How to Build a Catwalk and a Cat Door

Cats love to go outdoors and lounge in the sunlight, but if you live in an apartment or an area of high traffic or wild animals nearby, the risk of injury to your cat may compel you to keep her indoors. Fortunately, you can let your indoor cat enjoy the outdoors by building her a cat door that leads to a safe catwalk, enclosed by mesh.

Things You'll Need

  • Screen window
  • Sharp knife
  • Plastic window covering
  • 10' x 36" wide roll of ½" galvanized mesh, 14 or 16 gauge
  • 1 60" wood plank about 12" wide
  • 4 or more shelving brackets and screws
  • Masonry drill bit
  • Electric drill
  • Staple gun and heavy-duty staples
  • Wire cutters
Show More

Instructions

  1. Building an Outdoor Catwalk for an Indoor Cat

    • 1

      Choose the window of your house that will be the entrance to the catwalk. It should have an interior ledge that's easy for your cat to jump up on, and a screen on the outside.

    • 2

      Open your inner glass window on the side that your cat will enter and exit from, and in the far outside bottom corner, cut an 8" square "U" shape in your screen (or larger if you have a big cat), leaving the top intact. This will be the cat door flap; if you prefer, you can purchase and install a commercial cat door that's meant for screen doors. On the rest of your screen, affix a plastic window covering, since you'll need to leave your glass window partially open.

    • 3

      Close the glass window so that just the part with the cat door flap is open. It doesn't matter if your window opens horizontally or vertically; both will work.

    • 4

      Roll out the galvanized mesh on your wooden plank, leaving at least a foot at the end, and attach one side edge of the mesh to one edge of the plank with a staple gun. Continue rolling it out at least a foot past the end of the plank, and cut off the extra mesh with wire cutters.

    • 5

      Bend the mesh around so that it forms a tunnel over the plank, approximately a foot high and a foot across. Attach the other side of the mesh to the other edge of the plank, same as the first.

    • 6

      Cut a hole in the mesh tunnel, using your wire cutters, to match up where the cat door in your screen will be when the plank is in place across your windowsill. Make sure there are no sharp pieces sticking out.

    • 7

      At each end of the tunnel, snip the two top corners of the mesh and fold the sides in to close off the end. Fold the top flap down over the side pieces, and attach to the end of the plank with the staple gun. You will now have a long mesh tunnel with a plank floor and an entrance on the side of one end.

    • 8

      Install the shelving brackets on the side of your house, right under your window, by marking where they should go and drilling a small hole with the masonry bit or other appropriate drill bit. Put the brackets in place and attach them with screws. If you have a strong windowsill that extends from the side of your house, you can simply screw the plank to the windowsill instead.

    • 9

      Lay the plank across the shelving brackets (or windowsill) so that the hole matches up with the cat door in your screen; the plank will continue along the length of your window, and likely continue further past the window.

    • 10

      Attach the plank to the shelving brackets with screws.