SureFlap vs PetSafe microchip cat flap

Pets at Home listed the SureFlap at £70 and the PetSafe at £70 on 2 November 2026. When I wrote this on 2 November 2026 those matched, so price settled nothing. Check them again before buying. Cats Protection, in undated guidance, puts a cat flap at £40 to £60 before installation, so set that against the two prices above.

I haven't fitted either one. This comes from store pages and Sure Petcare's support page, and the ratings belong to Pets at Home's buyers.

Measure the cat

The flap opening is the number to read first. Sure Petcare gives 142 mm wide by 120 mm high. Pets at Home's guide for the PetSafe gives 146 x 135 mm, which is 4 mm wider and 15 mm taller.

The PetSafe page sets limits too: under 7 kg and a maximum shoulder width of 15 cm. Pets at Home says the SureFlap isn't suitable for large cats, without a figure. Sure Petcare sells a larger pet door, zooplus notes, so a cat above that line has another option. Measure your cat's shoulders. A big cat that hesitates at 120 mm is a case where I'd pick the PetSafe outright.

Fitting

Both claim to suit doors, and the SureFlap has the fuller instructions.

• Door hole: SureFlap asks for 165 x 171 mm, and Pets at Home calls it a drop-in for most standard flaps. The PetSafe page instead promises it adapts to cut-outs for Staywell 200, 300, 400, 500 and 900 and Petporte smartflap models, though some adjustment or extra parts may be needed.
• Frame: 210 x 210 mm on the SureFlap, 219 x 219 mm on the PetSafe.
• Walls: the SureFlap's tunnel is 70 mm deep, and thicker walls need a tunnel extender sold separately. Pets at Home suggests a builder. The PetSafe page mentions only "doors or partitions".
• Glass: the SureFlap needs a 212 mm circular hole, a separate mounting adaptor and a glazier. The PetSafe page says nothing about glass.

If yours is going in a wall or a window, that settles it. The SureFlap page says not to fit it in a fire door. The PetSafe page doesn't mention fire doors, and I wouldn't try it. Both pages say the lock isn't a security device.

Chips, tags and batteries

The headline number is PetSafe's memory: Up to 40 programmed pets. zooplus lists the SureFlap at 32 microchips. Fine, unless you run a sanctuary.

Both read a cat's existing chip. A cat without one needs a Sure Petcare RFID collar tag or a PetSafe collar key, and both are sold separately. Pets at Home's SureFlap page says a tag should only go on a safety collar with a breakaway buckle. Programming sounds much the same: PetSafe has you press a button on the door, and zooplus describes a push of a button for the SureFlap.

Battery life is where the stores disagree. Pets at Home's line for the SureFlap reads AA batteries, up to 12 months, and zooplus says 4 AA batteries lasting up to 6 months, on what looks like the same flap. PetSafe's page lists 4 AA alkaline batteries with no life figure, only a signal when they run low. Plan on the lower number.

Both have a manual 4-way lock, by PetSafe's page and zooplus's SureFlap listing: locked, unlocked, in only and out only.

Buyers and cover

Pets at Home's buyers give the SureFlap 4.2 out of 5 from 22 reviews, and the PetSafe 3.1 from 26. On the PetSafe, 7 of the 26 gave a single star. The samples are small and I can't tell you what caused the complaints, but a gap of 1.1 points on the same store is the strongest signal on either page.

The SureFlap lists a 3-year warranty. The PetSafe page doesn't mention one, so ask before you pay.

Either way, this is one line in a first-year cat kit. You can see the SureFlap's page or every cat flap we've priced. If you're sorting out the kitchen as well, here's the Catit Pixi fountain review.