Day 1 after installation of the SureFlap Pet Door
Cat lays limp nearby the SureFlap Pet Door, in obvious protest of the dehumanizing SureFlap Pet Door. (He performs similar when being dawned with his cat leash harness.)
Day 2
While he's crying to be let outside using the regular door, I was retrieving and readying to turn on the vacuum sweeper when he gladly hopped out the SureFlap Pet Door all by himself!
Day 3
He's still hesitant to use the door when coming in, but not so much going. I'm now putting dry food stacked with snacks and treats after he's been out for awhile near the edge of the SureFlap Pet Door, in hopes to entice him to enter the house with a little more vigor. This is working, and he's somewhat used to the locking noise now, but still finds the door dehumanizing and would rather sit outside for four to six hours until I let him inside using the regular house doors.
Day 5-7
He's now getting more used to going out the SureFlap Pet Door, but entering the door is still dehumanizing for him. No problems with the unlocking mechanism of the door, just psychologically dehumanizing! He knows to use his paw to push the bottom of the door, but just doesn't readily enter the SureFlap Pet Door.
Two Week Interval
Absolutely no problems with the cat using the door to exit the house now. Only problem, I'll tend to still see him waiting on the front porch to be let inside at night, instead of him using his cat door on the side of the house. During the day, he does use his door. He's learned well for the past weeks that he can use his front paw for opening the cat door, or at least play with the magnetic door sealing door. I think the action of the magnet tends to scare him a little, as he does not understand how magnets work. He's also still on the ten second delay. Might also be getting skittish while exiting the door this morning, likely smelling the possible presence of a raccoon within the exterior of the entry way. In another week, I'll try disabling/reducing the 10 second delay, and hoping this doesn't also teach the raccoon how to use the door. No more leaving any food on the inside of the door, nor do I think the cat needs anymore encouragement at this point.
Three Week Interval
My cat is becoming more used to the locking mechanism and the mystical magnetic door closing action. I think placing some catnip at the bottom of the door has made him extremely more comfortable with using the door more often. Still using the ten second mode, although he his making the transition much faster from outside to inside the house, and vice versa.
PROS
1) Well made. I haven't seen such a well made product for such a long time!
2) Pretty easy to install, within a 2x6 exterior wall. (I used two white 2-2.75 inch SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Tunnel Extenders. The brown extenders tend to interfere with the unit's operation.)
3) Electronics and electrical user interface works well, and intuitive.
4) Uses some good sized batteries, for providing the amps for longtime operation.
CONS
1) No significant cons so far, besides the unit doesn't include a vinyl siding curved U channel.
2) I was a little hesitant to purchase this product due to all the negative reviews, but latter realized those writing negative reviews were likely writing for different earlier product models.
3) When the cat goes through the door and the door closes, the door tends to catch the end of his tail. Although the door is really light, I still wonder if it is bugging the cat. I doubt it though.
4) I'm wondering if such a door used within colder climates should have some method of preventing heat loss, such as an arctic entry way. (I have not had the time to engineer an arctic entry for this little door for prevent heat loss, as this seems less of a concern for the tropical climates of northeastern Ohio.) I measured the temperature loss using an HVAC laser thermometer during a cold night during Winter, likely around just below or at zero Fahrenheit as we had a warm Winter; and noticed likely due to the small opening, heat loss appeared minimal and the only heat loss registering on the thermometer was primarily extending approximately 1-2 feet around or in front of the pet door by a few degrees loss in comparison to the average interior temperature. Since the pet door is in a small rear room containing the litter boxes, and the room's heat plan is engineered a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house, doesn't seem much of a concern.
5) WARNING: Keep the buttons covered using the button cover plate, else your cat may accidentally unlock the door by repetitively pawing at the pet door, inadvertently hitting the unlock button! Due to my cat's injuries sustained while fighting with other stray cat(s), I had to lock him inside for a month. One night, while he likely had to pee really badly and not wanting to use his litter box, I found he was partially through the supposedly locked pet door after frantically pawing away at the pet door, but was luckily partially temporarily caught in the pet door by his pet large cone, or "Cone of Shame." Nowadays at most times, I still have the buttons uncovered for easily temporarily locking him inside while cutting the grass, or other times. I just try to remember to use the button cover plate, for when I'm trying to keep him inside longer than a few hours.
TIPS
1) I used an average rise or height from floor, four to five inches. The hinged part of the door adds about an inch to the rise, so the bottom of my door has about a four inch rise, while the hinges rise to about five inches.
2) Use the included collar RFID key for testing the door. Do not use the key on a outdoor cats, as outdoor cats loose their collars on a weekly basis.
3) Once you have the pet door installed, I suggest using catnip to further entice your pet to become comfortable with using the pet door. Using food after the door installed may entice raccoons, however, I myself did use a dish of food loaded with his treats within the first one or two weeks. (Figured once he got his nose through the door, the smell of his treats would further entice him to enter the house instead of being scared-off by the locking mechanism.)
2019.03.10 WARNING! If the pet door is locked, your persistent cat can still bypass the lock to get outside. My cat only takes about ~2-3 minutes to bypass the locking mechanism with his claws & paws. Seems to be like riding a bike to him. Once he learned, he now seems to bypass the mechanism quite routinely now. Be careful and permanently seal the door using a board and some long drywall/wood screws. Using a movable bucket, your pet will still get out but likely will not be able to re-enter due to the temporary obstacle nudged aside, preventing the pet door flap to open full for re-entry. Do not be fooled your pet cannot escape through the door while wearing an "Elizabethan collar" (AKA cone-of-shame), as this would only be a temporary hurdle.
2019.05.30 Added photo of door stopping a bunny, dead in his tracks, from breaking into my house and robbing me of all my belongings. Yea, at first I thought he was having a hard time entering the door for some reason again, then to my surprise, he wanted his "catch of the day" brought inside where it's likely cooler and also likely wanted me to prep the fresh kill. I should have, because he later devoured the entire rabbit. If I were a dentist, probably be pulling lucky rabbits paws from between his teeth! Regardless of the size, he still ate two more full cans of food that night and in the morning... Small cat, many stomachs.