Bytes of Developing in the Dark

CakePHP Flash Messages

A method you can use to check whether there are flash messages to show:

$session->check('Message.flash')

An example of how you can use it to add custom DOM elements and JavaScript animation:

<?php if($session->check('Message.flash')) { ?>
  <div id="flash-messages">
    <?php $session->flash(); ?>
  </div>
  <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
    setTimeout(function () { 
      $('#flash-messages').fadeOut('slow'); 
    }, 4000);
  </script>
<?php } ?>

Source: Iamkoa Labs