5 DIY Cat Doors for Windows You Can Make Today (With Pictures)
By Hallie Roddy
Updated on
How you choose to let your cat come and go is totally up to you. However, nobody wants to spend the entire day opening and closing the door because your cat can’t make up their mind! Even if you have a strictly indoor cat, it’s normal to feel the tiniest amount of guilt for not allowing your cat to experience the fresh air of the outdoors.
When you install a DIY cat door in your window, you get the best of both worlds. Your cats get to spend some time outside while still being safe, and you don’t have to use a good portion of your day letting them in and out.
The 5 Best DIY Cat Doors for Windows
1. Custom Cat Door for Windows by The hand crafted life
| Materials: | Plywood, slats, wood sealer, screws, cat door with flap |
| Tools: | Jigsaw |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
We love that this handcrafted cat door for windows is fairly easy to make using inexpensive materials. Depending on the height of your window, you may need to purchase some extra materials and make a post or ramp for them to use to get closer to the ground. However, it can be made for either vertical or horizontal sliding windows. This is for cats that have full access to the outdoors, but you can have it open up to an enclosed patio too.
2. Large Cat Patio with Window Access by Purrfectly homey
| Materials: | Wood, wire fencing, tin sheet, cat door, screws |
| Tools: | Jigsaw, staple gun, screwdriver |
| Difficulty: | Hard |
Your indoor cats can have a good amount of space when you build them a custom patio with window access. The cat door gets installed the same way as the first DIY project in this article, but you can also add a bigger outdoor area where they can run, jump, and play. This gives your cats the feeling that they are outdoor kitties without exposing them to the dangers outdoors. What we love most about this patio is that the cats remain safe and that you can get creative and build as many shelves or towers for them to climb up as you need.
3. Simple Screen Net Cat Door With 3D Printer by Instructables
| Materials: | Screws and bolts, magnets |
| Tools: | 3D printer, screwdriver, box cutter |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
If you enjoy creating things with a 3D printer, then this 3D-printed window cat door is a great beginner-friendly project to try out. The instructions include the plans for the window cat door structure, so all you really need to focus on is ensuring that the hole you cut out matches the cat door measurements.
A great thing about this DIY plan is that rather than cutting through glass, you can cut through a window screen. It’s a viable option for anyone who’s renting or looking for a cheaper alternative because you can simply replace the window screen rather than an entire window pane if you no longer have a use for the cat door.
4. Easy DIY Cat Window Door by peggy z
| Materials: | Poster strip clips, walk-in cooler curtains, packing tape |
| Tools: | None |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This easy DIY window cat door is a budget-friendly solution that you can get installed relatively quickly. It may not look as fancy as other window cat doors, but it’s a reliable temporary solution for cats that want to explore the outdoors during warmer months with milder weather. It also does a great job of keeping bugs out. Since this plan uses packing tape to secure the cat door in place, make sure to wipe down your window panes to remove any dust and debris that would prevent it from sticking and staying in place.
5. Cat Flap Design for Renters by Safe and Sound Cat Enclosures
| Materials: | Cat flap, foam, polycarbonate panel |
| Tools: | Jig saw, hack saw, drill, screwdriver |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This DIY cat flap plan is an excellent choice for renters because it doesn’t require cutting through any glass windows. You simply measure and cut out a polycarbonate panel to the size of your window and then install the cat flap into the polycarbonate panel. The instructions use a piece of foam to secure the polycarbonate panel to the bottom of the window, but you can also use a window sealant if you want a tighter fit.
Final Thoughts
Although there is nothing wrong with keeping your cats indoors at all times, and many vets would agree that it is much safer for them, there are still harmless ways to give them a taste of the great outdoors. Even if you do give your cats free range of the neighborhood, you still don’t want to have to get up from what you’re doing to let them in and out. Building a DIY cat door for windows is your best solution and a simple way to keep everyone in the household happy!
Related Reads:
- 8 DIY Cat Bridge Plans You Can Make Today (with Pictures)
- 10 Cat Bandanas You Can Make Today (with Pictures)
Featured Image Credit to Nils Jacobi, Shutterstock
