Having a magnetic pet door is like having a personal butler for your dog or cat 24/7. Well, no it doesn’t pick up after them or clean litter boxes, but it does give them freedom to come and go and you peace of mind that no other furry creature will be following them back through the pet door.

Magnetic pet doors respond to a magnet (key) in the collar of the animal. When the animal gets close to the door, the magnetic pull releases the latch and out they go, or in they come. The power is provided by a nine volt battery that comes with the kit, but if you need to replace it, any nine volt battery will work just fine.

Magnetic pet doors are sturdily built, usually out of weatherproofed polycarbonate. The flaps are weatherproof as well so they  won’t crack or blister.  So, the pet doors not only keep out pesky critters such as raccoons and skunks, but also keep out the wind, cold and scorching sun as well.   When the door closes and locks, it seals tight so no drafts come in. 

The advantage of a magnetic pet door is that they are not dependent on electricity,. If the power goes out, the pet can still come inside and be protected from the stormy weather. This is especially good news for families who are just not home during the day. Knowing that when bad weather hits your furry friend can get to shelter is important to the peace of mind to any owner. The other advantage is the door does not have to be located near a wall plug. You can put the pet door in any window, wall or door. Another thing is they are not as sensitive to moisture as the infrared sensor collars and doors. 

Magnetic pet doors usually come with several settings. There is In and Out of course.  But there is also In only, Out Only and Locked. If, for instance you want the dachshund to be able to go out but not the fluffy Persian cat, the collars can be set to different commands. Of course this might frustrate Fluffy to no end.  But, in no time she’ll get used to it or, like a smart tenacious feline learn to run in between the dogs legs.

Owners wonder if their pets will get used to how to use the door. The manufacturers have thought of that . With each magnetic pet door comes a manual for training the owner, and then a guide on how to train the pet. Animals are really pretty smart and catch on fairly quickly. The learning curve is not that great. Ours was so proud of herself, that once she figured it out, she came in and out incessantly for over an hour. Watching her was far more entertaining than what was playing on Cable TV that night.

Magnetic pet doors usually come in white or a grayish, steel color and are fairly easy to install once you have cut the hole in the wall or door. The only down side would be if your pet lost it’s collar. This might happen with cats more than dogs Most owners and pets seem very happy having magnetic pet doors in the home.

New! We've just starting a message board and discussion forum over on the Toxic Byte Pets Forum. It's a bit lonely over there at the moment, but feel free to join in and participate!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.