Cat door in the door to the toilet: how to choose a hole

06/05/2018 Anastasia Prozheva

It’s rare that a cat owner isn’t familiar with this phenomenon: it’s 5 am, and the cat outside the door is showing impatience and sometimes making very loud noises. You have to get up, open the door for your furry pet, and then wait until the latter returns home and open and close the entrance door again.

Cat door

However, this problem can be solved, especially when it comes to a private home.

Cat flap in door

Products are produced in 3 main types.

• Manhole - made in the form of a window or tunnel and is intended mainly for installation on interior models. This device does not have its own flaps; in fact, it is a version of the hole. At best, it is equipped with a curtain that acts as a brush. When a cat goes to the toilet, it also cleans its fur. The downside of the product is that the curtain does not protect against smell and noise. The animal will not shit under the door, but the smell remains audible. In the photo there is a hole for a cat.
• The window is equipped with a sash mounted on hinges. The door opens freely, the animal can push it in any direction when entering or leaving the room. The smell is thus blocked. If desired, a lock or latch is installed on the door when they want to close the room from the cat.

The downside of the product is that the lock is unreliable. So this option is not suitable for the front door. In addition, the sash makes a rather loud sound when it opens or closes.

• The door itself is, or rather, a tunnel with a hinged flap. Typically made of wood or plastic. The presence of a tunnel makes it difficult to use such a model for unauthorized access to the house. However, the product is noticeably more expensive. But if cats shit under the front door, then this option can be considered the best. The photo shows the finished product.

Modern modifications can provide other benefits. For example, folding tunnel doors with a magnetic latch. The magnet is weak enough, the animal can easily open the doors, but at the same time they immediately slam shut and close tightly. Thus, the home remains protected from insects, and heat will not escape through a loosely closed hole.

Another addition is a special sensor that will not allow someone else’s cat to use the door. The sensor picks up the signal from the chip embedded in the collar and does not let other animals through.

"Pros" and "cons" of the door

A mortise cat door is convenient and beautiful. The modern market offers a huge variety of designs of this type, not only for cats, but also for dogs. The models offered to the buyer’s attention are, as a rule, made of solid wood or plastic, which means they are not afraid of exposure to moisture and temperature fluctuations. In addition, different models differ in both design and color.

Each cat door consists of two structural elements and a tunnel connecting them. The tunnel is installed in a hole made in advance in the canvas or wall, while the cut points are carefully hidden. In general, a mortise cat door should be selected taking into account the thickness of the leaf. If the leaf thickness is large, two or more tunnels can be installed, but if the sash is thin, the tunnel can be trimmed.

Each such hatch is equipped with a special “rim” that ensures proper sealing (naturally, this increases the heat and sound insulation properties of the structure) and prevents knocking when opening and closing the doors.

Usually a magnet is built into one of the walls: it is this that holds the door, preventing it from swinging open due to a draft. At the same time, pets can move freely through such a passage.

Such an access control and identification system is multifunctional: it can be two- or four-mode. In the first case, the “open” and “closed” modes operate.

Models equipped with a complex control system have four modes:

1. Open.
2. Closed.
3. Restriction on entry (pet can leave, but cannot enter).
4. Restriction on exit (the hatch will open upon entry, but the home occupant will not be able to exit).

Advantages and disadvantages of the solution

Constructing a manhole with your own hands or purchasing a finished product is actually a very practical solution.

• There is no need to purchase cat litter, and this significantly reduces costs.
• The animal does not shit under the door or in any other place, since it can always come out.
• Eliminates the need to clean cat litter.
• The risk of infection to people is reduced, since the cat does not spread the filler on its paws. And the latter absorbs smell, dirt, and pathogenic microflora.

Do-it-yourself door for a cat to the toilet

The technology for making such a craft is very simple. As a rule, the doors themselves are made of wood. Since such material is almost always available to the home craftsman. However, you can use plastic sheets, cable, and fabric.

1. Remove the door from its hinges and place it on a flat surface.
2. Cut a hole in the canvas of the required size - from 10*10 to 15*15 cm.

In this form, the sash can be installed back: the hole is enough so that the cat does not shit under the door, but passes through freely. However, the appearance of this design is not aesthetic and does not protect against odor.

1. Make 4 wooden planks according to size and close the ends of the resulting hole.
2. Hinges or hinges are attached to the opening, depending on whether the doors will rotate or tilt.
3. The door is cut out of light wood or a sheet of plastic and hung on hinges. The cat opens the door only lightly, without effort, so the rotation should be very light.
4. The interior or entrance door is installed in its original place.

This video demonstrates how to make a cat door yourself.

Clamp the inner and outer frames together and assemble the structure

Using four clamps, hold the two door halves together and insert your fasteners to secure both halves together.

Hang the door by lining up the hinges and inserting the door pins. Once you have secured the door, it's time to teach your friend how to use the door! Grab a few treats and call your pet from either side of the door until he gets used to coming in and out.

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Types of Animal Passages

Cat door

Pet owners have at least once thought about how convenient it would be for their pet to have its own front door: a cat door. After all, animals love to walk. And what owner would like to constantly watch over a pet when it deigns to go outside to go to the toilet, go into the house, or wants to get into another room? It turns out that this problem can be easily solved. There are several options: build a cat door yourself or purchase a ready-made one. Few would argue that this attribute is useless. The purchase and installation of such an element is necessary in any home. But sometimes not everyone is ready to splurge on its purchase. Then no one will stop you from making a door for your pet with your own hands, spending a minimum of money. Like any other designs, cat doors can be quite different. They are divided depending on:

• From size - for large and small pets;
• Depending on the type of material - plastic, wood or aluminum.

Variety of designs

Like other door systems, doors for cats (and for dogs too) are available in a huge variety on the market today. The different models differ among themselves, first of all, in their dimensions: some holes are small and are intended for small pets, while others, which are larger in size, will be convenient for large pets, for example, large cats and dogs.

In addition, a cat door can be made of various materials:
Based on type, these designs can be divided into several groups:

Each such hatch has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the pet owner needs to weigh the pros and cons.

Cat hole in the door

The most common and simplest option is a manhole in the form of flaps made of plastic, which have an aluminum base frame. But there are also models that have special plates that can recline. Thanks to this, the cat will be able to go to the toilet without your help. In addition, such doors, built with your own hands, will in no way affect the degree of thermal insulation in the home. There are also doors with magnets. Their main advantage is that with their help insects will never get into the house. After all, doors work on the principle of slamming. Today, sometimes owners purchase special sensors, which eliminates the possibility of foreign animals entering the premises. These sensors are capable of receiving and transmitting signals from a microchip built into your pet's collar. Therefore, except for him, no one will be able to get into the housing. If you decide to purchase a ready-made entrance for your animal in the store and thereby provide your cat with free access to the street and other rooms, it would be better to take the animal with you so as not to guess on the spot with the dimensions and shape of the doors.

What does it take to train a cat to use the door?

Cats are naturally very inquisitive creatures. But the instinct of self-preservation sometimes interferes with their acquaintance with something new. Especially if it is a door that leads to an unknown destination. So motivate your pet by offering him his favorite treat or toy.

1. Open the door and secure the sash. Scotch tape, lace, or wire are suitable for this. Your task is to make the cat enter the hole and come back without hesitation. A structure swinging back and forth can frighten an animal.
2. Make the sash half open. The cat will probably not immediately understand that it is not required, so push your pet, helping him crawl through the door.
3. Close the flap all the way and encourage your cat to come in and out of the door. After some time, the cat will stop being afraid. If the design is comfortable for her, she will move from room to room without any problems.

See also: The most expensive cats in the world in 2020
There can be different problems when training cats to walk through the door. The main one is fear of the sash. The cat does not understand well that it is not a threat.

In one family, the cat often bothered the owners, asking them to open the door for her. Then they decided one day to install a door for it. But the darling did not want to go through the swinging door. She probably thought it was a dangerous thing. No tricks helped. But a solution was found: the plastic flap was replaced with a cellophane curtain.

After some time, the cat began to walk through the hole, especially since the curtain hardly interfered. The curtain was lowered - the cat was not afraid again. When he was completely accustomed to it, a sash was put in its place. But she no longer embarrassed the cat. He liked the walks and was interested in the door itself. He even started hitting it with his paw from time to time. The animal liked that she knocked.

Cat hole in the form of a tunnel

The hole can be in the form of a window, door or tunnel. It allows the cat access from one room to another, as well as from the home to the street. Most often, this option does not have doors and is intended for installation in interior structures, and not in entrance ones. On the way, for example, to the toilet, your pet, passing through such a structure, will be cleaned of excess hair thanks to the fabric attached on top, which acts as a brush. The disadvantage of this model is that various odors and extraneous noise will penetrate into the room. The window is a sash that is mounted on hinges and moves freely. These doors will be able to ensure the unimpeded movement of the cat due to the fact that it will push the door and get into the toilet and outside without any problems. If there is such a need, the window can be locked with a special latch or another lock. Disadvantages of doors:

Protect your door from scratches

Once you've drilled holes in each corner, you'll want to secure your door before cutting. Use masking tape on the outside of the guides and be sure to apply the tape to the bottom of the jigsaw. This will protect against scratches that may occur during the upcoming work. If you think the door is very susceptible to damage, apply two layers of tape just in case.

Cat tunnel

Pets in many families are practically full members of the family; accordingly, all modern advances should be available for their use. More and more owners are trying to devote as much attention and time as possible to various kinds of innovations, so a manhole ready-made or made by hand is no exception. It’s one thing if you live in a rural area and your pet goes to the toilet when going outside. But what about those families who live in cities? Apartments have many rooms and it is very important that the cat can get into each of them without problems. Surely, like most other owners, you also leave all the doors slightly open? Most likely, you are not very happy with this. The table shows the average door dimensions that are suitable for animals of average constitution. If you are going to make your own cat hole, it is better to use standard sizes. Table of examples of popular door options for pets

Making your own cat door

In order to make a hatch or a regular passage for a pet with your own hands, you need to correctly calculate its dimensions. Naturally, the larger the animal, the larger the passage equipped for it will be.

Make a passage for pets, for example, dogs, as follows:

1. Remove the canvas that opens the entrance to the room from its hinges and place it on a flat horizontal surface.
2. A hole is cut at the bottom of the sash, the dimensions of which are determined based on the animal’s physique (for cats the entrance will be smaller, for large dogs it will be larger).

Essentially, the entrance is ready, and if you wish, you can leave the opening as it is. Such a hole will suit your pet perfectly: he will move through it without any problems.

But, unfortunately, such a hole will not look very attractive, and most home craftsmen do not stop there; they give the passage a more aesthetic appearance. Some craftsmen install hinges on the canvas and hang on them a door pre-made according to the size of the hole.

To avoid knocking when opening and closing the door, a rubber edging is attached along its edge. This DIY hatch for cats or dogs will allow your pet to move freely from room to room and will act as a barrier to unpleasant odors and extraneous sounds.

You can also make a door for cats yourself from another material, for example, plastic or chipboard. If you use all your skill and use your imagination, the entrance for your pet will turn out amazing, and besides, it will become a real decoration of the interior.

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Cat door made from scrap material | Cat hatch in the door

A fairly good version of passages is also a door made with your own hands from a piece of plastic that can be found in any home. Still, a wooden product is quite heavy, and it may turn out that the animal simply cannot open the door. But the most ordinary latch or other latch would ideally serve as a lock. Some owners prefer to install several locks that are attached to all sides of the manhole. This is safe, and the result is an excellent system, thanks to which it will be possible to lock the door when the animal enters or leaves. That's all, now your animal will be able to go to the toilet, as well as travel throughout the house, without causing inconvenience to the home. But first you should show the cat your creation and teach it to use.

Cats love to walk “by themselves” and the owners have to open and close the door all the time. For others, the tray is located in the toilet or bathroom, so the door to these rooms must always be open. Cat doors that fit into interior or exterior doors help out in all these situations. We are sure that every cat owner will find this device useful.

Cat door - classification and types

Flush doors for cats are classified according to the following criteria:

1. Manhole (tunnel). The simplest design. This is a kind of hatch in the door for a cat, which is given an interesting shape so as not to spoil the appearance of the door and the room. It does not have a door, so it is not suitable for entrance doors. Manhole is an interior solution. In order to increase functionality, special brushes are installed around the perimeter of the hatch to comb out loose hair.
2. Window with movable door. It differs from a manhole in the presence of a door that opens in both directions. Just like the hatch is not suitable for entrance doors, since it can be used not only by pets, but also by neighbor cats and stray animals. In addition, the window does not provide reliable heat and sound insulation.
3. Door. A door-to-door cat door is a sophisticated hermetic design that prevents cold, odors and foreign animals from entering the house. Factory versions of such products are often equipped with complex electronics and magnetic locks that respond to a key located in the pet's collar and open only in front of your cat. Doors with magnetic locks are an ideal solution for entrance doors.

Remove the door

Place the door in the closed position and use a hammer and small screwdriver to remove the pins from the hinges. Start at the bottom and carefully work your way up. Once you have released all three hinges, open the door and remove it.

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To avoid scratching the door, place it on sawdust. Position the door so that the inside is facing up.

How to choose the right cat door

1. Based on the size of your pet. If there are several cats in the house, focus on the largest animal. Measure the animal's height and width and add 5 centimeters on each side to get the ideal size for passage.
2. Consider where you are going to install the cat door. If you need a passage through the front door, choose sealed structures equipped with locks. For interior doors, doors like a window or a hole are suitable.
3. If you don't want the sound of a slamming door to disturb your sleep, don't put windows in your bedroom door. Save these locking designs for bathroom and toilet doors.

Manufacturers of cat products present a variety of cat door models on the pet products market. To make it easier for you to make a choice, we have studied popular items on online shopping sites. And we compiled our rating of these products based on functionality, quality characteristics and cost.

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.

Make holes

Press the drill bit firmly into each corner to create a small dent about half a centimeter from the guide. This will keep your drill bit from wandering as you drill through the steel. Once you have placed a dent in each corner, place the point of the drill bit into the dent and begin drilling slowly. You must go straight down through the door, thereby creating one hole in each corner.

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