How to Make a Homemade Kitty Door

If you’re away on business, travel often or don’t like the many trips to the door to let your cat outside, a homemade kitty door is the answer. Commercially manufactured pet doors can be expensive. But you can cut those costs by making one yourself. You need a few tools to make a pet door in an exterior door, including a saw to cut through a wood door, a drill and magnetic stripping to keep your home heating and cooling costs down.

Measuring tape
Pencil
Drill
4- by 1/4-inch drill bit
Jig saw
Small brush and dustpan
180-grit sandpaper
Clear plastic sheeting
Self-adhesive magnetic stripping
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the height of your kitty and add 3 inches. Hold the tape measure 2 inches from the bottom of the exterior side of the door, extend the tape and mark off the spot to fit your pet’s measurement on the door.
- 2
  Outline a rectangle shape on the door. Use the tape measure or ruler to draw straight lines.
- 3
  Drill a starting hole in the top corner of the square with the 4- by 1/4-inch drill bit. Drill until the bit comes out on the other side of the door.
- 4
  Cut out the square shape in the door with a jig saw. Hold the end of the saw firmly against the door and slowly move the saw down the hand-drawn lines.
- 5
  Brush away the sawdust into a dustpan. Sand the inside of the square to smooth the surface with medium 180-grit sandpaper.
- 6
  Cut pieces of magnetic stripping to fit the perimeter of the rectangle hole in the door. You need a strip for each side, the top and bottom.
- 7
  Cut a piece of plastic sheeting to fit over the hole. Nail the top of the sheet 2 inches over the top edge of the door, so the plastic hangs down to create an easily movable flap.
- 8
  Attach a magnetic strip along the bottom of the plastic sheet, inside so it connects with the magnetic stripping on the door.

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