Cat flap
Encyclopedia
A cat flap or cat door is a hinged flap set into a door, wall or window to allow cat
s to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a human to open the door, while offering a degree of protection against wind and rain entering the dwelling. Dog door
s similarly exist for dogs.
Cat flaps are popular in some countries, particularly the United Kingdom
where it is believed that about 90% of cats have access to the outdoors.
In the rural areas, cat doors were set into doors, walls or roofs of houses to welcome cats and thus keep away rodents from flour and corn storage spaces. Nowadays, this function is mostly lost but in some rural areas like Rincón de Ademuz
(Valencia, Spain) cat doors can still be found.
records the first use of cat flap in 1957 and the first use of cat door in 1959.
in a story by a 'Country Parson' to the effect that Newton foolishly made a large hole for the mother and a small one for the kittens, not realizing the kittens would follow the mother through the large one. Two Newton biographers cite passages saying that Newton kept 'neither cat nor dog in his chamber' J. M. F. Wright, writing in his memoir Alma Mater
in 1827, was an inhabitant of Newton's 'set' in Trinity and reported this same story, adding "Whether this account be true or false, indisputably true is it that there are in the door to this day two plugged holes of the proper dimensions for the respective egresses of cat and kitten."
ic catches that can detect a matching permanent magnet worn on the cat's collar that will unlock the flap as the cat approaches, thus preventing any other animals from using the flap and entering the house. Flaps with infrared locks open only when a collar-mounted device transmits the correct code to the flap, allowing cat owners to have multiple flaps that different cats can use.
RFID cat flaps which read a cat's microchip implant
rather than the cat having to wear a collar have been available in Europe for several years, but were not distributed in the United States until recently.
Some cats can circumvent one-way flap-mounted-in-flap designs by pulling at the bottom of the inner flap.
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a human to open the door, while offering a degree of protection against wind and rain entering the dwelling. Dog door
Dog door
A dog door is a hinged or spring operated door rather than the more commonly known 'flap' set into a door, wall or window to allow dogs to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a person to open the door. Flaps are hung from the top of the opening and do exactly that - flap. Dog doors...
s similarly exist for dogs.
Cat flaps are popular in some countries, particularly the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where it is believed that about 90% of cats have access to the outdoors.
In the rural areas, cat doors were set into doors, walls or roofs of houses to welcome cats and thus keep away rodents from flour and corn storage spaces. Nowadays, this function is mostly lost but in some rural areas like Rincón de Ademuz
Rincón de Ademuz
Rincón de Ademuz is Spanish comarca constituted as an exclave of both the Region of Valencia and the province of Valencia located between the provinces of Cuenca and Teruel .-Overview:...
(Valencia, Spain) cat doors can still be found.
Etymology
The Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
records the first use of cat flap in 1957 and the first use of cat door in 1959.
History
The invention of the cat flap is attributed to Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
in a story by a 'Country Parson' to the effect that Newton foolishly made a large hole for the mother and a small one for the kittens, not realizing the kittens would follow the mother through the large one. Two Newton biographers cite passages saying that Newton kept 'neither cat nor dog in his chamber' J. M. F. Wright, writing in his memoir Alma Mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
in 1827, was an inhabitant of Newton's 'set' in Trinity and reported this same story, adding "Whether this account be true or false, indisputably true is it that there are in the door to this day two plugged holes of the proper dimensions for the respective egresses of cat and kitten."
Features
The simplest cat flaps are just weighted flaps, but these may be blown open or may rattle in the wind. A magnet on the flap can hold the door in place and allow access. Some flaps also have adjustable catches to restrict the opening of the flap in one direction or the other — for example to allow the cat to come in, but not go out again. More sophisticated flaps have electromagnetElectromagnet
An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current is turned off...
ic catches that can detect a matching permanent magnet worn on the cat's collar that will unlock the flap as the cat approaches, thus preventing any other animals from using the flap and entering the house. Flaps with infrared locks open only when a collar-mounted device transmits the correct code to the flap, allowing cat owners to have multiple flaps that different cats can use.
RFID cat flaps which read a cat's microchip implant
Microchip implant (animal)
A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, parrot or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID technology....
rather than the cat having to wear a collar have been available in Europe for several years, but were not distributed in the United States until recently.
Some cats can circumvent one-way flap-mounted-in-flap designs by pulling at the bottom of the inner flap.