Cats are considered by many people to be the best pets to have at home, and some would argue that cats are better than dogs mainly due to the fact that cats are relatively low maintenance, as they can groom themselves. However, even though cats are mostly independent, they can be clingy and loving animals if they are taken proper care of by owners.
One of the ways to give proper care to cats is to provide them with comfort at home. Cats are usually adamant explorers that would always want to go outside to look at the surroundings. So, if you want your cats to have a comfortable and convenient way to get outside, you will need to install a cat door in the house. What is a pet door? And why is it beneficial for cats? To know more, here are details of when it is time to install a pet door for your cat.
What is a Pet Door?
A pet door is a type of door that is installed in a house door, although it is typically installed in the front or back door. Pet doors are much smaller than regular house doors, and they are also easier to open since they usually only have a piece of wood with hinges or flaps as the cover or the door itself.
Because of how easy it is to open, pet doors are suitable for cats that don’t have hands that can properly grip a door knob, which is what is usually utilized to open or close a door. Besides being easy to open, there are also many other benefits of having a pet door. Here is a list of the advantages of pet doors:
- Keeps your pets active with outdoor exercise
- It prevents boredom, which can cause behavioral problems
- Can let cats escape danger inside the house quicker
- Enables pets to inspect suspicious activity outside the house
- It gives pets easy access to the yard
By reading these advantages, you will now see how important it is to have pet doors when you have a dog or a cat inside the house. As to when you will need to install a pet door in the house, we recommend that you get it immediately after purchasing or adopting a cat, as you will need to let them get exercise outdoors as soon as possible so that they will be healthier and you will reduce the risk of behavioral problems that are difficult or impossible to change.
Types of Pet Doors
There are many types of pet doors that you can purchase in furniture shops and online stores, and each of the types would have its own advantages and disadvantages. Written below are the types of pet doors and a brief description of each of them.
Door-Installed Pet Door
The most common and most popular type of pet door you can buy is the door-installed pet door, which is described near the beginning of this article as a smaller door that is installed on a much bigger door in the house. The benefit of having a door-installed pet door is that you won’t have to buy another door just to get a small compartment where your cat can get inside and outside the house. However, the disadvantage of this type of pet door is that you will need to make a hole in your house door to make room for the pet door, which is upsetting for some that want to keep the overall look of the front or back door.
Built-In Pet Door
The opposite of the first type of pet door mentioned above is the built-in pet door, which is a large house door that already has a built-in small pet door. There are a few brands that offer doors with a built-in pet door, and you can choose in a variety of colors and designs so that you can match them well with your house. The advantage of having a built-in pet door is that you won’t have to waste money or effort to put a hole in the door of your house, although the downside to this type of pet door is that you will have to replace the doors that are currently installed.
Wall-Installed Pet Door
Instead of installing it on a house door, you have the option to install a pet door on a wall. A wall-installed pet door is much more difficult to install since walls are mainly made of cement, while regular house doors are primarily made of wood, which is easier to carve or rout. If you don’t want to mess up the design of your house door, then a wall-installed pet door will be very advantageous for you. However, keep in mind that routing walls can usually be expensive to do, so you may need to spend more money on installing a pet door.
Should You Choose a Pet Door with Hinges or with Flaps?
Now that we have discussed the three common types of pet doors, let us now talk about the two different forms of doors you can get for your cat. The first form of the pet door is the one with hinges and a wooden panel covering it, while the second form is the one with flaps.
For cats, most owners would recommend getting a pet door with flaps, although the flap should be made of a harder material since cats don’t like softer flaps that brush against their coat. You can still opt for the wooden door with hinges, but cats will have a much harder time opening that since most of them may not be able to exert the force needed to push it.
These are just some of the most helpful pieces of information we can provide so that you can decide better if you will need to install a pet door for your cat. If you ask us, we highly recommend that you get one as soon as you start having a cat in the house. By giving them a proper pet door, you will be able to provide them with the convenience to go outside to explore or to just enjoy the view outdoors.