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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Cat Door in House-to-Garage door?
I'm wondering whether it'd be ok to install a cat door in the door that leads from the house to the garage? We keep our cats indoors, and a trip to the garage is their one "adventure." But getting up in the middle of the night so they can go out and play gets old quick. I know there are certain specs about a door that leads to the garage, such as it must close automatically, things that would help prevent exhaust fumes from entering the home. I wonder if installing a cat door would compromise a house/garage door. Anybody here have a cat door installed in their house/garage door? -Fleemo > I'm wondering whether it'd be ok to install a cat door in the door that > leads from the house to the garage? We keep our cats indoors, and a [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > -Fleemo I do. Since the cat door stays shut unless it's in use, there isn't any chance that fumes will get in any more than they would through the crack under the door. I keep the litter boxes in the garage since I can just use the leaf blower to blow out spilled litter and it's easy to lock the cat door then open the garage door when it's time to clean the boxes with hose, scrub brush and Lysol. Hugs, CatNipped <fleemo17@comcast.net> wrote in message > door would compromise a house/garage door. Anybody here have a cat > door installed in their house/garage door? > > -Fleemo I have same scenario. You cat is playing at night, and sleeping gooood during the peak day hours...lol I like your idea for a catdoor, As far as security, the interior garage/house door, is second line of defense second to the garage door. It think the odds are in your favor - against a bad person trying to exploit the cat door, to spoil your home - They still gotta get into the garage. If you install cat door into the door, maybe put it close to the hinges. Maybe cutting through petitioning wall is an option. > <fleemo17@comcast.net> wrote in message > > door would compromise a house/garage door. Anybody here have a cat [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > you install cat door into the door, maybe put it close to the hinges. Maybe > cutting through petitioning wall is an option. I don't know what's up with me lately, I read one thing, my mind interprets on it's own, somehow fumes registered as security. oh well Catnipped, the thought of keeping the cat boxes out in the garage never even occured to me. Eureka! That alone is worth the hassle of installing one. :D Barry, I've done the same thing many times, written up a long and lengthy reply to someone's post only to realize I'd completely misconstrued their question. Don't sweat it. Thanks you guys. -Fleemo fleem...@comcast.net wrote: > Catnipped, the thought of keeping the cat boxes out in the garage never > even occured to me. Eureka! That alone is worth the hassle of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > -Fleemo I installed one of these before, and the swinging door hangs close, but not air tight. I think I will install one today. we'll see. > Catnipped, the thought of keeping the cat boxes out in the garage never > even occured to me. Eureka! That alone is worth the hassle of > installing one. :D > -Fleemo Oh, that was a *major* convenience when we moved into our new (old) home. No more cat litter to vacuum out of the carpet, no more cat litter crunching underfoot on a tiled surface - just open the garage doors, whip out the leaf blower and blow all the spilled litter out (and the litter that does spill just helps absorb all the old oil spills from when garages where used as car storage rather than junk rooms ;>). Also keeps the smell well out of the rest of the house if one of the cats makes a particularly stinky deposit. Most cat doors have the ability to be latched closed, so you can keep the cats out of the garage when the garage doors are open. Hugs, CatNipped This is interesting but what happens when you pull a car into the garage? -- Barb Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time. > This is interesting but what happens when you pull a car into the garage? > > -- > Barb > Of course I don't look busy, > I did it right the first time. We don't. We have a large, inset, double driveway that we leave the cars in. Besides, there's *way* too much junk in the garage (including the cats' motel) to fit a car (pictures of the garage are towards the bottom of the page: http://www.possibleplaces.com/CatNipped/House/ Hugs, CatNipped > This is interesting but what happens when you pull a car into the garage? > > -- > Barb Right. Also, if someone just doesn't want the litterbox in the house, you've got to remember that garages have to be cat-proofed just like your house. Fishing equipment, wads of electrical cords they can chew on, all are hazards, as are oil spills. I *am* speaking from experience. Fish hooks are the worst. Poisons, lawn fertilizers, all that stuff needs to be in cat-proof containers. The litterbox in the house doesn't bother me at all. It's a 10-minute job at most to scoop every day, and wash them once a week. That way the cat doesn't have to go out in the sweltering heat, or frigid cold, to eliminate, especially when they are either injured or don't feel well. Sherry CatNipped, I loved your photos, especially the "cat motel." :D Sherry, you have some good points about the temperature conditions of the garage and cat-proofing it for safety. It is still a particularly attractive option for us because one of our cats *does not cover his business* and the results are quite oderiffic, lemme tell ya. :/ -F > CatNipped, I loved your photos, especially the "cat motel." :D > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > -F I don't know about your attached garage, but mine (probably because of leakage or insufficient insulation) doesn't get anywhere near outside temperatures, so heat and cold is never an issue (besides which, "cold" here in Houston, TX is relative ;>). I do second Sherry's caution about toxic substances (personally I don't allow them in the garage for *our* safety as well as the cat's, things like gasoline and other caustic/toxic agents are kept in a separate storage area outside. We do have wires out in the open, but then we do in the rest of our house also, and that's just not an issue with our cats - they've never expressed an interest in chewing on wiring. Any oil spills would be from circa 1974 or there-abouts when the last person actually stored a *car* in the garage ;>, so I don't think that's an issue either (and cats outside would all be dead if oil spills on concrete were that hazardous). I still scoop all four litter boxes twice a day, them being in the garage doesn't affect that, but is does keep the smell of a particularly stinky deposit from permeating the entire house, it keeps scattered litter off of carpets or tile, and it makes the once-every-two-weeks scrubbing with Lysol much easier. Hugs, CatNipped > Sherry, you have some good points about the temperature conditions of > the garage and cat-proofing it for safety. It is still a particularly > attractive option for us because one of our cats *does not cover his > business* and the results are quite oderiffic, lemme tell ya. :/ > > -F Just exercise the same caution you would with stuff in the house, and they'll be fine. The reason I get so hydraulic about this is that when we first got Boots, we let her have access to the garage just like the other cats did. There was never a problem, but I didn't take into account that she was much younger, active, and curious than they were. Long story short, we had to take her to the vet ER early one Sunday to get a treble fish hook removed from her mouth. :-( RE: Stinky litterboxes. I just tried a product I'd never tried before, Nature's Miracle litterbox deodorizer. It sure does work well. You sprinkle a few tablespoons on top of the litter. That's the good news. The bad news is, it's outrageously expensive and the primary ingredient is just baking soda. :-) Sherry <sriddles@aol.com> I just tried a product I'd never tried before, > Nature's Miracle litterbox deodorizer. It sure does work well. You > sprinkle a few tablespoons on top of the litter. That's the good news. > The bad news is, it's outrageously expensive and the primary ingredient > is just baking soda. :-) > > Sherry So why not just use baking soda, I think it's like .25 cents a silo. <from thier site> Cat got your nose? ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda freshens your cat's litter box for oh so 'pawfect' freshness. Cover the bottom of the pan with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda, then fill as usual with litter. To freshen between changes, sprinkle ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda on top of the litter after a thorough cleaning. Maybe you could dillute your new Natures Miracle like 3:1, doesnt smell as fruity, but it has a nice finish. -- Barry ... Women and cats are both black at night. - Bosnia ... > <sriddles@aol.com> > > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > -- > Barry Might work. It certainly would make the Nature's Miracle go further. We don't really have much problem with odor, esp. after I switched to clumping litter. I take care of the boxes religiously because I have no sense of smell and am always paranoid they stink and I just don't know it. Sherry <sriddles@aol.com> Might work. It certainly would make the Nature's Miracle go further. We don't really have much problem with odor, esp. after I switched to clumping litter. I take care of the boxes religiously because I have no sense of smell and am always paranoid they stink and I just don't know it. Sherry -- Same here, far as sense of smell. It takes me 1 min to clean his box, it's right next to toilet, I use non-clump type, with city sewer...(non-septic). When I first brought him, the temporary family gave me a new litter box and litter, when I got him home, we set it up, while I was still pouring litter in...he got in (like a child), and tried it out..(the dust hadn't even settled)... -- Barry ... Women and cats are both black at night. - Bosnia ... > This is interesting but what happens when you pull a car into the garage? > > -- > Barb > Of course I don't look busy, > I did it right the first time. I actually installed an enclosure surrounding our door leading to the garage and fended it it so that they can use the kitty door to get into the garage whenever they want. It's carpeted, with shelves and tubes, and ramps, they love it. We call it kitty land, and when they hear to garage door opener, they rush down to greet us! Carl in CT |
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