Do you have cats? Do they hate to go through that heavy plastic covering on their cat door? Well, I have an easy cat door fix for you today!
We have 2 indoor cats and 1 outdoor kitty that we let inside during cold weather. When we moved to the Crossroads, we installed a cat door in the back door which opens onto the back porch. As soon as we got the cat door installed, the cats refused to go through the heavy plastic door. We enticed them to the other side a few times with treats and they would push through it, but it frightened them! The trouble is that we placed the litter box on the back porch and we needed them to find it quickly. I remembered that one of my friends had told me that her cats were afraid of the plastic door so she just removed it. And that’s what we did.
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During moderate weather, it’s not a problem having a hole in the back door. But when it’s really hot and the air conditioning is running or really cold and the heat is on, the cat door becomes an energy waster! So to prevent the air from moving through the hole in the door, I just taped a plastic baggie over it.
That solved the problem, but it’s not very attractive, especially when you use duct tape!!! This bag was in need of replacing, so I finally came up with a more attractive solution.
I found some fabric in my stash left over from when I made the no-sew cafe curtains for the kitchen.
I don’t have a tutorial on how to make these because I wasn’t blogging back then. Basically I bought one curtain panel and cut it into 4 parts. Then I used fabric glue to hem them. Whenever I wash them, some of the glue comes undone, but I just add a little more, press them, and they’re good to go. Anyway, the fabric is a nice medium weight.
All I did was to find a plastic baggie the size that fit over my cat door and traced around the baggie and then cut the fabric.
I found that I had to trim the fabric about 1/2 inch to fit down inside the baggie.
Then I just taped it to the door with some duct tape. This time I did use white rather than the regular, silver color! Now, do you notice something? In case you missed it, the chandelier in the design is upside down. What I discovered is that the weight of the hem in the fabric helps the fabric hang better in the baggie, so if you try the same thing, I would suggest added a hem to your fabric before putting it in the baggie. Just that little bit of extra weight makes it hang so much better! Do you think anyone will notice the upside down chandelier?
I don’t think Rascal will notice. Here he’s using his paw to pull up the edge of the baggie so he can get through.
And here he is coming back into the kitchen! Adding the fabric inside the baggie really does make this hole in the door a little more attractive, not to mention making it more energy efficient. It’s doing a great job of keeping the cold air from entering the kitchen during these cold, winter days!
So glad I found an easy cat door fix! Stay warm, my friends!
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Mariella Yu says
Sorry if this is a dumb question but can you not use a regular doggy door for a cat? I guess maybe it depends how big your cat is…
Jane Windham says
Gosh! I’ve never thought about using a doggy door as a cat door. The biggest issue with my cat was that he was afraid of the plastic covering. I have since lost both of my darling kitties. We have an outdoor cat that I let inside the house when it’s cold, but she prefers to be outside most of the time.
cat flap says
Brilliant idea Jane thank you too much for this interesting post 😉 😀
Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says
I wish Sushi could squeeze through that hole! It’s freezing outside and when she goes out, so do I!
Mary says
Too fun Jane! We had a door cut into wall with access to a closet for our litter box when we had cats. It was always bare with no flap because our cats didn’t like the plastic either. It was problem keeping the dogs out though. I bet I don’t need to tell you that dogs and litter boxes don’t mix 🙂
Kathleen G says
How cute! our catbox is in an extra room. We had a doggie door and it was fine during the day, but our cat, who had no problem going through it, would bring in wonderful big black Paloe Verde flying bugs in to play with! now with little dogs, we no longer have it. Kathleen in Az
Gina says
I could never leave that hole uncovered. Living in the South we’d have so many critters, large & small, crawling through that hole that I’d have to move out! Truly love your cover idea. May add that to the one we have. So cute!
Jane Windham says
Gina, I don’t think I explained very well that the kitchen door leads to an enclosed back porch that is unheated. I don’t even want to think what might crawl through that opening if it lead to the outside!
Bev says
Oooooh, something I MIGHT consider. We don’t have a cat door just yet. I have been contemplating it since we moved into our bungalow last summer. Hubby wants a cat door I’m still not sure only because it can get VERY cold here in Michigan and even though the cat door would on the door in the mud room, I still don’t know if I want one there. I’m still thinking about BUT if I do, I will definitely make a door like yours! It’s so pretty, thanks for sharing! -Bev
Jane Windham says
Bev, the fabric does dress it up a bit, doesn’t it?
Susan in SC says
So cute! Aren’t you clever
Jane Windham says
Susan, we’ll do anything for our fur friends, won’t we?
Patty says
We have two cats (indoor only) and two litter boxes. I am trying to come up with a place to put them so they won’t be seen but haven’t had any luck. When I do, I will certainly use this idea. Thanks for sharing.
Jane Windham says
Our littler box is hidden underneath a table with a skirt, Patty. I don’t think I’ve ever shown that on the blog but the skirt works great to disguise the box!
Kris @ Junk Chic Cottage says
This is so great and so sweet. Loooove this idea Jane. Happy Sunday.
Kris
Jane Windham says
Awww, you’re so sweet, Kris! Thanks for stopping by today!
Barbara (WA) says
A smart solution!
Jane Windham says
Barbara, I don’t why I haven’t thought to add fabric before now!
Dawn says
Genius Jane, and it looks adorable too. What a great, decorative solution.
Jane Windham says
Thanks Dawn! The fabric sure looks better than a plain baggie!