Our cat, Ghanji, has a boxing buddy who is so audacious as to use the cat door to come in and help himself to some snacks… and spray some of his scent to annoy the owner of the house, and us too. . Unable to determine if it was a neighbor’s cat or a wild animal, we turned to guidance from the local animal shelter. They lent us a cage to capture the culprit so they could dispose of him through surgery and then release him back into the neighborhood. Well, when Ghanji saw the cage in the garage with some of his food and realized what was going on, he waggled his tail in disgust as if to say, “Who did I think would be stupid enough to fall for this?” He was right. : no prize after 3 weeks…so much for the safari approach.
With spring in the air, we discovered that a skunk had also discovered our little garage door. Fortunately, he moved into another territory before discovering the second door that led inside. Shortly after this, I noticed that the garage door seemed to have been bombarded with a barrage of miniature water balloons from a band of marauding goblins…and then the scent grabbed me by the hairs of my nose. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I had a great time with Ghanji planning all the different things we could do to his partner if we caught him. Then came a soft whisper to remind me that I prefer to live and let live. Yes, I fully respect this guy’s right to do his “cat thing” – OUT.
Well, how can our king come and go as he pleases while keeping the rabble away? He had heard of electronic pet gates and so had most of the local dealers, but no one had any on his shelf. Internet, here we come. It seems that if he knows what he wants, finding a locked front door is simply shopping around for size and price. What we found lacking were some basic guidelines on how to choose between magnetic key vs. key options. infrared key and 3 types of doors: magnetic mechanism, electronic unlocking mechanism and motorized door. The following is not an endorsement of any particular kind, but simply a brief account of the differences we found that may enlighten you with some additional information that the marketing folks seem to have missed.
The most obvious factor to consider first is the size of the door – it needs to be big enough for your pet. Next, choose where the door will be, examine the “building site” and see if you may need any special considerations when installing the door. This will also help you choose between different model options. For example, some are more weather resistant than others. If the door will be exposed to the sun, make sure the door and mounts are UV stabilized. Will you be cutting wood, glass, metal, or just the screen door mesh…or will you be attaching the door to a window? Many options.
magnetic key vs. infrared key
Battery power has some obvious drawbacks when the battery dies. It could be an interesting candid camera moment to see Fluffy banging her ear against a closed door, especially if it’s a “I’ve got to go” moment. None of the electronic keys I found were weather resistant. Our cat likes his time outdoors, regardless of the weather, so a key that can fail if wet is not good for him. The biggest advantage of an electronic collar is that it is more exclusive. This way, if the neighboring pets also have a key on their collar, it probably won’t work on your door. Another advantage of an electronic key is that it works at a greater distance from the door, enough in some cases to allow a pet to enter on the run. This seems to be more of a consideration for dogs than cats.
One disadvantage of a magnetic key is that it picks up metal. If your pet is going to frequent areas and roll around in the dirt where loose nails, bottle caps, etc. are a concern, you may want to consider an electronic key. Ghanji pointed out to me one day that a critical factor with a magnetic key is that it must be in the correct position on the collar. If the collar is too loose, his nervous friend can push the door all day and it will stay locked…unless the key is turned forward enough to open the door.
3 basic types of doors:
Magnetic unlocking mechanism (lock) with magnetic key. This type is completely mechanical and does not require maintenance; i.e. no batteries or electricity of any kind
Electronic unlocking mechanism with magnetic key or electronic key. Some gates are battery operated and others can be plugged into an outlet. There are enough options in this category to meet a variety of applications.
Motorized door with electronic key. The one I found in this category has a door that opens and closes like a guillotine through a motor. For larger pets, especially dogs that like to get in with minimal hesitation, this looks great. You may have some other concern unique to your purposes that may make this type the right one for your pet.
One feature that made sense to us was a 4-way locking system so we could set it to “inside only”. This way, when the boss has a late appointment or is having fun with the mouse and loses track of time, he can make a discreet entrance without us having to close the door behind him. Around here we have coyotes roaming around at night, so we have a curfew that we feel more comfortable enforcing rather than allowing complete freedom.
The most important part of this whole process was open communication with Ghana. We explained to him what the problem was that we wanted to solve and why we were changing his door and therefore his routine. The tricky part of this was convincing him that wearing a necklace to carry his personal key would be a good thing. A previous caretaker made a bell around his neck, which he didn’t like. Being aware of this, we assure you that this collar had nothing to do with chasing birds or mice or changing your image, but how it was really special and now you are the ONLY cat in the hood with your own key = cool stuff. Some may think it’s silly to talk to animals, you’re welcome to your opinion. For the rest of us who know that our furry friends are sentient beings, feel free to enhance your life experiences.
Ghanji was quite excited when the day came to modify his private entrance. After supervising the installation of the new door, he was curious to see for himself what was different. He was intrigued with the key when I showed him how the door was locked, but then moving the key to the driveway unlocked the door. He’s a quick learner, so next was the necklace. After one last bout of anxiety that he was losing his freedom with the collar, we came to an agreement to try it out for a bit and see if he was telling the truth. I assured him several times that this was something really special to him and we felt it was “big enough” to have his own key and since it had no pockets a necklace made sense. Now his food supply lasts MUCH longer, the house smells like people, and Ghanji thinks he’s the best-cared-for cat in the whole neighborhood. He is very proud to put on the key first thing in the morning when he goes out to wake up the birds and check on him.
PS In case you’re worried about losing any status, when we’re available, Ghanji still prefers his “servants” to open the front door. So even though his door gained him more independence, we still have our place serving him = job security.