Having a pet in the house imposes a number of responsibilities on the owners, which include not only providing food, veterinary care and hygiene procedures.
Felines, as bright representatives of freedom-loving animals, should be able to move freely throughout the house and go outside at any time. To make this possible without human intervention, a cat door, purchased at a pet store or made by hand, is installed in the door leaf.
Features and purpose
A cat door can cover not only the entrance to the street, but also the opening in the interior doors. It gives the pet the opportunity to go outside or move from one room to another inside the home. Outwardly it looks like a small hole with a closing flap. The main function of cat entrance doors is to allow free movement.
These devices must meet certain standards:
- Have the required size;
- Easy to open and close;
- Be airtight;
- Combine with the interior.
In some cases, the doors are equipped with a lock, a brush for collecting hair, and various sensors.
It is best to make the hole while the kitten is still small, and it can be easily and quickly taught to use it. At first, without a door at all, then with a soft curtain, and finally with a full-fledged, durable sash with a spring.
What to consider when choosing
When choosing a door for a cat, you should first decide: it will be a passage to the toilet or for other interior movements. Perhaps through the hole the pet will go out onto the loggia or onto the street. You will also have to choose the material from which the door will be made. Next, you should decide on the size and think about which type will suit you and your pet best.
If you are the owner of several purrs, then count on the most well-fed one. Add 5 cm to all parameters of the animal - this will be the size of the passage. If you don't want your sleep to be interrupted by a slamming door, don't cut a window into your bedroom door. Place such structures on the doors to the bathroom and toilet rooms.
Advantages and disadvantages
When deciding to organize a passage through the door leaf for a pet, you should take into account its positive and negative aspects.
Clear advantages include:
- Eliminates the need to leave doors open or constantly let the cat in or out;
- Organization of unhindered movement of the pet, which does not cause stress and aggression due to closed doors;
- The cat hole in the door is sealed, keeping out dust and odors from the street.
The disadvantages include the lack of control over an independent animal, which can lead to accidents.
Also, shortcomings may be associated with incorrectly selected design and unsuitable materials.
How to do it yourself
Regardless of the chosen passage design, the DIY process begins with cutting a hole in the door leaf. In order not to violate the integrity, the hole in the door is located at a distance of 5-8 cm from the bottom edge. If the door system is paneled, then the lower element is not touched. A slot is made in the lower insert directly above it.
The canvas is removed from the box and laid on a flat surface. The square of the future hole is marked and a hole is drilled in one corner into which the blade of an electric jigsaw can freely pass. Then all that remains is to cut the material along the marks and remove the unnecessary part. At the end, the cut ends are sanded with sandpaper and coated with paint and varnish materials to protect them from damage, dirt and moisture. For decoration, you can make a frame around the cutout from slats like platbands.
If the hatch is installed in the door of the restroom, you can leave the hatch open, without any doors. However, it is necessary to take into account that the sounds of flowing water or odors will easily flow into the adjacent room, which may not be very convenient for residents.
It is very easy to install a sash in it that will open freely in different directions. The main thing is to take into account its weight so that the cat can open the door and walk through. It is best to use a piece of plastic for this or purchase any suitable product at a hardware store. A thin rubber plate or a dense piece of any fabric could be a good option.
The sash is secured to the upper end with hinges, its functionality is checked, and the leaf is hung back on the frame.
If the hatch is installed on the front door, you should consider a locking system. In a private home, there is a high risk of strangers or stray animals entering the premises, so installing a hook or latch is especially important.
But there will still be a problem with the penetration of cold from the street. If you install any sealed material, it will be difficult to open. And the sash will not be able to close completely under its own weight. Alternatively, you can hang some kind of curtain made of thick fabric from the inside and close the door if necessary, which completely eliminates its design independent of human participation.
Therefore, if there is an urgent need to install a cat passage in the front door, it is best to purchase a ready-made product and install it yourself.
Types of devices
If you pay attention to the photos of cat doors, you can see several types of structures made of different materials: Wood, plastic or metal.
All devices are divided into four main types:
- An open door without a leaf;
- A window with a simple hanging sash;
- Full mortise door with closing mechanism;
- Electronic door.
Each option has a lot of advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when choosing.
Rating of cat doors
- Trixie window for cats;
- Ferplast Swing Microchip – automatic door with microchip detector;
- Flamingo leaf door;
- Trixie 3867 XL Large Cat Door;
- Ferplast Swing 7 set – with magnet.
Trixie cat window – choice for interior doors
The passage for a cat in the door is like a “window”. The model is made of white plastic. The movable shutter is transparent. Suitable for cats of all ages and small breed dogs. Product dimensions: 17.7×18.7 cm. Hole depth – 17-34 mm. The depth can be expanded with additional elements.
- Plus: quiet mechanism.
- Minus: does not have locks.
Price: 1742 rub. More details about the product
Opened door
In essence, this is a simple hole cut into the door leaf according to the size of the animal. It has no doors and is designed to allow cats to pass through interior doors. At the entrance to the house, such a product is sometimes installed only in summer country houses.
Its main advantages:
- Easy to manufacture;
- Easy installation;
- Unlimited movement of the animal.
The hole shape can be any. Its edges are usually trimmed with a strip of fleecy cloth or a brush to collect hair during shedding. However, the hole does not provide tightness and does not allow control of the animal’s movement.
Main types
Cat doors come in different types. Manhole is the simplest option. This is an interior solution, since it is not suitable for the role of an entrance door. This is a kind of hole through which the cat gets into the room it needs. In order not to spoil the design of the apartment, the manhole is made in an interesting and original shape. You can install special brushes. When the animal enters the room, excess hair will remain on the brush. Such a unique passage will become an ally in the fight for cleanliness.
The disadvantage of this design is that, if necessary, it is impossible to isolate the pet. Also, the hole will not be able to prevent foreign odors and sounds from entering the room.
Window
A window differs from a manhole in the presence of a movable door. It consists of a metal or wooden frame and a movable plastic plate. Just like a manhole is not suitable for the front door, since uninvited guests, such as stray cats, can enter the house through it. If you install a sash lock, you can prevent the neighbor's cats from entering the apartment, but this process will also have to be controlled by the owners.
Window with sash
The simple design resembles a manhole, complemented by a hinged door. The opening is usually rectangular or square in shape and is covered by a door that can operate in both directions.
- The door opens by simply pressing the head.
- With its help, you can limit the cat's movement by installing a clamp.
- The product is mounted, like a manhole, on interior doors or at the entrance of country houses.
Its main drawback is the loud knocking sound when the sash is closed and the risk of pinching your pet's tail.
Ferplast Swing Microchip
Automatic cat door with microchip detector made of brown plastic. The unique system, which includes a microchip, is patented by Ferplast.
The model is suitable for installation in glass, plastic and wooden doors, as well as in walls. The opening system works as follows: the antenna reads the microchip that is installed in the cat’s collar when it approaches the door.
The door memory can store 32 ISO chips at a time. Chips are written to the system memory by pressing the memory button.
The entry and exit indicator informs the owner where the pet is currently located. It has 4 operating modes: input, output, closed and microchip input. Product dimensions: 22.5×25.2 cm.
- Plus: suitable for installation in entrance doors.
- Disadvantage: high cost.
Price: 17998 rub. More details about the product
Flamingo leaf door
The plastic leaf door (window type) has two working positions: entry, exit. The model is made of high quality white plastic.
Suitable for inserting into glass and wooden interior doors. Product dimensions: 19.2x20 cm. Passage depth: 16.5x17.4 cm.
The passage opening can be expanded with additional tunnels, which must be purchased separately.
- Plus: easy to install.
- Minus: not suitable for entrance doors.
Price: 1068 rub. More details about the product
Extended XL cat door Trixie 3867
The larger model TX-3867 can be installed on doors with a thickness of 17-34 mm. With the help of additional tunnel elements, the passage depth can be expanded to 45 mm.
The door is fixed in a vertical position using a magnetic clamp at the bottom of the product immediately after the cat passes through - this is protection from drafts. The presence of a sealing edging allows for silent closing of the sash.
- Plus: it closes without slamming.
- Cons: high price.
Price: 1850 rub. More details about the product
Ferplast Swing 7 set
The automatic folding model for cats and small dogs made of non-toxic plastic is equipped with a draft prevention system. Works in 4 modes, has 4 locking directions.
Installed in doors made of glass, wood, metal or in walls. The last passage indicator helps the owner to know where the animal is: on the street or in the house.
The door is opened using a magnetic key, which is attached to the animal's collar. Product size: 25.2×22.5 cm. Passage depth: 9.6 cm.
- Plus: automatic opening using a magnetic key.
- Disadvantage: high cost.
Price: 2999 rub. More details about the product
Electronic door
The design of the product is similar to a mortise door, but is supplemented with electronic sensors that protect the entrance from the entry of foreign animals into the home. Electronic doors are opened using a chip built into the collar of a domestic cat.
This system is ideal for country houses, since with the help of sensors you can track the movements of the animal and always know where it is.
Making a door yourself
Making an electronic door for a cat with your own hands is quite difficult, so it is better to purchase such designs in a store. You can assemble and install a simpler product yourself, which does not require much experience or specific skills.
The best option in this regard would be an interior passage with a door that opens in both directions.
Step-by-step instructions will tell you how to make a door for a cat of this type:
- Prepare the door leaf for work by removing it from its hinges and placing it on a level place.
- Take measurements of your pet and calculate the opening, taking into account a small margin to prevent getting stuck, injured and stressed.
- Draw a marking in the shape of a hole.
- Drill through the blade, insert a jigsaw and cut a hole.
- Carefully sand the edges and paint. This will protect the end areas from moisture penetration.
- Cut a sash from a plastic or rubber plate. Its dimensions should be 1 mm smaller than the opening, which will ensure free movement in both directions.
- Attach the sash to the top of the opening using hinges or piano hinges.
- Decorate the opening with platbands in combination with the finishing of the interior door itself.
- Hang the interior door in its place.
Work on making a cat passage should always be done with the canvas removed. This will make it possible to do everything neatly and beautifully.
Every cat owner wants his pet to feel good and not experience any discomfort. Convenient passage to the street or between rooms will give the animal the necessary comfort and freedom.
cat door
There are many such devices. You can always purchase the best option at a pet store, and in extreme cases, making it yourself is not so difficult - unless we are talking about a metal entrance structure, of course.
Choosing finished products, as well as imagining your own handicraft, must take into account several factors:
- purpose of the passage - the door is installed only so that the cat can toilet, but also so that the animal can freely move from room to room, go out onto the loggia, and so on;
- material - the product can be made of aluminum, plastic, wood. The choice depends mainly on the sash material;
- sizes - from 10*10 to 15*15 cm, in some cases this is not enough;
- variety - there are several different types of models. Of course, it’s difficult to give an animal a choice, but the owner needs to take design features into account when choosing.
