Expert: Tina - 1/24/2004

Question
Hi, I'm wanting to get a cat door for my cat who is 1 yr old as she is constantly wanting to go in and out during the night.  The door I was wanting to place it into would mean that at the lowest point, the cat door would be approx 6 inches off the ground on the inside, but on the outside of the house there is a step down, so this would add about another 5 inches for her to "step up" before coming in through the door.  Would this be a problem at all, as I'd heard it was best to have cat doors at the level where they just step straight through, but this isn't possible with the situation of our door?  Many thanks.

Answer
Hi Liz,

If you were to install a cat door as is in that door your cat would have a very hard time getting in. It may work better if you could build a little step for her outside the door.

However I feel the need to warn you about the danger of letting your cat outdoors unsupervised, especially at night when she is in more danger from cars and attacks from roaming cats, dogs and wildlife.  I grew up on a farm miles from the closest road and we had 3 cats hit by cars, one dragged himself home and died on the way to the vet on my lap - a memory that will haunt me forever. Cats allowed outside are subjected to danger from cars, wild animals, contagious diseases, poisoning from rat poison and other materials, nasty cat-hating neighbours, and the list goes on and on. Fights with other cats that can lead to diseases such as FIV, Feline Leukemia, and abscesses from infected wounds.

You may want to consider building a cat enclosure. These things are great because they give the cat fresh air and the feeling of being outside without all the dangers! You could install the cat door where she'd have access to the enclosure. It could be small and cheap or large and elaborate whatever your budget and desire allow. If a cat enclosue is not an option for you, I'd recommend keeping your cat indoors at night. If you allow her out during the day at specific times, she will learn to anicipate those times and sleep more through the night especially if you make a point of playing with her before bed time with an interactive toy such as a laser pointer or feather wand.

More info on cat enclosures:

Build your own   
http://www.just4cats.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~tonks3/pets_outside2.htm
http://www.catfancy.com/catfancy/enclosure.asp

Pre-Built       
http://www.cdpets.com/enclosure.html
http://www.cde-animalcages.com

Also, articles about indoor-only cats, how to covert your indoor-outdoor cat to an indoor-only cat:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/indoors.html

Good luck!

-Tina