Featured Door blockade for cats getting to know each other

[Clover18]

We want to block a room off that doesn't have a door and am looking for suggestions on how to do this so cats can't jump or push through it. We have a new kitten that we are introducing to our resident cat. For two weeks we've been keeping the kitten in a separate room that has a door, but she is becoming very anxious to get out. She understandably wants to be closer to us but the two cats still hiss at each other under the door. We are looking for a way to keep her in the living room or kitchen and block the doorways so they can see each other but not get to each other. I've seen homemade contraptions with stacking baby gates or using an old screen door with bars to hold it in place, but i was hoping to still somewhat easily move between the rooms. Any suggestions?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A couple of members on this site have created their own blockade by using wire shelving from a home improvement store - the lengths can go up to 12 feet or higher. You set them on their side and connect them with something a simple as zip ties which essentially makes hinges so it is like a folding door - easy to open and close. Here is a pic of one.

 

[daftcat75]

I have one like above. I put hooks into both walls to secure the gate when it's open and folded against one wall as well as when it's pulled across. If your cats figure out the gate can be tipped, it won't be very effective for very long. Mine also stretches across laminate floor. I put felt on the bottom edge so I'm not scratching up the floor when I open and close it.

 

[kittenmittens84]

I built my own gate since I couldn’t find one that would work for my door layout that wasn’t $100. It’s 40” high, 36” wide, and cost about $30 to make.

It took about 20 feet of PVC, a few PVC connectors, some zip ties, and 2 yards of mesh from the fabric store. If you’re concerned about cats tipping it over you can also add two short pieces of PVC in the front as stabilizers.

 

[di and bob]

i like that PVC gate, it has so many possiblilities and can be custom fit to any doorway. My feral cat feeder is 40 inches high, so I suggest building it a little higher though......I also like that wire shelving idea, the holes that are made by the latches in the door way can be filled in later with spackling or wood filler. I got a closeout screen door and installed the hinges in the doorway and filled them in later. It worked well. I suggest though that everyone get a childproof latch for the door, I had just a simple hook and eye and one of my cats charged the door and it came unlatched and they got in. The fight was awful and two got hurt. I then got a hook and eye that had a spring lock on it, that was secure. Remember a determined cat is really smart, and watch for those 'dashes' when you are going into the secured room!

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I like the shelf idea above. I may have to make a 4 sided enclosure with roof and door as I get the money for it. I have a ton of zip ties though

 

[chickpea616]

I just ordered a cheap mesh baby gate off Amazon, for when I'm ready for that part of the introduction...

 

[pearl99]

I have used the wire coated shelving as FeebysOwner shows above and it worked great, used zip ties to hold the pieces together.

 

[Clover18]

Hi. A couple of members on this site have created their own blockade by using wire shelving from a home improvement store - the lengths can go up to 12 feet or higher. You set them on their side and connect them with something a simple as zip ties which essentially makes hinges so it is like a folding door - easy to open and close. Here is a pic of one.

View attachment 310603

Thanks for the great idea! The cats decided for me that I didn't need to keep them separated any longer anyway (kitten kept sneaking out and the bigger kitty didn't seem to care), but I still need to keep the kitten out of our unfinished basement as there are too many places for her to get stuck/hurt. We'll be using this idea down there.

 

[kittenmittens84]

i like that PVC gate, it has so many possiblilities and can be custom fit to any doorway. My feral cat feeder is 40 inches high, so I suggest building it a little higher though......I also like that wire shelving idea, the holes that are made by the latches in the door way can be filled in later with spackling or wood filler. I got a closeout screen door and installed the hinges in the doorway and filled them in later. It worked well. I suggest though that everyone get a childproof latch for the door, I had just a simple hook and eye and one of my cats charged the door and it came unlatched and they got in. The fight was awful and two got hurt. I then got a hook and eye that had a spring lock on it, that was secure. Remember a determined cat is really smart, and watch for those 'dashes' when you are going into the secured room!

Oh yeah he could definitely get over it if he really wanted to, for separating two rooms taller would be better. My guy is not a bolter or an escape artist, he just curiously sniffs around the front door when I open it. It hasn’t been an issue but a friend was taking care of him while I was traveling and I was really afraid of him escaping while I was gone!

Any taller than 40” and I’d suggest a crossbar though, it would start to get very flexible and maybe not hold its shape well.

 

[Twylasmom]

I stack baby gates all the way up (I have a climber). It works but is not convenient.

 

[misty8723]

I used baby gates stack up. It worked.

 

[Father of furbabies]

We've used a wooden porch screendoor mounted in a doorway to block off a room but allowed the cat to look through it. Did it when my son was a newborn to keep the cat out of the room unsupervised. She was allowed in when we were in there with our son and if he was not in his crib. She was just blocked out of his room while he was in his crib and we were elsewhere. I know a few people that used that method to separate their cats when they were being introduced together. It allowed the cats to see and smell but not reach each other.