I'm sure that every cat owner has a story about unwanted visitors coming into your house through your pet's cat flap. While some are often amusing (Such as my neighbour's ferret casually trundling into our kitchen one morning), some stories can be a bit more serious. For example, a friend's home was invaded by a rogue tom cat, which would spray all everywhere and would often eat their cat's food. This led my friend's poor feline to become underfed and very stressed, but what's worse is that there have even been reports of foxes entering homes through cat flaps. In fact, even my ‘amusing' story could have been much worse… for my pets or for the ferret!

If any of these stories sound familiar to you, you'll know how hard it is to keep your unwanted guests out while still allowing your cats the freedom to come and go as they please. Magnetic cat flaps are a good idea, but if your cats are anything like mine, collars don't tend to last much longer than a day or two! That's why I want to take this chance to introduce you to microchip cat flaps!

Manufactured by SureFlap, what makes these cat flaps so special is that they can be programmed to read your cat's microchip and will only open for the chips that you allow. Multiple cat owners are catered for too, as the cat flap can store up to 32 microchip numbers and can be reprogrammed in seconds.

The SureFlap Microchip Cat Flaps can be installed into doors windows and walls using the optional adaptors and tunnel extenders. In fact, they have been designed as a ‘drop-in' replacement for normal cat flaps making installation really quick and easy. The microchip cat flaps also feature a built-in draught excluder, while the claw-proof door is incredibly secure. The cat flap is powered by batteries, but these last up to a whopping 12 months with normal use and a handy indicator light flashes when they're starting to run low.

There are so many benefits to installing a microchip cat flap into your home. Keeping neighbouring cats as well as wildlife out will keep your cats calm, safe and free from stress. It also ensures that no animal could be injured in your home, for example if they find their way in and can't get out or are injured by one of your pets. You'll also save plenty of money on cat food as you won't be feeding the entire neighbourhood and there's no risk of your cat being locked out if they lose their collar.

Here at The Pet Express, we really think that the SureFlap Microchip Cat Flaps are fantastic, but we're not the only ones. They've been awarded the PPRA Pet Product of the Year 2011, PATS Retailers' Choice Cat Product of the Year 2011 and first prize in the Pet Innovation category at the 2010 Glee New Products.

If you have any questions about the microchip cat flaps, or perhaps you have one installed and are loving it, then get in touch! We'd love to hear your experiences and we'll do what we can to help with any issues you may have. Simply leave a comment below, or chat to us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+!