PetSafe Staywell Original 2-Way Pet Door - Small - White (715EFS)

Cat flap. Not very sturdy, wish I had bought a different one.

Well before demolishing the lean-to shed where my stray cat was living under the potting bench,I bought a sturdy cat kennel with flap.This has only been used briefly,with the door open,on hot days.I ordered a shed,including fitting of a flap,then the flap itself,a bargain.The shed was due to arrive mid-August and the flap about the same time,but luckily it was here almost by return.Shed man avoided answering email queries about the flap so I had to take it to the workshop the afternoon before,for him to cut the hole.When he assembled the shed the next day,he didn't fit the flap as expected(annoying),but it gave the cat time to get used to the open space,which didn't take long.I had to ask a friend to fit the flap...which took 2 visits as the hole was slightly large and installation was quite fiddly.The back plate is not fitted,but no sensible cat would try to get past BDI.Kind friend also sawed rotten bits from the legs of the potting bench, so it is inside,with the cat's bed in its previous place.It took only a short time to get him to use the flap as the door sticks a bit,but now he's happy to burst through if I go into the shed.My only concern is that there may be a draught round the edges in winter.

This cat flap works really well in both directions. However, it's a little more complicated to install than is indicated on the instructions. They give pretty clear guidelines for cutting the hole in the door, though should emphasize that this has to be exactly the right size, otherwise, if too large, the bolts have no where to go in.It would be better if more guidance is given about the bolts. For instance, it is not clear which direction the bolts go in from, which is also critical. For those who actually have the flap, the following might be of some help.The bolts go in from the inside, with the nuts on the outside–this is the only way the extra door to close the flap can slide in. If the bolts are even a little too long the flap will not close properly, and of course, if too short it is impossible to get the nut on the bolt. The nut and bolt are very small and the best way to get the nut on the bolt is to hold the nut with a pair of pliers while someone screws in the bolt from the other side.All in all a bit more difficult and time consuming than first imagined, but the result is a great innovation.

So, I'd read the other reviews but still bought this as it was cheap and only for a thin panel in an interior door. We have a better quality one in the outer door. Other half has fitted various cat flaps before so said, 'go ahead and get this one'. Several hours of cursing later lol it's in and perfectly fitted but it was not easy - bear in mind this is someone with all the right tools and experience. Suggest this is only suitable for a very thin interior door as the margin of error is so small that screws have to be aligned perfectly and completely level. We found the template given was slightly large so cut the hole on the small side then sanded it until the door fitted. If the door is fitted too tight the flap sticks so had to take it off again and sand a bit more until it was just right. Now it works fine and is well secured so doesn't let in any draughts. We are pleased with it, but was a lot of effort. Good luck!

I must admit that I was a little disappointed with this product but perhaps I was expecting too much. The actual size of the hole that your cat (or VERY small dog) will squeeze through is a smidgen under 15cm wide by 17cm high. The 'locking' facility is not a knob as on flaps that I have bought in the past but a piece of shaped white(not see-through)plastic that slides into a slot to block the flap. You will also be able to see the cut edge of the door panel once the flap is fixed. The magnetic strip that holds it closed is quite heavy and powerful - mine had trouble opening it and the weight made the flap very noisy so I took it off. We are only using it on an inside door so do not need it to be wind proof. It is a bit on the flimsy side - if your animal is prone to charging through the flap you might be better with a different make. I also don't think it would be very good on an external door for these reasons.

I got this door to finally work, but I think it needs to be assembled by people who are more adept at DIY. Those of us who are completely useless at DIY should get someone else to fit it. Mine works, but not well, but it is only due to the fact that a DIY idiot fitted it (me). It seems to need precise measurements and the correct tools (and used correctly). If done correctly, I'm sure it would be wonderful, because the item itself looks nice and the door seems sturdy. I fitted this to an interior door, so thankfully my ineptitude didn't cause problems because I took the pet door off of it and the cat uses the pet entrance to come and go out of the room as she pleases. I couldn't leave the door on it, because I didn't measure it correctly and/or cut the hole correctly and so the door doesn't swing back and forth like it should. Thank goodness it's an interior door.

For the price you can't expect brilliant quality. this is a simple, no frills cat flap and it works pretty well. We have had the fancy, expensive ones that supposedly read the identichip in the cat's neck - which didn't work and often locked them in or out. This flap has fitted the bill for simplicity that works. We lock the cats in at night, so having an outer cover that lets the cat know not to try to open the flap, works really well. We had one cat that worked out that brute force could let him squeeze through even when the flap was down, but since he went to his maker, the others haven't managed to achieve that feat, and I can't really deduct stars for my own cat's craftiness.It has the added advantage of stopping other cats from getting in, eating their food, and worse...Recommended if all you want is a simple, but reliable cat flap.