of prey which I regularly see grabbing 10lb rabbits.

With summer coming and temperatures rising to a point where the dog can't be left outside during my work day, I need a dog door. I need one that can be mounted in a wall and that a cat cannot open and get outside.

I've looked at the electronic doors, but the reviews on them show the quality to be pretty crappy. Is there a regular door available with magnets that are strong enough to prevent a smaller cat from opening it? I can't seem to find any available locally for me to test out, but there's quite a few online.

I'd like to hear some experiences.
 

maddensmom

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I don't know anything about them really, but Dr. Foster and Smith offer one that has a little censor that dangles from your dogs collar. Without that censor the door won't open so it wouldn't work for the cats. Is that what you were referring to as electronic?
 
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dfraz

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Originally Posted by maddensmom

I don't know anything about them really, but Dr. Foster and Smith offer one that has a little censor that dangles from your dogs collar. Without that censor the door won't open so it wouldn't work for the cats. Is that what you were referring to as electronic?
Yes, and if you read the reviews about them on the Petsmart website, it doesn't paint a very good picture.
 

clarkme

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I have a bright idea and I can't believe someone hasn't developed it yet.  We need a dog door that locks when the cats approach wearing a collar tag.  All other times, the door is free for the dogs to come and go.  The current electronic dog door is looking at the problem in reverse.
 

betsygee

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SureFlap has developed one of those doors:  http://www.sureflap.com     It will let some animals out but not others, depending on who's programmed in.  It reads their microchip so you don't have to worry about dangling magnetic tags.  

We have their previous model that lets the cats out but doesn't let neighborhood cats (or raccoons or squirrels!) in.  Any cat can get out, but unless the door can read its microchip, the cat can't get back in.  And it has a curfew feature--after a certain time at night (that you set), if your cats are outside they can get in, but can't get back until whatever time you set for the next day.  I LOOOOOOVE this door.  Perfect for our indoor/outdoor cats to get in and out during the day but no other neighborhood critters can get in (a problem we had before) and then kitties are locked in safely all night after their 'curfew' time.  We've had it a year, it has worked flawlessly and we haven't even had to replace the batteries yet.  

Then we took in some cats who are indoor only, and I'm afraid one of these days one of the new cats will figure out what a cat door is all about and try to get out.  So the new SureFlap that lets some in and out selectively, depending on whether you program their microchip into the door or not, would be perfect.  The ONLY problem is it's a small door.  We bought the bigger version of their regular microchip cat door because we have a couple of larger cats who might have trouble with the smaller size door.  We may try it anyway because the selective DualScan is perfect for our needs to keep some in and let some come and go.

Of course--none of this helps your 35 lb. dog!  But the concept is there--maybe there's another company out there doing the same thing with bigger dog doors.
 
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