Installing a Cat Flap in Your Front Door – The Basics

If you have a cat, you should provide him or her with a cat flap. Cat flaps are a very helpful pet device for any household. They allow your cat to go in and out of your house without bothering anyone to open and close the door for him or her. You are not disturbed from your rest or work, and still allow your kitty to exercise his or her animal freedom. Some cat owners install cat doors because they want to train their cat to take their bowels outside and not on the carpet. There are just so many advantages of a cat flap! However, do you know how to install one?

Installing a cat flap in your house depends on your purpose and your location. In other words, you first have to know what you want and why you need it. For instance, if you have a pet dog aside from your pet cat, you may want to install a cat flap on an interior door, so just in case your pets quarrel with each other, your cat may find an escape through the cat door. If, however, you leave in a city, you may want to install the pet door on your balcony door or on your backyard door. This way, you can keep your beloved pet away from getting run over by rushing cars. But if you are living in a suburban area with less cars passing on the street, or if you have a front garden with a protective fence, then that’s when you can install a cat flap on your front door.

Installing a cat flap in your front door is not difficult. All you need is little mechanical skills and a pure dose of logic.

When you are installing a cat flap, the first thing that you need to consider is your cat. Pet doors come in different magnitudes as cats also come in various sizes. For instance, my pet Cassie. She is a big cat and her bigness deserves her own size. A small pet door would never ever be appropriate for her. If the cat, however, is still a kitten or young, do not choose a door that she would outsize in the future. Yet, you ought not to exaggerate and buy the biggest flap. Your cat may not feel at ease with such a huge cat door.

In determining the height on the door where you should install the flap, you will need your cat and a marker. Estimate the height of your cat when she is standing on her four legs by measuring the distance between the floor and the lowest point on her belly. The standard height for most adult cats measures to about 5 inches. Transfer this height on the door using the marker. The peak of the measurement will be where the bottom of the cat door should be located.

Next, find the center of the door and the cat flap. Measure the width of both and then divide them by two. Plot it on your front door and mark it with a pencil. Align the flap on your door based on the guiding measurements that you have marked on the door, and trace a pencil around it. Draw straight lines between the corner marks. And then drill holes at each corner of the square. Cut along the lines using a jigsaw or a scroll saw. Remember to smoothen the rough edges using sandpaper.

And then fit in the inner frame (the side with the flap or lock) into the hole of your door (inside). Place a screw in each screw hole and be sure that all of them are tight enough to hold the pet door. Fit the other side of the flap (outside) and apply the same procedure.

And there you have it! A secured cat flap on your front door just for your beloved cat.