How to install a cat door

Installing a cat door isn’t even that hard. And we’ll show you that, with the right tools and proper guidelines, your brand new exterior door cat door will be ready to use in no time. In fact, you will hardly break a sweat when you fix up a solid cat door for your pet if you follow our lead.

Use screws to secure the cat flap into the door.

Hold the front of the cat flap against the door. Push 1 screw into each hole and place the back of the cat flap over the other side of the screws. Tighten the screws using a drill and add nuts. Then test the cat flap to ensure that it is secured tightly in place.

Yes, cat flaps are a good idea but they can be a mixed blessing. Obviously, the cat flap gives your cat convenient access to the outdoors. If the cat flap is microchip activated it should prevent other cats coming into your home.

The cat flap can be installed in all types of doors. Watch this step by step video to learn how to install the pet door yourself using a drill and jigsaw.

Size of opening

If you have a larger framed cat weighing about 7 kg, you’ll need to go for a cat flap with a large opening (around 17 x 17 cm, for example). If you have a medium-sized cat, a standard cat flap (about 14 x 12 cm) should suffice.

Measure your cat

To be able to go in and out, the cat flap needs to be the right height above the floor. The average height of a cat flap is 15 cm above the floor. This is also the average height of a cat’s stomach. Mark out the right height at two points to ensure a straight line.

Make sure that you place the lock side of the flap on the inside of the door. With a pencil, mark the places where the screw holes are on the pet flap. Finally, remove the pet flap and screw holes carefully into the door where you have just marked. Then, replace the pet flap and screw it into place.

Fitting a cat flap in glass requires a small-medium flap space to be cut into the glass. After which the flap can then be installed and sealed off. On average, a professional cat flap fitter will charge between £160-£200 for a glass install.

You will get a draught from your cat flap whether it be in glass or brick installation. The main reason being is that the moment the cat flap is opened, it has created a draught, hence no cat flap manufacturer can claim that it is draught-proof.

For example, installing a cat or dog flap for your four-legged friend may deem your back door as less secure; if you fail to mention this change to your insurer this could then invalidate your insurance policy.

Why are cat flaps important for cats? Access to a garden and the outdoors through a cat flap can provide a huge amount of positive stimulation for your cat, as well as helping them keep physically fit and healthy.

Install your cat flap at a height that is comfortable for your pet, by measuring the height of his stomach from the floor. If your door, window or wall restricts the height that you can install your cat flap, consider positioning steps on either side or installing it elsewhere if the height is too low.

Cats Protection recommends that you keep your cats in at night. Cats are natural hunters, making them more active at night time, and some studies show that more road traffic injuries happen at night. Therefore, we recommend keeping your cat indoors at night to protect them from the hazards of the roads.

A good cat flap can make all of the difference if the neighbour’s cat is entering your home but if you are having problems with cats coming into your garden, it will require other solutions: Avoid leaving food outside or don’t feed other cats outside.

If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional cat flaps that are cheaper, require almost no installation, offers the most flexibility when it comes to where it’s installed and can adjust as your kitten grows…. Then the cat door alternative, LockLatch™, is the best choice for you!