We’ve been thinking of installing a sun room in our backyard, and while we don’t have outdoor cats of our own (we have three indoor cats right now), there are a couple incredibly friendly neighbourhood cats who stop by on the daily that we’d love to give access to our conservatory when we eventually make one.
It can get a little tricky figuring out just how to allow access to pets in a way that makes the most sense. While we may like having a cat flap, for example, if we sell our house and those who are interested in buying don’t have outdoor cats and don’t want the chance of any animals coming in, including stray and feral cats in the neighbourhood as well as other wildlife like birds and (if we had them here) raccoons, they’ll likely be put off a sun room that has a cat door integrated into the glass or into a metal door. But if we have one in a screen door, even if we wanted to replace the whole screen before putting our place up for sale, it wouldn’t be very hard or cost very much, so I’ve been thinking it’d probably be a pretty darn good idea to put a pet door into that.
Picture from post The Pesky Houseguest: Weiss the Cat
I can think of a slew of other uses for cat doors that can be put into screens instead of having to be put into wood, metal, glass, or other more heavy-duty materials than simple screens. You might want to allow access to an outdoor cat from a window instead of a back door, to make sure a cat has to jump high to get into the house, so raccoons don’t keep using a cat door to gain entry into a home. You might want to give outdoor access to a cat, while also wanting to not keep opening and closing a screen door, so you have protection against bugs, but without getting rid of a cat’s entry point. You may want to allow cats go outside freely, while not allowing a medium or large-sized dog to go outside willy nilly. Or you might even want to allow outdoor access to all the pets in your house, including dogs of all sizes, but want to make sure flies, moths, and other insects aren’t going to come in.
Luckily, there are cat doors for screens that surprisingly work in each and every one of these cases, as well as a slew that I’m sure I haven’t thought of yet. These types of cat doors come in enough sizes to be able to fit large dogs or only cats and small dogs, and come in varieties that are convenient if you’re walking in and out of a door regularly. They’re really inexpensive in comparison to most cat doors, and while I’m really not a DIY-savvy person (I get my husband to do everything like that for me), they don’t look like they’re difficult to install.
Let me know, if you’ve ever thought about buying a cat door to be integrated in a screen, whether you were thinking of installing it in a porch door, a conservatory door, a window, or anything else. I’m curious to know what types of ways other pet parents are using things like this. Also let me know if you’ve ever tried one, what you happened to think of the concept in general and of the product you grabbed in particular. Really good to know which are ideal, and which items to stay away from, as well as any hacks you might’ve developed to make things work out better for you. Now into the types of cat doors for screens I’ve managed to find..
Cat Doors for Screen Doors & Screen Windows
1. PetSafe Pet Screen Door Small Dog and Cat Door for Screen Door, Window and Porch Use
This is probably the most popular cat door for screens available, and while a lot of pet parents are incredibly happy with it, many point out it’s a bit tricky to install, and that it really needs to be reinforced with four nuts and bolts in the corners. With that simple upgrade, a lot of pet parents find these work even for small dogs that are not the most gentle with this pet door.
2. PetSafe Pet Screen Door Large Dog and Cat Door for Screen Door, Window and Porch Use
If you like the idea of grabbing a pet door from PetSafe but want a bigger version for a medium or even large sized dog to be able to access the outdoors through it, this is a great option. Again, PetSafe’s screen door pet doors are probably the most popular around, and typically once they’ve been reinforced with nuts and bolts in the corners, they’re perfect for their intended purpose.
3. Namsan Magnetic Automatic Lock/Lockable Pet Screen Door Dog Gate Way Pet Door for Screens
If you like larger pet gates, but want to look through a few more options, this one by Namsan is another extremely viable option. Again, nuts and bolts seem to do the trick fixing this thing to the point where it becomes usable and near perfect, as this reviewer mentions: “Long story short, my review will be like everyone else’s. The door is nice except for the fact it won’t snap firmly together. I even took the main screen frame off, installed it on the floor, smacked the snaps together with a rubber mallet (then a hammer) and when it finally felt like it was firm enough, I installed the frame back on the porch….. but the first time the dogs walked through it, boom, the snaps were lose again. Finally gave in, drilled several holes through it, and installed some bolts / nuts. It’s perfect now, but definitely more work than it should be.”
4. Homitt Cuttable Magnetic Screen Door with Heavy Duty Mesh Curtain and Full Frame Hook & Loop
If you have a sliding door that takes you to your backyard, but don’t have a screen door, or would love to use a door that has no screen on it currently to integrate a screen cat door into, these types of screen doors with cat doors work really well for pet parents trying to let cats (and even dogs and kids!) have access as they please without letting flies and other insects into the house.
5. Namsan Pet Screen Door – Pet Window Screen Dog Door Screen Door for Cats Dogs
A lot of people seem to be using these particular pet door screens for pool cages, allowing their pets access without having to create an alternate solution like a frame door. It’s got a cute paw print on it, and is otherwise pretty well near like the other options, I feel, even in that it’s typically customized by reinforcing with nuts and bolts rather than leaving it how it’s recommended to be installed out of kit.
6. OWNPETS Pet Screen Door, Magnetic Flap Screen Automatic Lockable Black Door for Small Dog and Cat Gate
This same style is also available in larger versions, so larger pets or cats who don’t like to feel too cramped when walking through pet doors are able to go through without issue.
7. Ideal Pet Products Pet Passage Screen Door 7.25″ x 14.5″ Opening
Unlike most pet doors for screens, this one is long and slants out at the bottom. In terms of being able to allow small pets, including cats and small dogs, in and out easily, it does well just like the others. About the downsides, one reviewer mentioned: “My only gripe is the small outlying strip of open space between the plastic door and the plastic door frame is big enough for small insects to slip through (it’s not likely, but possible), and the door doesn’t always come back to being shut/resting flush with the magnet since it opens sideways rather then a hanging door that falls straight down with the help of gravity. Sometimes it ends up being left agape about a 1/4 inch or so, so I have to nudge it with my foot when walking by to shut it completely.” Just be aware of these downsides in case you are interested in this one.
Your Thoughts on Cat Doors for Screens?
Ever thought about getting a cat flap door for your screen? What would you place it on: a door or window? Which part of the inside of the house would it be from, and where would it lead out to?
Have you ever tried placing a cat door into a screen door or window before? What did you think of the overall concept? What did you think of the particular one you grabbed?
Love to hear your thoughts related to this topic in the comments down below!
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