Guide · · 3 min read
Cat door in a window or glass panel: how it works in NZ homes
When the back door is solid metal or you would rather not cut it, a window or fixed glass panel is often the neatest place for a cat door. Here is how it works and what to check.
By the Pet-Tek International team, Auckland — designers of Catwalk® and Dogwalk® since 1999.
Plenty of New Zealand homes have no obvious spot for a cat door. The back door is metal or solid, the ranch slider is double glazed, or you simply do not want to cut a door. A window or a fixed glass panel is often the neatest answer: the hole goes in the glass, the door clamps through it, and nothing else in the house changes.
How a cat door goes into glass
A glass-fitting Catwalk® door has two frame halves, one inside and one outside, that clamp together through a round hole in the pane. The glazier makes the hole; the door fits in about fifteen minutes. What the glazier has to do depends on your glass.
- Single glazing (ordinary glass): usually cut in place. One visit.
- Toughened (safety) glass: cannot be cut or drilled after it is toughened; it shatters. The glazier orders a new toughened pane with the hole made before toughening.
- Double glazing: the sealed unit cannot be cut either. The glazier orders an identical unit with the hole made at the factory and swaps it in.
Not sure which you have? Your glazier can tell at a glance, and toughened glass usually has a small mark etched in one corner.
Which Catwalk® door fits
- Catwalk® Maxi Slim Line: glass from 3 to 21 mm, a 267 mm cut-out and the big 187 × 190 mm opening for every cat and small dogs to about 300 mm. The door in the photo above.
- Catwalk® Glass-Fitting Cat Door: single glazing from 3 to 10 mm, a 245 mm cut-out and a 165 × 180 mm opening for cats up to about 7 kg.
- Catwalk® Maxi Dual Glaze: for double glazing, glass from 3 to 28 mm, 267 mm cut-out.
- Catwalk® Multi-Magnetic: opens only for a cat wearing the collar magnet, glass from 3 to 26 mm, 245 mm cut-out.
Measure your cat first (how), then pick the door; the glazier needs the cut-out size from the product page.
Where to put it
A low fixed panel is ideal. A glass panel that reaches near the floor, like the one in the photo, works exactly like a door: put the bottom of the opening at the cat’s belly height, about 100–150 mm up.
A higher window works too, as long as the cat has somewhere to land on both sides:
- Inside: a wide sill, a bench or a sturdy shelf under the window.
- Outside: a deck, a ledge, a step or a cat shelf at a comfortable jump below the opening.
Keep the hole at least 100 mm in from every edge of the pane, and clear of window latches and stays so the window still opens and locks properly.
Three things to avoid
Trying to cut toughened glass. It cannot be done; order a new pane. No landing outside. A cat that jumps out of a high window onto nothing will not use the door twice. Choosing by breed. Measure the cat you have; big cats suit the Maxi.
Cost
The door price is fixed and listed on each page. The glazier’s part depends on the glass: cutting single glazing in place is the smaller job; a new toughened pane or sealed unit costs more. Get two quotes and give both the cut-out diameter. More detail in cat door installation cost in NZ and how to install a cat door in glass.
Send a photo of the window to info@petnest.co.nz and we will tell you which door suits it.
Quick answers
Can you put a cat door in a window?
Yes. A glazier cuts a round hole in the pane and a glass-fitting Catwalk door clamps through it. Single glazing can usually be cut in place; double glazing and toughened glass cannot, so the glazier orders a new pane with the hole already made.
What size hole does a cat door in glass need?
A 245 mm round cut-out for the Catwalk Glass-Fitting Cat Door and the Multi-Magnetic, and 267 mm for the Catwalk Maxi, which takes every cat and small dogs to about 300 mm at the shoulder.
How high can a window cat door be?
Cats jump well, but they need somewhere to land. If the window sits above the floor, give the cat a step, ledge or shelf on both sides so it can reach the opening and get down safely.
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