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Cat door in window (lemmy.world)

submitted 21 hours ago by Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world to c/diy@slrpnk.net

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I have a horizontal gliding window that opens to my patio and I wanted to put a cat door in it so these little buggers can get out. I looked at buying one, but wow they're expensive.

My thoughts are to build a frame out of 1x1"s and have plexiglass in between it with one of those door flaps you can buy to install into it.

Would that work? Be sufficient enough? The window is never in the sun and not exposed to a lot of elements at all, so I don't think I need to go over the top.

And before anyone gets up in arms, the patio is netted in and the cats can't escape. They're not free roam, just allowed to be outside in their controlled area.

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[–] Today@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (3 children)

Seems fine. If you don't need to see out that part of the window you could just put the flap in a piece of plywood. Check the scrap bin at Lowe's for one that's close to the right size. Maybe put adhesive weatherstripping around the edge to hold it in well.

How did you net it? We have a small side yard that's fenced/gated. I've been wondering how i could cover it to give my kitties a play zone.

[–] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

My apartment patio is covered, so I have some tall jacks that hold the corners, I stapled across the top, and at the bottom I used velcro ties to hold the net to the gate.

I have built a few standalone catios as well. I usually use goat wire as I've had some issues with chicken wire before, staple it to whatever frame I'm using, and then add an exterior aesthetic frame to the outside to help hold everything in place and to look much nicer.

[–] JacobCoffinWrites@slrpnk.net 3 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I just helped my folks turn a porch into a catio - we used a layer of chicken wire on the inside with a layer of fabric bug screen on the outside. Years ago one of our cats got startled and ran right through a screen on our screen porch (fell one story into deep snow and kept right on going. He was fine, my dad was pissed). For this one we built wooden frames and stapled the screen and chicken wire on and attached those to the porch with wood screws. You could run slats from house to fence for support.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

That's a good idea. I bet i can find pics or videos.

[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 3 points 21 hours ago

I've seen plenty of people who did the plywood thing, works fine. Weather stripping is recommended if you have lots of bugs (or are otherwise bothered by any intrusions).

If you want to see out that portion of the window, I recommend still using a plywood frame for where the door is, and plexiglass above it.