When you have multiple cats, you may need to keep them separated after you break up a cat fight or if one of them is sick. Even if you have a single cat, sometimes there are reasons you’d need to block off your cat from an area of your home. In homes with dogs and cats, you may not want your dog being able to access to where the litter boxes are located so your cat has privacy or the dog doesn’t think your cat’s poop is a snack.
In situations where you only need a temporary cat door or you rent and can’t alter your home too much, it can be tough to install a proper barrier especially if you cat has a tendency to jump over gates. Thankfully, if you’re feeling creative, you find a way to keep your cat separated and have their own space without construction.
Buy A Tall Pet Gate
Let’s start with the easiest solution: getting a tall pet gate. Cats can jump surprisingly high so you don’t want to rely a cheap, short baby gate to keep them in a room. In order to be certain your cat won’t pole vault over the gate, you may want to consider purchasing a full door height pet gate. I used one when introducing Poutine and Prozac and it made my life so much easier. You can read about my experience if you’re interested.
The downside to full door length gates is that there are only a few available. Because of that, they’re not inexpensive. If it’s within your budget, they’re very worthwhile. There is one that is less expensive, but a bit lower quality and a more premium full door length gate that will cost you more, but is easier to use.
Make Your Own Full Door Height Gate
If you can’t budget for a premade full door height gate, you can save a bit by using two regular tension mounted baby gates that have a door built into them to create a makeshift version. Set up the first baby gate as instructed and the assemble the second one. Flip the gate upside down and suspend it above the first gate making sure that the doors both open in the same direction.
Once you have the second gate set up, you can make it easier to open the gates by using zip ties or string to connect the two doors. This will allow them to open at the same time in one motion and you’ve basically reproduced the full door height pet gate.
Block Visual Access If Needed
Depending on why you’re creating a temporary cat door (such as introducing a new cat to your home), you might need to make sure they can’t see through it. You can use cardboard to block the door or get a piece of plywood. Just make sure whatever you use completely blocks the cat’s view. This is especially important when introducing cats as you don’t want the cats fighting under the door.
Suspend A Door
If those options won’t work, you make be able to take advantage of physics and suspend a door. This is a little tricky to pull off so you may want to consult with someone with experience in woodworking or construction before giving this method a try.
You’ll need:
- A measuring tape
- Thick wooden boards that are longer than your door/hallway is tall
- A way to cut the boards. Many home improvement stores can likely assist you with this if you don’t have the tools yourself.
- A cheap door and/or screen
- Nails
- A hammer
Measure the space and cut your boards so they fit exactly in the space you have. This needs to be snug because the boards are going to be suspended via tension. Nail the boards into a frame and gently wiggle it into the space. Consider adding some floor guards to protect the wall and/or ceiling.
Once the temporary frame is in place, you can install the cheap door or screen into the wood. The walls won’t have any damage and you can easily go in and out of the door!
While this is pretty complicated to do, if you really need to divide the space and don’t have another way, it can work in a pinch.
