Cat Flap
Installation
As cat lovers ourselves we understand how frustrating it can be to have to open a window or door for your cat at an inconvenient time – the constant scratching and meowing at the door.
Perhaps you have just have recently moved home, bought a new kitten or have rehomed a rescue and your cat is used to the freedom a cat flap brings them?
You can rest assured that you are in good hands. Great pride is taken in our level of customer service. We respond to all enquiries promptly, survey & install as quickly.
You can relax in the knowledge that your pet has access to the outside world.
We do not install through cavity walls; we recommend that you hire a professional builder for this type of installation.
Cat flap installation in a brick wall has many pitfalls; it is messy, expensive and time-consuming.
If this is your preferred route or only option you have for your home, we strongly advise you to consult with a qualified builder before considering installing a pet door through a wall, always ensure they have relevant building experience, qualifications, insurance and that they can comply with all building regulations.
Read our Blog here – fitting a cat flap in glass as oppose to a brick cavity wall.
FULL LENGTH DOUBLE GLAZED UNIT FOR UPVC DOOR, Bi-Fold OR WINDOW.
Double Glazed full door with vent hole cut out for glass fitting cat flap.
A survey will be required for us to get the extract measure and cavity of glass.
Your glass will be bespoke to your door or window.
Lead times for glass to be ready and fitted is 5 to 7 working days from survey
We must know which cat flap you require fitting into the glass prior to it being made, this is a necessity as the vent hole has different dimensions for each type and brand of cat flap.
Half Door or Window double glazed
Double Glazed half door with vent hole cut out for glass fitting cat flap.
A survey will be required for us to get the extract measure and cavity of glass.
Your glass will be bespoke to your door or window.
Lead times for glass to be ready and fitted is 5 to 7 working days from survey
We must know which cat flap you require fitting into the glass prior to it being made. This is a necessity as the vent hole has different dimensions for each type and brand of cat flap.
Replace Glass Panel with UPVC Panel & Fit Cat Flap In Half Door.
We could take out the existing glass panel and replace with UPVC door panel.
The main advantage to this is that plastic is considerably cheaper than glass.
There is no five day wait for glass manufacturer and no need to wait for us to survey. Our fitters always carry stock sheets UPVC in 24mm and 28mm on our vans.
We would take out your existing double glazed panel, cut a new piece of UPVC and jigsaw in a hole for the cat flap. This can all be done in half an hour.
Some people worry about the security of replacing the glass with plastic, but UPVC will not smash like glass making it in our opinion more robust.
Cat Flap In Wood Frame ` Hack Out`
After a glazing `hack out`, it will be your responsibility to redecorate afterwards. We strongly advise clients to wait a period of a week before you can touch up with paint so that the silicone or putty can dry properly. A gazing `hack out` is not as brutal as it sounds.
As qualified and experienced Glazers, we will always endeavor to be as delicate as possible. However, there is an increased probability that the original glass may break on removal, dependant on how tight the wood fits around the glass.
In rare cases, the original glass is not pinned into the timber but glued at manufacturing level during production at the factory. If this is the case, we are left with no option but to break the glass to enable us to remove it. Also, a side effect of removing the original glass from timber is that the wood bead may splinter.
We have no alternative but to cut away at the original paintwork ( often some older frames will have layers of paint jobs ); We feel it is our duty to inform you that the frame will not look as aesthetically pleasing to the eye once the glass is replaced., however a lick of paint usually will rectify this
Cat Flap Into Timber Doors.
With wooden doors, it’s vital to make the installation weather proof.
We will using a cordless jigsaw cut a rectangular hole in the timber. If your wood has beading that interferes with the area occupied by the cat flap we will have to make provisions for this.
We will seal the cat flap and the outside surface of the wood using a weatherproof sealant.
Cutting Through an exiting UPVC panel.
If you have an existing UPVC door panel, then we can cut through it using a Cordless Jigsaw and install your chosen Cat Flap.
Please be aware that this process will ONLY work for flat panels in a back door.
Front doors with mouldings – we would not cut into for the following reasons: –
The mouldings in a front door give that lower portion of the door a certain amount of rigidity, and the minute you cut through them, you will have reduced that rigidity.
Cat flaps expect to be mounted on a flat surface, so there will be interference between the flanges on either side of the hole and those raised bits.
The door incorporates a metal sheet for strength/integrity, which we can’t cut into.
By cutting into a moulded panel, you are offering a route for moisture to get inside it, which may well have implications for any metalwork inside and water logging of insulation.
80% Glass 20% UPVC
Regretfully some glass panels are to narrow in the width to cut out a vent hole for a cat flap. You must have 50mm spare to the left and the right of the cut out making the total width required for the smallest cat flap opening of 212mm + 100mm glass tolerance so overall width of 312mm. Often clients ask `can’t the glass manufacturers just cut it, we are so close? ` it is a building regulation and they will not as they would be breaking the law.
We have a solution for this, and that is to put a flat white uPVC panel on the bottom and connect it to the glass using a T-bar, There are no rules on how close to the edge you have to be with uPVC .