The famous quote, “never work with animals or children”, is usually a warning for people in show-business,  but forget trying to present an episode of Blue Peter, I’ve been informed by a friend that you haven’t experienced stress until you’ve attempted to cook dinner with two pugs and two cats. The Bettacare Gate with Lockable Cat Flap could be the perfect answer to said friend’s troubles, but I do need to make it clear straight away, that Bettacare state on their website that the Gate has not been safety tested for children. It comes in a eleven different adjustable sizes from the smallest 75cm-85cm max up to 140cm-147cm max with a height of 104cm. The Bettacare has a pressure fitted system which is quick and easy to install without damaging the door frame, and once set up, it holds firmly in place, it has a smooth white powder-coated steel finish and a plastic cat door.

The cat flap dimensions are 18cm x 16cm which is a little on the small side for my 5.5kg lanky cat, he can fit through, but he has to flatten himself a bit. The cat door isn’t transparent, and it was a long time before my other more reserved/thicko cat worked out how to use it. The cat flap can be locked shut, but it would be handy if it could be locked open just to help introduce my thicko cat to how it works. When the cat flap was locked shut, it took my lanky cat about 20mins to work out how to get over it (the first attempt was particularly graceless), so rather than granting or preventing access think of the cat flap as easier way for your cat to get into a room, as they will get in there one way or the other. The Bettacare has a one way opening with double locking mechanism and a two-handed operation system which isn’t particularly intuitive, but you get used to it. The Bettacare Gate with Lockable Cat Flap is a handy way of organising your furry family, but it would be even better if you could rely on it to organise to two-legged family too. RRP £49.95

3.8 out of 5

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Pros

Easy to install

Strong

Large variety of sizes

Cons

Small cat flap

Not safety tested with children