Frequently Asked Questions
OnlyCat® will prevent entry with most prey if it is visible to the camera. Over time, it will learn from examples it sees. This includes: mice, birds, slow worms, rats, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, frogs, pheasants, bats, voles, shrews, weasels… the list goes on!
OnlyCat® smart cat flap features microchip recognition as well as prey-detection, giving you full flexibility to choose which cats can enter and exit You can keep rival cats out, and even set day and time-based rules.
With our current machine learning model we prevent 99% of prey delivery attempts. With our ever increasing number of installations, the models are becoming better generalised to new environments and different cat markings. In the event that there are any detection errors due to a new, unseen environment, these can be quickly reported helping the system learn.
OnlyCat is the most advanced cat flap on the market – packed with state-of-the-art smart technology. With OnlyCat® you’re not just buying a cat flap – you’re buying peace of mind. You can sleep, work, and travel without worrying about what the cat drags in. With the video timeline and push notifications you’ll feel more connected to your cat than ever before. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
OnlyCat requires a 165 x 172mm opening, or a 212-260mm circular glass cutout. For larger circular glass cutouts between 260-300mm, we offer a larger glass mounting accessory model. OnlyCat is designed to be a drop-in replacement for SureFlap® DualScan Microchip Cat Flaps, and retains compatibility with cat flap glass mounting adaptors and tunnel extenders from SureFlap®.
If you purchase OnlyCat® upfront, you will not need to pay any subscription for core functionality for the lifetime of the product. If you purchase the Subscription Version of OnlyCat® the subscription is required for OnlyCat® to function.
The hardware is identical. The only difference is the payment mechanism. The Lifetime Version is a one-time payment option (which is cheaper in the long term); however the Subscription Version has a lower upfront cost, making OnlyCat more accessible.
You can upgrade from the Subscription Version to the Lifetime Version at anytime through a £299 upgrade payment – simply contact the OnlyCat team via email or Facebook Messenger.
In our experience, and that of many of our customers, prey delivery attempts typically get less frequent over time. In some, rare cases, they stop altogether; however most cats will periodically attempt bringing prey every couple of months to verify that perimeter defences are still up!
For the full (single upfront payment) version of OnlyCat – you’ll need an internet connection for setup. Thereafter, OnlyCat will function without internet – although it is recommended for regular software updates, further improvements in detection accuracy, and to receive video push notifications of your cats transits. For the subscription version – you will require Wi-Fi so the unit can check for a valid subscription.
The device requires a low voltage supply (9V, 2A) through a standard USB Power Delivery adaptor (20W or higher). OnlyCat comes with a standard adaptor to convert from UK and EU/US/AUS mains supply (110-230V AC) to USB-C (same as a standard phone charger) and a 3.0m white cable to suit.
There is a small backup battery which serves as a failsafe in the event of power loss of several minutes. This enables the device to enter a safe shutdown procedure. In a few weeks time we will release the in app option to enable automatic locking or unlocking prior to shutdown. This will protect your cats from being left in the cold, or prevent vulnerable cats from escaping your home depending on personal requirements.
One day we hope to develop a battery solution, however this imposes additional challenges beyond the scope of the initial product release. Currently our entire focus is on production of OnlyCat as per the present design (and will be for the foreseeable future) as well as providing top-tier support for new and existing customers – so we wouldn’t recommend holding out for a battery powered version.
Most customers find that after the one-time task of routing power to the cat flap appreciate not having to deal with regularly swapping out batteries.
We have multiple cats around 7.5 kg / 16 lbs which use OnlyCat without any issues; however we can only guarantee suitability up to 6kg / 13 lbs.
If you wish, you can give it a go and if your cats use it without issue – great. Failing that, you can return your OnlyCat in accordance with our returns policy: Return your cat flap within 30 days in ‘as new’ condition for a refund. A £35 restocking fee and shipping costs may apply. Additional fees may apply for any marks or damage, based on the refurbishment needed to resell the unit.
Yes – We range test every unit during our final Quality Assurance process. Cases where OnlyCat can’t read your cat’s microchip are fairly rare; but may occur for one of two (main) reasons:
1. You may have a metal door. Proximity of metal to the microchip (RFID) reading coils can attenuate the signal. We may be able to investigate this remotely and advise on the possible resolutions.
2. In some cases the cat’s chip may have migrated to the point of being unreadable. Please reach out to the team and we’ll advise if this seems to be the case. In such cases you may wish to ask your vet to implant a second microchip, embed a microchip in your cat’s collar (available as an accessory through OnlyCat), or allow all cats to enter – with the possibility of locking on reading of an intruder cat’s microchip.
OnlyCat doesn’t presently operate with standard collar tags, but we will be releasing this functionality over the coming weeks. Please reach out to us if this is important to you so we can prioritise this in our roadmap.
We’d love to offer integrations with various home automation platforms in due course. At present our focus is on increasing functionality for more casual users, however please be rest assured this is on our road map.
If you have experience in home automations and would be interested in collaborating on a GitHub repository, please reach out to us and we’ll connect you to the community who are starting to work on this.
Learn more about the OnlyCat microchip cat flap with prey detection. App enabled, with video notifications, OnlyCat puts you in control and stops the delivery of unwanted gifts.
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