# Keeping critters out of a pet door?



## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

In a couple months, I'll be heading back to SC to resume building our house. I'd like to get a pet to keep me company, but it will have to be a cat, since they can handle being on their own better than a dog.

I figured I'd just install a cat door in the barn so he can come and go as he pleases, but I'm worried about possums or raccoons getting into the barn via the cat door. I know they can be rigged so you can lock it after the cat is in, but it would be better if the cat has full access, especially if I'm away for a couple days. Our cat here at home does just fine while we're away; we leave plenty of food and water; but she has a litter box. I guess I could have a litter box, and lock the cat in the barn when I leave, but I'd rather not.

Anyone had any experience with this? What do you do?


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## artificer (Feb 26, 2007)

They make pet doors with activation collars. Only your pet can go through. Some have more problems than others. Simple google search should find them. One brand is ideal e-cat.

Michael


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

I have a dog door and so far no pests have used it. I have one that is 4 years old. That is the best thing to going to keep from opening the door at odd times.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

I was thinking about putting a pet door in our garage for our cats, but was worried about the same thing. Don't want any of those black and white 'kitties' visiting!


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

I've had a doggie door in the house for 20 years. Only uninvited critter to use it was a barn cat that decided it was a house cat. Never been a problem. 

Did try a cat door at the barn. Only took the ***** and possums a couple months to figure out that there was a pan of cat food inside the door. After the pan was empty they started making chicken dinners. Maybe if the food had been in a different corner of the barn, it might have worked?

Kathie


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

One of my best friends had quite the invader in her house through the dog door....her (now) ex boyfriend.

Needless to say that was the last straw


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## JohnL751 (Aug 28, 2008)

I put in a dog door and within a week the dog tried to bring a stick inside and made it half way. I came home and found the door blocked part way open. A few days later I discovered that I had a mouse in the house. No more dog door.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

I second the door with the activation collar.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Put a radio in their and tune in a talk station the pest will think they are not alone.


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## GammyAnnie (Jun 2, 2011)

littlebitfarm said:


> Did try a cat door at the barn. Only took the ***** and possums a couple months to figure out that there was a pan of cat food inside the door. After the pan was empty they started making chicken dinners. Maybe if the food had been in a different corner of the barn, it might have worked?
> 
> Kathie


When I put one on ours about a month later a Momma possum set up housekeeping in there and had her babies there, it was another month or so before I figured out why my three barn cats where going through so much food, when I walked in and there were SIX small possums eating the cat food...with the cats sitting there watching them!

Now they just get let out in the morning and called in at dusk!

Annie


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

we got a pet door just large enough our cats can get through ..racoons haven't been able to get thru or dogs or possum or skunks and even that big cat I wrote about in the post can't get thru it..our largest fits just fine.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Hmmm- I'm not getting that obvious solution yet. An activation collar would be OK, but I'm not crazy about collars on outdoor cats- too many chances to get hung up on something. I know they make break-away collars, but then Kitty couldn't get back in!

The other possibility would be to take him with me when I travel. I've read that cats can get used to riding in the car; it's a matter of a sometimes lengthy period of introducing the idea. We have a cat here in FL, where I would be traveling to, so bringing him here wouldn't be a problem.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Are you positive you want it to be an outdoor cat?
Mine are indoor cats and they do fine when we are gone, just make sure they have enough food water and clean litter.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Mush, At my last place, I put a barrel up by a front window, and then replaced a pane of glass w/ the pet door. For 11 years, I never got a wild animal visit. Where I am now, the pet door is at ground level, and we've had multiple unwanted visitors...Does yr. barn have any above the ground windows that a cat could reach? The barrel I used was about 4.5 ft tall, and while it took the cat a while to learn to use it, he was able to jump to the barrel from the porch. The barrel top later became his "front porch"! Good luck with this! (I, too, am leary of putting a collar on a cat for the same reasons).


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

ldc beat me to it. Use a window with a couple of steps up for the cat. He'll be able to jump from the ground to the first ledge, then up to the window, which could also have a little step in front of it. He's a cat, he'll love it.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Wouldn't a raccoon or possum be able to jump or climb up as well?

It can't be an indoor cat, because the barn is the only building, and it needs to be open most of the time while I work. It would be too hard to keep a cat in.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I have no doubt at all that what I saw coming thru any animal door would be a large black snake. No thank you!


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## the mama (Mar 1, 2006)

my cats can jump straight up to climb thru the kitchen window when I take the screens out. It is about 10 feet up. possums and racoons climb but can't jump that high. So I recommend idc and maura's idea of a cat door in the window. put the cat thru the door a couple of times to get him used to it and then no problem. He may make kittie friends that could also come in.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

We put a pet door in here when we first moved into the house. It lasted about 3 months until the first snake came throgh it at which time I purchased a new door and decided my house critters had me as their doorman.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

motdaugrnds said:


> I have no doubt at all that what I saw coming thru any animal door would be a large black snake. No thank you!


I wouldn't have any problem with that. As a matter of fact, they're probably already in the barn-there's a pretty good gap by the sliding door.

There's no window, but I know where they are going to go in the future, so I could install the pet door right in the wall- a good ways off of the ground.


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## orangehen (Dec 7, 2005)

I have had great luck with Nite Guard http://www.niteguard.com/ a solar powered flashing red light. I put it right beside my kitty door (which is ground level), and as long as the light is flashing (I think they last from 18 - 24 months), I have NO problems. I'm on my third one, and am going to order another one soon just to be on the safe side.

Before I got that, yes, I did have raccoons and possums coming in the cat door. In fact, when I first moved here (before I got "smart"), I live-trapped 14 raccoons just inside the door. Never again! Nite Guard does it for me, and doesn't cost that much ($19.95 + shipping).


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

To add what I posted above - about using a high entry to the house for the cat - we never got snakes or vermin. The "yard" was "infestated" with racoon, possum, snake. None could get up that high. YMMV! And we were only 50-80 yds from a bayou...lots of nocturnal critters!


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## FarmerRob (May 25, 2009)

MushCreek said:


> Hmmm- I'm not getting that obvious solution yet. An activation collar would be OK, but I'm not crazy about collars on outdoor cats- too many chances to get hung up on something. I know they make break-away collars, but then Kitty couldn't get back in!
> 
> The other possibility would be to take him with me when I travel. I've read that cats can get used to riding in the car; it's a matter of a sometimes lengthy period of introducing the idea. We have a cat here in FL, where I would be traveling to, so bringing him here wouldn't be a problem.


I'm sure experiences will vary doing that, however, I would not carry any cat in the car unless it is locked in a pet carrier. Reason being primarily that cat pee NEVER comes out of the carpet in your car. Also because if they freak out over something they may try to claw through you trying to get out of a window. I saw that happen once. Not pretty.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

yeah cats can JUMP better than **** or possum so a JUMP on something too slick to climb should work..but even with my ground level cat door I have never had a wild animal come thru it..but it leads into an enclosed porch NOT straight into our house..we leave food and water in the porch but only a small amount, so it doesn't draw in any wild critters.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

I can hang a platform on the wall, so nothing to climb.


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

FarmerRob said:


> I'm sure experiences will vary doing that, however, I would not carry any cat in the car unless it is locked in a pet carrier. Reason being primarily that cat pee NEVER comes out of the carpet in your car. Also because if they freak out over something they may try to claw through you trying to get out of a window. I saw that happen once. Not pretty.


We have traveled with our cats a lot. Some were great, others were a big challenge.

FarmerRob is correct: invest in a carrier and make it comfy for Kitty. You can even use a small plastic storage box as a travel litter pan if the crate is sized correctly.

To prepare for a trip, we take the crate apart and line the bottom half with 2 layers of pee pads just in case. Packing tape works to secure the pads to the upper lip of the bottom half of the crate so the pad stays in place and any cleanup is made easier - you just detach the top set of pads, roll them up and tie off into a plastic bag ("Patches" used to wait until we got on the interstate to 1-pee, 2-poo and 3-vomit all in short order. We became expert at making a crate easy to clean). Bring a litter scoop, plastic garbage/grocery bags, paper towels, disposable gloves, pee pads, packing tape and some extra water in a spray bottle. If you are traveling alone, a second crate to contain Kitty during any cleanup is extra insurance - even a cardboard el cheapo could work until you get the mess out of the way and Kitty back in the "good" crate.

Our best traveler, Dixie, is still with us. She tolerated 7-hour drives at least once a month for a long time. She complained the first 50 miles or so - not constantly, but regularly, but then she'd settle down for the duration. Totally do-able.

But the crate is must - you wouldn't want Kitty to dash out of the vehicle and into danger.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

I don't know whate area of S.C. you are going to live,, but ,,,,

http://video.heraldtribune.com/video/917647911001


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## the mama (Mar 1, 2006)

Its like in the Disney movie Monsters, Inc. "mom, there's a gator in the house again".


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Esteban29304 said:


> I don't know whate area of S.C. you are going to live,, but ,,,,
> 
> http://video.heraldtribune.com/video/917647911001


Coming from FL, that's no surprise. We're up at the edge of the mountains, almost in NC. Too cold for gators there.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

I am originally for the upstate area, Spartanburg . Someone did put a gator in a lake up there some years ago.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

Esteban29304 said:


> I am originally for the upstate area, Spartanburg . Someone did put a gator in a lake up there some years ago.


Having a gator come through a pet door would be a pretty awe inspiring event!


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## ChickenMiss (Jan 21, 2012)

Wow. That makes me so happy I'm not anywhere near Lake Jessop or other gator infested waters. I think I'd freak if I found a gator in my house.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Almost any body of water in FL can have a gator. We live on a small retention pond, and they show up from time to time. Gators will travel miles, esp. during mating season.


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