Types and choice of door for a cat

For many, the appearance of a house of a cat or a cat is a pleasant event, because pets bring a lot of joyful emotions. But along with this, many small household problems arise that require a quick solution. The comfort of not only people, but also the cat itself depends on this. First of all, it is necessary to solve the issue of displacement. And in this case, special doors become great helpers. To make the door comfortable, you need to study all kinds of options and choose the most suitable.

Doors for cats play the same role as a similar item intended for humans. With it, pets can enter somewhere or go out, as well as get from one room to another. Actually, the door may look like a through hole or an opening closed by wings. Usually it is used in such cases as:

• if the cat needs to get from the street to the house and back;
• to go between rooms.

In fact, street doors are now being installed less and less, since self-walking of cats is no longer so popular. Interior doors for cats can be an effective tool for moving the animal inside the house or apartment without the help of the owners. Depending on the purpose, the door must meet the following requirements:

• First of all, be comfortable for the cat;
• keep out dust, drafts and odors;
• fit well into the interior of a door or wall;
• easy to install and dismantle;
• have additional functions - a lock, a brush for collecting wool, tracking sensors and so on.

It is best if the door appears in the house at the same time as the kitten. If the animal is an adult, certain difficulties may arise.If the cat cannot adapt or is afraid to use such an aperture, time, patience and training will help.

When deciding on the need for a cat door, it is necessary to take into account both its pros and cons. Among the positive aspects, there are several.

• Relieving the owners of the need to open doors or keep them open all the time. No need to jump up and drop everything if the pet wants to enter or leave the room. It is believed that this device was invented by Newton, who had no time to open the entrance for his pets.
• Cats and cats feel more free, especially if there is access to all the right places. If the tray is in the toilet, food bowls in the kitchen, and toys in the living room, closed doors can cause constant stress. It is not surprising if animals impatiently begin to scratch the walls or do not have time to go into the tray. In the case of unhindered passage, there are no such problems.
• Unlike constantly open interior doors, doors with built-in walkways protect against dust, odors and other environmental influences.
• The freedom of the pet can be controlled at the request of the owner. If the room needs to be isolated, then an ordinary or magnetic lock can be put on an existing cat's door.
• In self-walking on the street, if it is approved by the owner, there are pluses. There is no smell of a tray of the house and problems with a filler. On the street, living conditions are close to natural, cats can climb trees, run freely, jump, hunt. The street has a positive effect on health due to fresh air and vitamins.

Negative factors are mainly associated with street doors, because the bulk of accidents occur outside the home.

That is why most zoodefenders call for giving pets only to homes without self-walking. This is especially true in urban environments where, in addition to dogs and parasites, cars and even people can cause significant damage to their health. The disadvantages of interior passages for cats are mainly associated with the imperfection of the design and material.

Depending on the design features, all cat doors can be divided into two groups. The first group includes all kinds of manholes, which are a through passage. This is the simplest model, characterized by the following positive characteristics:

• the size of such a hole may be any;
• their low location is especially convenient for cats;
• there is nothing to limit the passage of animals between rooms;
• the edges of the manhole can be trimmed as you wish, as well as equipped with brushes or a fleecy cloth to cleanse the animal;
• no need to spend money on installation, all stages of manufacturing can be done independently;
• in such a simple design there are no parts that can break at the wrong time, there are no obstacles for the cat - they are not afraid to go through such a passage and get used to it easily.

The second group includes passages with wings. Here, the simplest model looks like the same hole, but already equipped with a door.The principle of operation is quite simple - the cat comes up, pushes her and gets to where he needs to. Sashes open in both directions. Pros are as follows:

• there is protection against insects, animals, debris, cold and so on;
• the cat can move quite simply if the door opens easily;
• You can install the latch and close the passage for a certain time;
• there is an opportunity to do it yourself - attach a sash to any fasteners on a regular hole;
• installation on the front door and inside the house is possible.

Despite the protection from external factors, such a hatch will not be completely airtight, so there is the possibility of foreign objects, cold air and unpleasant odors. This problem can be solved with a gasket. Installation at the right height is not always possible due to the characteristics of the doors. In addition, it is worth worrying about when opening and closing the shutters did not make clapping sounds.

The most reliable are cat doors, which are a complex system of frames, gaskets, mounts and sashes. They are made on the principle of real doors, but only in a reduced form. Their strengths are as follows:

• when closed, they completely isolate the premises;
• opening and closing without noise;
• can be mounted both in the door and in the wall (for double doors or thick walls there are transitions in the form of a small tunnel);
• there are models equipped with sensors that allow you to control the cat’s arrival or restrict access to other animals (all data is read from the cat’s collar);
• a large selection of materials, colors, sizes with different cost;
• they cannot be made independently, but factory production is a guarantee of good work, reliability and durability.

Choosing a door for a cat seems simple at first glance. Having made a hasty decision, in the process of using the manhole, shortcomings can be identified. But dismantling an existing passage and replacing it with another is not so simple - this requires both funds and strength. And the pet will have to be limited for the duration of the repair. Therefore, you need to consider several nuances.

• First you need to determine the areas that you need to visit your pet. In ordinary life, it can be: a street or a balcony for walking, a bathroom with a tray, a kitchen with a place for eating and a room where all family members communicate, and there is also a sleeping place. If all these rooms are separated, it is necessary to install from 3 to 5 cat doors.
• Next, you need to determine the degree of complexity of such inputs. For example, in the living room you can put ordinary manholes. Access to the kitchen and toilet should be closed by doors. And in the balcony or front door you need special mortise systems with good sealing and thermal insulation.
• Many questions are caused by the size of the hole. Narrow passages make it difficult for other, larger animals to access, and they look more aesthetically pleasing. But you need to take into account the growth of the pet and look for information about the sizes at different ages. For cat owners, you must consider the possible pregnancy. Factory products have a fixed dimensional grid, but with your own hands you can make absolutely any size.
• Doors for cats are made of plastic, wood or metal. Usually they are picked up under an existing door or are guided by the appearance of the interior. In addition to beauty, strength must be appreciated. The most reliable metal in this regard, but the cost of such a product will be quite decent. In addition, such a sash when opening may be too heavy. The tree is not suitable for placement from the side of the street.In contrast, plastic is more resistant to moisture and is well washed, but it is less durable.
• If the pet is not afraid of crowded places, you can take it with you to the store and try out the passage on the spot. Before buying online, you can additionally study existing reviews.
• Any door must be well inspected for defects, sharp edges and parts. Be sure to check the operation of the hinges - the sash should open easily. The weight of the moving parts should not be large so as not to pinch the tail or limbs.

The complexity of the installation depends on the material of which the large door is made, as well as the presence of stiffeners, panels, glass inserts and so on. If the door is wooden, it is not difficult to install a cathole for a cat by following these steps:

1. it is necessary to remove it from the loops and make markings along the frame from the manhole;
2. in a window cut by a jigsaw, it is necessary to process all the edges;
3. then the frame is fixed in the hole or it is covered with a soft cloth, do not forget about the other side; so that when open, internal sections in the door leaf are not visible, it is better to pay attention to the tunnel doors or stock up on additional materials, for example, self-adhesive tape in color;
4. then the door is put in place and the sash is fastened.

Working with an entrance or balcony door requires completely different tools and the correct calculation. If possible, such a hole must be negotiated when ordering new door leafs. In case of going outside, there must be a lock in the cat's door so that thieves could not use it when the owners left.

Wall passages are far from uncommon. That's just punching them, especially when it comes to the supporting structure, is quite difficult. Moreover, here it is necessary to take into account the presence of pipes, wires and other nuances. In the partitions inside the walls, it is better to think of such holes in advance - at the construction stage or, at least, before repair. A hole in the wall is a good alternative when it cannot be made in the door.

See how to install the door yourself.