bid Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Hi guys I have bought a cat flap, and was assured in the shop that it was the right sort to fit in a UPVC door... BUT, I'm extremely nervous about trying as I definitely can't afford to mess it up and buy a new door! I have the right tools, but just wondered if anyone who has actually attempted this could give me some feedback, please? Boho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chris54 Report post Posted March 11, 2009 I'm assuming the door has a PVC bottom panel. Just cut the hole as directed. You will find it is easy to cut with a small saw or very sharp knife. (Not tell the burglars how easy!!!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Thanks Chris! I was going to use my jigsaw, but do you think a knife/small saw would be better? Boho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Two problems I had: 1 - the bottom panel is thinner than a wooden panel, so when you bolt the two sides together it's either loose, or you have to use shorter screws which pull it in funny directions. had i known that before i cut the hole i would have bought and cut some ply to use as a bolster on the inside panel. 2 - Cat flaps work for any cat, unless you buy one with a remote collar, which the cat will lose anyway! Be prepared for night visitors! (or lock it overnight if you are 100% sure your cats don't need to do business at night) Cutting the door panel - start by drilling LOTS of pilot holes and saw between them; don't just drill one or two, as the panels are quite brittle and you can only cut short sections at a time. IF you do pogger the door panel, don't replace the door... just replace the panel with treated ply and then cut that, 'cos whatever way you look at it you still want the cat flap. L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) Ah ha! Cunning tips, BD...ta muchly Boho And more cat related...just realised what I thought was a scab at the end of little cat's spaying scar is actually some suture material that has worked it's way throught the surface *shudder* So back to the vet again Edited March 11, 2009 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted March 11, 2009 I'd get a man in ... I just know we'd make a complete lash up of it Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted March 11, 2009 I'd get a man in ... I just know we'd make a complete lash up of it Good luck! It'd have to be a very small man to get in through a cat-flap! (pushes glasses up nose and leans back into chair a'la Ronnie Corbett) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Well I was thinking of installing a Tony Robinson flap .... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Well I was thinking of installing a Tony Robinson flap .... He'd not need a flap: he'd just tunnel under, surely? (ADCMS!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frogslegs Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Well my husband did that job and it is awful. He is not diagnosed with anything but we suspect that he has Asperger and him and DIY are just a world apart. So the door looks like somebody has been trying to demolish it. My advice get a man who looks like Leonardo diCaprio, jokes like Ronnie Corbett and does DIY like Nick Knowles to repair your door. GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR THE GOOD LAUGH Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted March 11, 2009 Well my husband did that job and it is awful. He is not diagnosed with anything but we suspect that he has Asperger and him and DIY are just a world apart. So the door looks like somebody has been trying to demolish it. My advice get a man who looks like Leonardo diCaprio, jokes like Ronnie Corbett and does DIY like Nick Knowles to repair your door. GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR THE GOOD LAUGH I do have AS, and I'm very good at DIY, decorating, sewing, etc! Boho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted March 11, 2009 He'd not need a flap: he'd just tunnel under, surely? (ADCMS!) NOOOOOOOO, my house would end up in the same state as the castle in my avvy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted March 11, 2009 I fitted one of these, bid, and was initially very alarmed to see all the foamy material between the outer skins (not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that!). Like BD says, it's thinner than a wood door, so could lave a draft. I cut up some old cork table mats and placed them between the cat flap and the door to fill in the gap and hold it tight. Also, you could get one of the magnetic flaps. The cat wears a little magnet on it's collar so that only it will be admitted. Good luck. I remember feeling terrified and sweating like crazy halfway through, wishing I hadn't started, but it turned out fine in the end. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) In our previous house, we installed a cat flap by sawing a hole into a panel of wood which went around the door frame - luckily it wasn't very thick. The house was rented so we probably weren't supposed to wreck the house to put in a cat flap. Come to think of it we probably weren't supposed to have a cat. But as people have a nasty habit of saying no when you ask permission for things like that, we didn't ask. When the agents came for their monthly inspection of the property, we placed an umbrella stand strategically in front of the cat flap on the inside and a flower pot in front of the outside. We also made sure we distracted them whenever they went near the door . They never noticed. K x Edited March 12, 2009 by Kathryn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Kathryn! I'm deeply shocked...I'd never dare do anything like that It took me two years to stop wearing my clip-on ID at work because that's what the staff handbook said...despite the fact no-one else does! Boho *saintly* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daisydot Report post Posted March 18, 2009 I'd get a man in ... I just know we'd make a complete lash up of it Good luck! We got a man in. We'd have made a complete hash of it too. The cat flap fitter man charged 80.00 (this was before the credit crunch when we must have had money to waste). He only took about 20 minutes, but I have to say he did a good job and the cat flap is still there in one piece, despite our cat sonic trying to rip it off several times, and all three cats have now learned to open it even when it is locked. It was good when it was first fitted though. We just found someone advertising in Yellow Pages. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites