I would like to thank Endura Flap for sending a sash window cat door to make my life easier here on the farm. In the summer I swear I must get up 3,462 times a day to let cats in and/or out. I really appreciate their sending me their Thermosash 3E Window Pet Door at no charge.
5 Reasons to Install a Cat Door
I have wanted a cat door for years so I can’t tell you how happy I am to now have one. In the years I have been married the hubby and I have always had at least one cat; we’ve had as many as 17 and right now we have two plus Cappuccino the bunny. I am quite excited to have this new cat door (I’ll show you how to install it below) and these are 5 reasons to install a cat door – at least in my opinion:
- FREEDOM – for you and for your cats. It’s not quite so bad in the winter as Harry and Sherpa don’t tend to go out as much when it’s cold but in the summer they are in and out and in and out and in and out ALL DAY LONG. It can drive a human crazy. With a cat door they have the freedom to come and go as they please. No meowing, no scratching. If I didn’t get to the sliding glass door quickly enough for Sherpa well, the photo above is what would happen. It was not good for the screen.
- CONTROL – with the right cat door you can control the times your cat(s) are allowed out. The model we installed has a cover for the door so that I can close it at night or when we are out of the house so the cats can’t go out and so that nothing else can get in.
- ROOM TO ROOM – cat doors are also useful for allowing access from room to room – for example if the litter box is in a room you want to keep closed a cat door can give your pet access while still allowing the door to remain shut.
- WEATHER – in the summer Harry especially will go out in the morning and not come back until late afternoon. If we happen to go somewhere I worry if weather blows up. With the cat door I can be comfortable knowing he has access to the house.
- SAFETY – if your cat is out and needs to get in quickly a cat door is ideal. If I am in the basement or in the bedroom I might not see that one of the cats wants to come in. With the cat door they can come in right when they need to.
Installing a Cat Door
Endura Flap sent me their Therma-Sash 3E Pet Door for Sash Windows. I will note that the company was a dream to work with in regards to finding a product that would fit the needs here. At first the simple solution seemed to be a door that fit the sliding glass door but I was afraid the bunny would follow the cats right out and we don’t want him going outside. Then the sash window option was offered and it was a perfect solution as the bunny can’t hop on to the window sill.
The hubby opened the box and set about installing the cat door/window. He tood the screen out and then he actually read the directions! I have photographic proof!
The installation kit came with everything he needed to make the window fit (except for tools, he had them).
He set the cat door/window into the frame and using a combination of the enclosed foam window seal and the weather stripping he got it in with a solid seal. Down came the sash and it was all set. I don’t think it took him half an hour.
The cat door/window was installed. Now came the fun part – getting the cats to use it! You can see how it looks with the door off, the door on and then a close up of the door. I put the door on when it starts to get dark and I take it off when we get up in the morning. That way the cats can’t go out at night and nothing can come in!
Training the Cats to Use the Cat Door
Now came the fun part – gettng Harry and Sherpa to use the new cat door. After all, they had been doing things their way for 9 years. Could I get them to change? I won’t lie – my cats are stubborn, but so am I and I am tired of getting up all the time to wait on them. Winter was a good time to install this as they do not go in and out as often.
I started with Harry but did the same thing with both of them. When he wanted to go out instead of just opening the door I picked him up and showed him the cat door.
Then I opened it for him and let him step out. Initially I didn’t have the table there so the cats would go out the window to a jump down. I thought about that and decided that having a step down for them was a good idea.
Normally when Harry wants to come in he would pull on the screen of the sliding glass door once or twice. This would alert us and we would jump up and let him in. Sherpa on the other paw would do one of two things; if the slider was open he would pull on the screen and if we didn’t show up NOW he would climb it as in the photo I posted above. If the slider was closed he would do this:
He also does that on the inside to let us know he wants to go out. Sherpa can be…insistant. So you can understand why I wanted a cat door can’t you?
Who Learned to Use the Cat Door First?
We both made a concentrated effort to work with the cats to encourage them to use the Endura Flap cat door. If one of them wanted to go out one of us would carry him over to the door and show him the way out.
If one wanted to come in, at first I would go out and walk him around to the door and show him how to get back into the house. Soon Sherpa knew he had to come around to the cat door but he was still unsure about pushing it to get inside…
…until he did! I was so excited when I heard that little flappity flap sound that meant a cat had come through the door! It took Sherpa three days to learn to come in. He still hasn’t figured out how to go out. Harry is still learning but I have faith.
Endura Flap Pet Doors
The Endura Flap Thermo-Sash Pet Door is perfect for our needs but the company offers a range of pet doors for dogs and cats. There are models that can be installed in walls, with sliding glass doors and in regular doors. The site offers information you need to measure your dog – yes, if you have a dog and are ordering a pet door you need to measure it so you get the right size door! There are also a series of videos to help you with the process of getting your pet door properly installed.
Here is some informations straight from the company:
Give your dog or cat freedom to come & go as they please … while keeping your home insulated, secure, and “pet accident”-free
- The most energy efficient pet door with a flap utilizes three sided magnetic seal keeping it closed in gusts up to 50mph
- Engineered to be the best all weather pet door on the market with 15-year warranty that’s made in the USA
- Free shipping within the U.S. (excludes Pet Door Guys – In the Glass)
If you are looking for a pet door I can say from my experience that Endura Flap is a high quality, easy to instal option.
