Need help on an access control project

I have this project in mind to build an access control system for my cat and have been looking around for the right components.

I’m thinking of a nfc tag on the collar, working together with a fingerprint scanner to let the cat in and out the pet door, and wifi for notifications.

I chanced upon this microcontroller by Realtek, the RTL8195AM, that seemed to be a good fit for my needs, with integrated wifi and nfc support and existing example code for nfc and a fingerprint module. For someone who is familiar with using Arduinos and is looking to try something new, compatibility with the Arduino IDE is a plus to help me get started quicker.

I wanted to ask for opinions on this board since using other boards is new to me, and if I should consider something else?

I can understand the NFC tag for the cat but don't understand the need for a fingerprint sensor.

it is for authorized users to open the pet door