7 Benefits Of Using Automatic Cat Doors

There are various benefits from using an automatic pet door for your cat. All your cat needs to do to go outside is pushing the flap with its paws, head or nose and voila! Freedom. Additionally, if you want to transition your cat to indoor-outdoor, pet doors can be a big help too. But the real winner willl be your cat. The automatic pet door will provide him with access to the outdoors on demand. This free access to the outdoor really makes cats happy.

In order to use a cat door, you have to make sure the environment where your cat will be is not dangerous. If you live in a place where there is a lot of traffic and stray dogs or cats, using a cat flap may not be a good idea. Ideally, the cat door is suitable to be used in a protected area so your cat will be safe. Now, let’s check the benefits of installing an automatic cat door for your pet:

1. No More 24/7 Doorman Duty

If you have been woken up at 6 am by your cat for you to open the door then a pet door will be a lifesaver! A pet door not only gives your cat independence to leave the house on demand but it also gives you the retirement of the doorman duty 24/7.

Cats usually change their mind often about where they want to be, they are very comfortable at home sitting on the couch but suddenly they want to explore the garden. After a couple of minutes, they decide that was not a good idea and they want to take a nap on the kitchen counter. And there you are, opening and closing the door for your little “King” or “Queen”. If you have an indoor-outdoor cat and you’re the doorman on duty, then it’s time for a change.

2. It Gives Your Cat Freedom

Cat doors give your pet the freedom to leave the house on their own without sitting next to the door meowing for the doorman to come and help them. This is a great advantage because cats are creatures that appreciate walking around the garden, playing and enjoying nature, walking and exercising, and doing all the things they love to do, knowing they can be back to the comfort of home whenever they want. Cats are healthier when their activity level is high; the risk of obesity and other associated problems also decreases.

Cat with its Own Elevator to Enjoy the Outdoors

3. Allows Cats The Outside While Keeping Unwanted Animals Out

One of the best advantages of automatic cat doors is the fact that they allow your pet to leave or enter the house, keeping strays, neighboring cats, or unwanted critters out. Some systems are so well protected that even bullets cannot destroy the door. The best way to make sure no unwanted animal will access the door is to get one that locks from the inside and outside. This way the door can’t be pulled open from the outside which is what most raccoons are willing to do for a delicious free meal.

Neighboring Cat Being Blocked by a Pet Door

4. It Controls When it’s Time to be Inside or Outside

Most electronic cat doors feature a timer that allows you to program the schedule of when your cat has access to the outdoor and when it must stay inside the home. This feature is very important if you want to control how long your cat will be outside and to keep your pet in at night. For example, if you don’t want your pet to stay outside later than 6 pm or earlier than 7 am. You can do this with some cat doors. A timer gives you the freedom of not having to lock the door manually every night.

5. Selective Automatic Pet Doors Let Cats Out While Others In

If you have multiple cats, you may want to keep some inside while others out. There are several reasons to keep cats inside. You may have a “trouble-maker” in the neighborhood, one of your cats is ill, or you have a kitten. Any reason you may have for leaving one of your pets inside, you are able to do it with certain pet doors. The best way to achieve this is with a cat door featuring a scanner on both sides, from the inside and outside to detect and control the exit and entry from both sides.

6. It Solves Many Situations Where Selective Access is Needed

For example, creating a feeding station for your cats. This is especially useful if you have one of your cats on a diet or if you have felines that fight for food or if one of your pets is on a prescription diet. You can also separate the food in different rooms and installing a cat door on a wall or door to keep the glutton cat outside. This concept can also be applied to keep dogs away from the cat litter box. If your dog is the type that likes to taste the clumps, you can install the cat door in the basement, bathroom dresser or wherever you put the cat litter box so your dog will be locked out always.

7. Helps The Transition of Indoor-Outdoor Cats

If you are planning to let your indoor cat out you need to do it in a planned way. To help your kitty to start going outside you need to set a schedule, restrictive in the beginning until full time at the end. Automatic cat doors are a great help to do this, you can program the pet door to let your cat outside for a certain period. So you can set the door to let your cat out from 9 am until 11 am in the beginning. This way the door will let your cat out but once back inside, it won’t let him back out. The period of time your cat is allowed outside can be widen over time. This way your cat will acclimate to the outdoor progresively, which the recommended approach.