Cat hole - for interior door

b-roc

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Anyone here ever install a cat hole in an interior door? I want to create an entrance our cat can use to come and go without having to leave our bedroom door open all night. I really like the look of the cat hole but it appears to be just two horse-shoe shaped trim pieces with a brush fitted between it to obscure an onlookers view into a hollow, interior door. Seems so easy to make on your own but those who have bought the cat hole give it outstanding reviews - even on hollow core doors (like mine). I don't want to create a hole in my door and then have the company go out of business or the brush fall out and have a functional door for my cat which becomes an eyesore to us if you can see into the framing of the door.



http://www.cathole.com/

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]


I'm also considering cutting a tunnel through the wall which separates our room from the hallway for the same purpose as I think that would be easier to patch or cover if ever the time is needed to do that.

I'm putting it in because one of our kids gets up 45 minutes before we do and is loud and turns ever light on so that gets the cat going and if we shut her in our room she cries and if he shuts her out she cries and if the door is left open the light and sound is really annoying. I think the cat hole looks nicer than a plastic flap and hope it helps with the sound and light since it is fairly small and installed low to the ground.

Thoughts?

Thanks.
 
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betsygee

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That's so cute!  I've never seen one of those before so I can't comment on the company or anything.  But it looks like it would be a good solution to your closed door problem.  
 

MoochNNoodles

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I looked into doing something like this to our laundry room doors because we have the litter box in there. It's more of a large closet with bi-fold doors.  The concerns we had is that the doors are not solid wood. 

If you do try this; please let us know how it goes!  We ended up keeping one door open enough so the girls can go in and out; but it makes it harder to keep  my kids out and people seem to like shutting the door on us whenever we have company.
 

fhicat

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I would love to get one of these. My cat likes to come in and out of my bedroom, and I leave the bedroom slightly open for him. Sadly, my landlady wouldn't allow me to put a hole in her door. 
 

jcat

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I would love to get one of these. My cat likes to come in and out of my bedroom, and I leave the bedroom slightly open for him. Sadly, my landlady wouldn't allow me to put a hole in her door. :lol3:
Could you get a cheap (maybe used) door to replace the good one for as long as you're living there? They're usually easy to switch around. Sometimes you can pick them up for free. We were going to replace the kitchen door until we decided to cut a hole in it, and probably would've just put it out for the "big" trash pick-up.
 
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fhicat

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Too much trouble. 
 It's not really bothering me at the moment - he rarely stays in my room when I'm sleeping; he only comes in to knead on me and then to wake me up in the morning.
 

AbbysMom

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I'm not home but will take pics of our door when I get back. It's easy to do and works well.
 

AbbysMom

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Abby's litter box is in the basement and we didn't want to leave the door open all the time. We cut a corner out, added hinges, a hook and eye and a turn latch so it can be closed up if necessary:




You can click on the pics for a larger version. Excuse the dust. :lol3:
 

gloriajh

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okay, a simple idea is using a regular cat door with a flap - it would also allow for a lock-out when required  (I know it doesn't look nearly as beautiful has others pictured here  :), but I imagine it could be decorated to look better)

Abby's idea is great - using the ability to lock the door with hinges - also preserves the original wood for the door. :)

We've also just changed out doors for our FeLV confined cat - it's pretty simple using the same hardware - the original door is stored in the garage.  (we put in plexiglas and a screened panel so he can "participate" with the other household activity)

 
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b-roc

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I wound up buying one on Amazon and stained it to match the door. I was concerned about cutting through the lower frame so I cut it to sit on the top of the lower frame (2" from the bottom). I purchased two 4" x 6" adhesive furniture pads from the hardware store (the kind that you can put on furniture legs to prevent them from scratching hardwood floors) and adhered them over the lower cut out / frame so Sparkle won't cut her stomach on any splintered or delaminated wood. I think I am going to create a lower frame from a pine board to cover up the lower furniture pad and make the whole thing seem more complete like a tunnel / picture frame but this is what it looks like upon installation.





Overall, I'm pleased but feel the product is overpriced for what it is. Sparkle took right to it but its essentially 2 plywood horseshoes that have been beveled. The brush is neat and she seems to enjoy it but $31 plus shipping for about $10 worth of materials makes me feel like I should have just made it on my own and if I put it in other doors, I think I will.
 

gloriajh

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Looks good!  Those brushes are an interesting addition - might pick up cat hair, on the other hand she'll probably like rubbing her face on the brushes. :)
 

jcat

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That really looks good! The price is steep, but cat flaps are expensive, too, and this way there's no clattering.
 
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b-roc

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Looks good!  Those brushes are an interesting addition - might pick up cat hair, on the other hand she'll probably like rubbing her face on the brushes. :)
Yes, she likes the brushes. I combed her with those several times before I had the time to install it so she liked the brush right away. It does an OK job picking up some hair since she has to slink her way through it and its easily removable for cleaning and so far seems to stay put when installed. She also likes to peek through the hole and strike at toys or whatever as you pass them by from the other side. Good investment so far just a bit expensive for what it is - though I do like that you can make it look like part of the door structure - so I guess that is worth something.
 
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b-roc

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I think I managed to find it on Amazon so I added it to our Reviews section here - 
http://www.thecatsite.com/products/cathole-chwm-pet-door-for-cats-with-removeable-brush

@B-Roc
 when you have the time, it would be great if you could add your review to that page! 
I posted my review at the link you suggested. I hope others find it helpful. I would recommend the product - just be prepared to open the box and think..."I paid $35 for this?" But I guess its worth it. We had company over this morning and everyone who saw it commented on how cute and finished it looked. I don't think they would have said that about a white, plastic flap.
 

therese

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I have had a few 'pet doors" in my interior doors over the years....I have always had big dogs who always tried to eat the cat poop ( I know, ICK, right? )

The cat or dog door closed off a special litter box bathroom and kept the dogs out.

I usually just got a pet door from one of the big box pet stores . I remove the 'flap' and it just leaves a little hole or frame there for them, so they don't have to bother with the hanging strips or that sliding up and down door.  Much like B-roc's above.
 
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