Guide · · 2 min read
Can I install a cat door myself? Wood yes, glass no — and why
Half the Catwalk® range is a genuine do-it-yourself job; the other half is glazier work however handy you are. Here is the line, and the method for the DIY side.
By the Pet-Tek International team, Auckland — designers of Catwalk® and Dogwalk® since 1999.
The honest split: if the door is timber, uPVC or metal, or you are going through a wall, you can fit a Catwalk® or Dogwalk® door yourself this afternoon. If it is glass, you can fit the door but not cut the hole; that part is a glazier’s.
Why glass is not DIY
A round hole in annealed glass takes a core drill and a steady hand; toughened and double-glazed panes cannot be cut at all and are replaced with a factory-drilled pane. A cracked slider costs far more than the glazier’s visit. Our glass installation guide shows what the glazier does; the fitting afterwards is six screws and you can do that part.
The DIY range
- Catwalk® Cat Door Slim Line — panels 11–30 mm.
- Catwalk® Cat Door Tunnel — solid doors and walls to 52 mm.
- Catwalk® Multi-Magnetic — selective entry, wood fitting.
- Dogwalk® Small Slim Line, Small Tunnel, Medium — for dogs.
Tools
Drill and a 10 mm bit, jigsaw (fine wood blade; metal blade for aluminium or steel), screwdriver, tape, pencil, masking tape. Template and screws are in the box.
The method
- Height. Floor to the cat’s stomach — 100–150 mm — is where the bottom of the opening goes. For a dog, measure floor to belly.
- Mark. Tape the template to the outside face at that height, level, and draw round it.
- Drill. A 10 mm hole inside each corner of the outline.
- Cut. Jigsaw from hole to hole along the line. Masking tape along the line stops splintering on a painted door.
- Dry fit. Push the outer frame in from outside; if it binds, ease the cut with a rasp.
- Screw up. Inner frame on from inside, screws through to the outer frame, tightened evenly. Thick door or wall: the Tunnel model’s sleeve extends to meet the panel.
- Test. Turn the dial through all four positions; swing the flap.
Metal and uPVC doors
Same method with a metal-cutting blade; file the cut edge; a bead of silicone under the outer frame on an exterior metal door keeps water out of the skin.
Walls
Timber-framed walls are the Tunnel model’s job between studs; a brick or block wall needs a lined opening a builder can make. See through-wall dog doors.
Stuck on a step? Email a photo to info@petnest.co.nz.
Quick answers
Can I install a cat door myself?
In a timber, uPVC or metal door or a wall, yes: a wood-fitting Catwalk door needs a drill, a jigsaw and a screwdriver, with the template in the box. In glass, no — cutting the pane is a glazier's job; fitting the door afterwards is DIY.
What tools do I need to fit a cat door?
A drill with a 10 mm bit, a jigsaw (metal blade for aluminium or steel), a screwdriver, a tape measure and a pencil. The template and screws are in the box.
How long does it take to fit a cat door in a wooden door?
About an hour, including marking out. The two frames screw together through the panel; the lock is already fitted.
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