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How to cat-proof a room


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My husband and I are looking into changing our formal dining room into an office -- basically, that would involve adding a door, just to keep our cats out. But here's a little problem: the doorway between the living room and the dining room isn't a perfect rectangle -- there are projections near the top, along with an arched top. Plus it's a bit wide, so a standard door wouldn't fit. We really don't want to ruin the architectural detail -- besides, you'd have to demo the wall and re-build the wall just to put a door in, which is overkill. (Besides, we'd want to change the office back to formal dining room if we decide to put the house on market.)

Any ideas on how to close off the dining room, just to keep the cats out? Privacy and soundproofing aren't issues. Lockable swing doors are one idea...any others? (Note: pet gates aren't an option -- besides being ugly and a pain to operate, they're designed more for dogs than for cats.)

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You could get an arched window to frame in up above the door, you won't have to change the architecture, you just have to put a header in for the window to sit on, and you can put french doors in to fill the weird size opening as well. Could you provide a pic of the situation ?

Perhaps this is an option...

interior_doorway.jpg

...or this...

Interior-doors-08.jpg

int_doors_meadow_wood.jpg

This is more or less what I am referring to though...

antiquedoor1b1t.jpg

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Steel scissor gates. Get one that would cover a space somewhat wider than the opening you're trying to enclose; that way the gaps in between the steel members of the gate are too narrow for a cat to squeeze through.

sgatesm.jpg

Unless the cat(s) are pretty big, they can squeeze through some really tight spaces. Especially youngish ones.

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Unless the cat(s) are pretty big, they can squeeze through some really tight spaces. Especially youngish ones.

Yes, well let's say that the gate pictured is built to extend across a 6' opening. Let's say that the opening in question is only 4'. The gaps would be narrower and the gate itself would be somewhat more vertical (closer to the ground).

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Yes, well let's say that the gate pictured is built to extend across a 6' opening. Let's say that the opening in question is only 4'. The gaps would be narrower and the gate itself would be somewhat more vertical (closer to the ground).

Yeah, I see what you mean, but I wonder that if it's oversized for the opening, if it will block too much of the opening when it's in the retracted position. Additionally, you'd have to have something at the top arch or the cat could probably climb over very easily. And, yes, young cats can squeeze through tight spots.

My wife and I just went through this exercise because we have a music studio room and three cats, and we want the cats to stay out of the music studio. What we wound up doing on the ultra-cheap was to build bi-fold doors out of plywood and lauan, like theatrical flats, and painting them. It looks pretty bad, but it keeps the kitties out, and you know what they say: good, fast, cheap; pick any two. We went with fast and cheap. Additionally, it can be removed effortlessly with minimal damage to the existing walls.

What we wanted were French doors like TJones posted but we didn't want to spend the money or take the time.

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That is so funny!

That photo is hilarious.

I once had a cat get in my attic while remodeling the attached garage. I could not get it out for the life of me. My son went up there with a fishing net and chased it all over the place, but came down empty netted. I next removed one of the soffit vents and balanced a can of tuna fish right on the edge, hoping that the cat would disturb the can, knocking it to the ground and then the cat would follow it out. I watched from a distance as I saw him sniff the can and then ever so gently nudge the can with his paw safely into the attic and then eat it up at his leisure. He looked down at me when he finished, similar to this photo, as if to ask, what's next?

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Yes, well let's say that the gate pictured is built to extend across a 6' opening. Let's say that the opening in question is only 4'. The gaps would be narrower and the gate itself would be somewhat more vertical (closer to the ground).

If a cat's head can fit through the opening, that cat can get the rest of it's body through. Cat's bones have amazing flexability.

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