Cat flaps – for homes with pets Your pet is an important part of your family and ensuring their comfort is high on the list of priorities. Allowing your pet freedom and access to your home is achievable while retaining good levels of security. Our cat flaps are an essential addition to a home where pets are left alone or owners prefer them to enjoy their surroundings. We stock a variety of cat flaps for double glazed units or cat flaps for installation in doors and can supply a full range for standard cat flaps to microchip operated ones. Cat flaps installed in windows allow double glazed units to remain sealed units. Allow us to solve your pet access problems in a quick, no fuss process using the right materials for the job. Make an enquiry by calling us on 01932 344415. Need some help finding the product that's right for you? Contact one of our team of experts who can help advise you. Our Window, Glazing and Glass Repair Services We have a dedicated service department with many years of experience in cat flap installation.
Sheerwater Glass are committed to providing our customers with excellent value for money. We understand that cat flap installation can be costly. By sourcing the highest quality products and latest innovations in glass and glazing technology, we guarantee each cat flap we install will stand the test of time. Our dedicated team will take the time to listen carefully to your unique requirements and preferences to ensure your new cat flap fits perfectly with the existing fenestration of your property. Get a free Cat Flap quote now. We’ll get you an appointment with a member of our expert team. You can view our product ranges, we’ll measure up and give you a quote at a time to suit you. or call: 01932 344 415 "Generally excellent service and would recommend you to others. The installation looks excellent and the fitters were pleasant, well organised, did an excellent and efficient job and left my property dirt free. Mr E of Fleet Check to see if we work in your area
We provide services across Surrey, Guildford, Woking, Middlesex, West Sussex and North Hampshire. Our 4 step process to enquiring, measuring, quoting and fitting your new Cat Flap Fill in our easy form and tell us what your requirements are. Arrange measuring at a time to suit youOpen 6 days a week we’ll work around you to arrange an appointment at the most convenient time. Receive your cat flap quoteYou can look forward to receiving a competitive quote tailored to your specific requirements. Your new cat flap FittedTime, care and skill are undertaken to install your brand new cat flap by our professional team. We have a no quibbles policy on our quality of finish. FENSA is an acronym for the ‘Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme’. Set up by the Glass and Glazing Federation, it allows double glazing companies to self-certify compliance with Building Regulations. There are several reasons why you should check for the FENSA logo when looking to have new windows and doors fitted in your home.
BSI Kitemark - Window Installation Sheerwater Glass is one of only a handful of companies that has achieved the industry’s highest standard, BS 8213 for the survey and installation of windows and external door sets. The insurance intermediary company QANW is responsible for protecting consumers through insurance policies. QANW has been in the business for over 25 years and has formed close associations with various building contractors and trade associations throughout the UK. City & Guilds - Level 3 Qualified The educational organisation City & Guilds has been providing employees and workforces with the skills that they need for many years, and with the seal of approval that it provides via its accreditation, companies are able to provide consumers with the confidence that they require. Checkatrade - Proud Members Finding a tradesman is not always an easy task, especially when you’re unsure whether he or she is trustworthy. After all, you’ll be inviting this person into your private home, so you need make sure that they are reliable.
GQA Qualifications is an Awarding Organisation for specialist sectors and occupational roles. Qualifications cover the Glass, Construction, Coating and Print industries. Our team are fully trained in the assembling, dismantling, moving and inspecting mobile access towers and working at height. Our products are BFRC rated, an independent verification of the energy efficiency of our windows and doors. BFRC rated energy efficient windows and energy efficient doors carry a ‘rainbow’ label.For 24 hour Emergency Service, splashbacks, cat/dog flaps, window and door maintenance, replace glass in your double glazing to Plymouth in the United Kingdom. Feel free to call any time day or night on 07989 802418. All glazing work is undertaken at very reasonable pricing. You won't be disappointed by our high quality glazing workmanship. We also specialise in safety glass and glass for balustrades. We offer a 24 hour emergency service to board up and make safe your windows or doors.
Tel: 01752 358940 or Mobile: 07989 802418 Window & Door Repairs Are you having problems with misted windows, cracked or broken glazing? We are happy to provide a free no obligation quote. Call today: 07989 802 418 Window & Door Maintenance We can change your old and tired hinges, stiff handles, window & door locks and mechanisms. Try our maintenance service today. One of our specialities is providing a custom made glass splashback service. A number of colours and styles colour matched to the Dulux colour range are available. Splashbacks dramatically enhance the look of your kitchen. We've been fitting cat/dog flaps for a number of years. The one thing that our customers keep saying is that installing a cat flap is harder than it looks! That's why we are the experts! A dog exiting through a pet door. A pet door or pet flap (also referred to in more specific terms, such as cat flap, cat door, dog door, or doggie door) is a small portal in a wall, window or human door to allow pets to enter and exit a house (or other structure) on their own without needing a person to open the door.
Originally simple holes, the modern form is a hinged and often spring-loaded panel or flexible flap, and some are electronically controlled. They offer a degree of protection against wind, rain, and larger-bodied intruders entering the dwelling. Similar hatches can let dogs through fences at stiles. A related concept is the pet gate, which is easy for humans to open but acts as a secure pet barrier, as well as innovative automated left- or right-handed pet doors. A pet door is found to be convenient by many owners of companion animals, especially dogs and cats, because it lets the pets come and go as they please, reducing the need for pet-owners to let or take the pet outside manually, and curtailing unwanted behaviour such as loud vocalisation to be let outside, scratching on doors or walls, and (especially in the case of dogs) excreting in the house. They also help ensure that a pet left outdoors can safely get back in the house in the case of inclement weather. A cat flap in action
The simplest type are bottom-weighted flaps hung from the top of the opening, which swing shut on their own, but may be spring-aided to increase wind resistance. These flaps often feature magnets around the edges to help keep the door closed against weather and wind. Some doors have side-mounted hinges and more door-like operation[]—like a saloon door. These pet doors usually have a spring or other contrivance to force their closure after the pet has gone through. Instead of a rubber flap, saloon style doors are often made from plastic, acrylic, or plexiglas, and the panels are fitted with weatherseal to help keep weather outside. Another common feature is an adjustable catch to restrict the opening of the device to either one direction or the other; for example, to allow the pet to come in for the night, but not go out again until the owner releases the catch the next morning. Some pets, mostly cats with their retractile claws and flexible paws, learn to circumvent one-way pet doors, especially the "flap-within-flap" design.
Most also have a locking mechanism of some kind, and can be closed off by sliding a rigid plate into parallel rails on the left and right of the interior side of the pet door to close it off, e.g. during bad weather or when the owners are travelling with their pets. Pet doors are generally designed to be safe for any pet. The panels are often designed with soft vinyl that does not trap or injure the animal. Cheap, easily replaceable pet doors are made from plastic and as such may not always be robust enough for large, boisterous pets. Pet doors are most often fitted in a plywood or plastic panelled door, into which it is straightforward to cut a large round hole, but can also be fitted in brickwork or (if a sealed unit is obtained with the hole already provided) in a double glazed door. The latter is a relatively expensive option but may be the only alternative in some cases. Removable pet doors suitable for sliding glass doors are also available. Recent innovation has contributed a new generation of pet doors, with automatted right- or left-handed doors in the upper price segment, tackling common issues like poor insulation and draft, higher noise levels, insufficient pet safety and access problems by using specific materials, automation and time control and/or a set of sophisticated sensors and sensoring techniques.
The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use of the phrase "cat flap" in 1957 and "cat door" in 1959,[4][] but the idea is much older. A (farm cat hole) in Rincón de Ademuz, Valencia, Spain In rural areas, cat doors (often simple holes) in the walls, doors or even roofs of grain and flour storage spaces have long been used to welcome feral cats to hunt rodent pests that feed on these stores. Human semi-domestication of wildcats dates back to at least 7,500 BC in Cyprus,[5] and the domestic cat was a part of everyday life in grain-dependent ancient Egypt (ca. 6,000 BC onward). Nowadays, this function is mostly lost, but in some rural areas, such as Valencia, Spain, and Vaunage, France, farm cat doors and holes (Spanish: gateras, French: chatières) are still common. The 14th-century English writer Geoffrey Chaucer described a simple cat hole in the "Miller's Tale" from his Canterbury Tales (late 14th century). In the narrative, a servant whose knocks go unanswered uses the cat door to peek in:
An hole he foond, ful lowe upon a bord Ther as the cat was wont in for to crepe, And at the hole he looked in ful depe, And at the last he hadde of hym a sighte. In an apparent early modern example of urban legend, the invention of the pet door was attributed to Isaac Newton (1642–1727) in a story (authored anonymously and published in a column of anecdotes in 1893) to the effect that Newton foolishly made a large hole for his adult cat and a small one for her kittens, not realizing the kittens would follow the mother through the large one.[6] Two Newton biographers cite passages saying that Newton kept "neither cat nor dog in his chamber".[8] Yet over 60 years earlier, a member of Newton's alma mater Trinity college, one J. M. F. Wright, reported this same story (from an unknown source) in his 1827 memoir, 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."
Modern cat flaps are popular in some countries even in urban environments, particularly the United Kingdom where it is estimated that about 74% of cats have access to the outdoors. Dog doors are common in suburban North America, where they mostly lead to fenced-in yards. Pet doors are also common between suburban homes and their attached garages, so that pet-related mess (cat box, dog food, etc.) can be kept in the garage with pets having free access. A microchip-enabled, selective-access cat and small dog door running through a wall Several types of pet doors that allow selective access are available. The advantages of this type of pet door over simpler models are improved weather resistance, and home security against strays and other unwanted animals. Some use a permanent magnet mounted on the pet's collar to activate a matching electromagnetic mechanism that unlatches the door panel when the magnet comes within range; several pets can be fitted with collars that match the same door.
Pet doors with infrared locks open only when a collar-mounted device transmits the correct code to the latch's receiver, allowing owners to have multiple flaps that different pets can use, e.g. a small cat flap to the back yard and a large dog door accessing a dog run. Either type can be used to selectively allow one pet outside access, while denying it to another (e.g., an ill animal that needs to stay indoors). Some of the newest models use radio-frequency identification to electronically read a pet's microchip implant. This removes the need for a cat to wear a collar, which could become lost. Other high-end doors use a key with RFID. The key is attached to the pet's collar, and the electric door only opens for the assigned keys. A man lets a dog through the lift-up hatch at a stile in Medway, England In England, Ireland, and other areas with large numbers of livestock fences and walls in areas through which people walk on footpaths, stiles often have wooden, lift-up dog hatchways next to them, because dogs are not good at climbing stile steps and are often too heavy to lift over a fence.