How to Create a Cat Door

Cats are independent creatures and like to come and go as they please. A great way to encourage that independence is to create a cat door that would allow him to go outside when he needs to without waiting for you to notice his (not so) subtle hints!

Things You'll Need

  • Hand Saw
  • Measuring Tape
  • Cat Flap
  • 4" X 1" Pine
  • Hammer
  • Nails
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Instructions

    • 1

      Study the process. Cat doors are available for sale but can be quite costly. They are also quite simple to make yourself. So if you are on a budget for your cat door project, consider creating a cat door yourself. Being mainly a hole with a flap over it, a cat door is not an elaborate project and can be mostly made up as you go along. Read on for a basic plan of building a cat door that you can use or tweak to best meet your needs.

    • 2

      Purchase the flap. Start by buying a cat flap, nothing fancy needed, no need to spend a lot of money. Then cut a hole in the outer siding of the house that is just a little bigger than the cat flap.

    • 3

      Frame the hole. Next, from the inside, cut a hole through the inner sheet rock. This creates the “tunnel”. Cover the tunnel with 4” x 1” pine and nail the cat flap over the hole.

    • 4

      Trim the hole. To finish, hide the edges of the hole, both inside and outside, by creating a trim that matches the rest of the house.

    • 5

      Look at the finished product. The result is a weatherproof cat door that looks nice and allows your kitty the freedom to go outside whenever he likes.