Why has my cat flap stopped recognizing my cat?

Usually the chip: they migrate under the skin, and a cat approaching at a different angle presents it differently — an RFID collar tag removes the variable for a tenth of the price of a new door.

Intermittent reading is the classic symptom, and it is rarely the door.

Check the batteries first

A flap with tired cells reads erratically before it stops entirely. On a SureFlap that is four AA cells and up to twelve months — change them on a date rather than on a symptom.

Then the chip

Migration is common and harmless in itself. A vet can confirm where the chip is; the flap simply needs it presented within range.

Then the approach

Cats that have learned to nose the flap open from an angle sometimes stop presenting the chip properly. Propping the flap for a few days re-establishes the straight approach.

The fallback

An RFID collar tag, on a breakaway collar. It works with the same door, and it is the answer SureFlap themselves sell for this exact case.

This does not replace your device’s manual. Blade temperatures, locking mechanisms and cleaning procedures differ from model to model, and the manufacturer’s instructions take precedence over anything written here. Unplug a device before dismantling it, check a hot blade or an air nozzle against your own hand before it goes anywhere near an animal, and keep a mechanism that closes or rotates under supervision until you know how it behaves.