Pet Door Lock Switch

[Turtle]

I'm looking for a way to lock and unlock our cat door at night from my bedside and I know someone in our Airstream family can help me out on this. On very rare occasions the neighbor cats like to use our cat's door at night to eat his food. He's an alley cat that adopted us a few years back and he's so use to his freedom that I don't want to shut him in and I don't want to switch to a magnetic door for numerous reasons. We move his food at night to right outside our bedroom and the other night we saw a strange cat eating from it. My solution is to put an electric switch on the cat door that I can operate from my bedside that will block the door from opening when we know he's in at night without having to get up. I realize the other cats can still get in while Pyewacket is out but life isn't perfect, now is it? Long setup, but the question is: What is it I want and where do I get it? I picture a device that just extends a small rod to block the flapper from swinging in. Thanks, Jamie

[Mookie]

Hi Jamie,

Our friends had a similar problem - raccoons were coming through their cat door and invading their kitchen. They got this:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...t=cat+door&N=2
The cat wears a collar that unlocks the door via an infrared signal. It works for them - you may want to check it out.

-Mark

[davidh]

You could use a fuel shutoff selonoid for a Dodge cummins deisel engine kind of spendy but that would work, it's 12 volt. it has a, about a 1/4" rod that moves in and out, the rod is about 4'' or so long that has threads on the end so you could make it any leangth you needed. I use to have a cat and it's name was Piewikie. I like the infrared idea better you could even rig up a security light on the door for the cat with that.

[Turtle]

I may have to get over my reluctance for the magnetic or infrared door. I'm just too lazy to cut a new opening. Jamie