Episode: 3487
Title: HPR3487: Installing a cat door
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr3487/hpr3487.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-25 00:19:11

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This is Haka Public Radio Episode 3487 for Tuesday the 14th of December 2021.
Today's show is entitled, Installing a Cat Door, It is the 10th Show of Robin, and is
about 24 minutes long, and carries a clean flag.
The summer is Rome, and installs a cat door in his interior basement door.
Hello and welcome to another episode of Haka Public Radio.
Today I will be attempting to install a cat door in our interior basement door,
so between this sort of semi-finished side and then the more utility room side we have a door
that we unfortunately have to keep props open for the cat so they can get to their litter
pans so hopefully this way. They can always have a way to get to it and we can shut the door
completely to hide the mess of the utility side of the room. So far I have taken the door off the
hinges and put it on a table, clamped it down to help keep it from moving. I took the template they
provide and centered it where I wanted it to go, and then I was reading through and it said oh
and make sure there's at least three inches at the bottom to ensure the door is integrity.
So I ended up moving it up. So that wasn't fun, but luckily I had taken
masking tape, painters masking tape, and I had taped underneath the template so that when I was
drawing the outline with black sharpie I got it on the masking tape and not on the door,
and that way it'll have a nice semi rough but clean finish on the door when I'm done.
So I was able to just sort of peel up the masking tape and slide the whole sort of template up
a little bit to give the recommended three inches. It does, these doors have sort of like
sort of features on them, it's not a flat door, so now I'm up into like the groove of
feature on part of it, so I like it was trying to avoid that, but I guess the door integrity
will be more important than perhaps this, hopefully the structural integrity of these little
features aren't wiped out when I do it, or I'll be taking another trip to the big box store for
an interior door. So follow along and join me on this merry adventure and we'll see what kind of
hopefully finished product we can come up with. Next I'll be drilling a whole starter holes
for the jigsaw, I did end up running out and purchasing a jigsaw last weekend, this project,
like all my projects has been going on in stages of months, I think I bought the cat door a
month ago and then every weekend just kept putting off this task, so now it's Tuesday night before
Thanksgiving here in the US, and I am finishing the door so we can close it when we have guests over,
and so let me get this project going on to the next step.
Okay, so now you're supposed to drill some half inch starter holes that you can then put the
jigsaw down through, so I'm starting out with I think like a three-sixteenth inch hole and then
I will make it bigger.
I can tighten my bit down enough, let's see, yeah, and the last start.
Now it says half inch but five-sixteenths looks good as long as I don't go over the edge of the
template, I should be fine. All right, watch out cat.
That didn't take long, oh I think this door is,
there's a mostly cardboard.
All right, now let's get the jigsaw.
One thing about this tape template on a non-flex surface parts could be interesting because
it's wanting to pull up a little bit. Let me pause this and get out the saw and get everything ready
and then I'll be back. So I have my jigsaw out, I need to put the blade in, they recommend taping,
masking tape the bottom of it so you don't mess up your finish as you're running the jigsaw around.
This is brand new so I doubt it would be that much of an issue but hey why not,
little tape never heard anything, hopefully. It's just getting it on there just keeping it so it
doesn't interfere with things and the cat's back. I'm sure she will run away as soon as the jigsaw
comes on. One tape and there she goes and now do, do, do, do, do, sure this is simple.
Does it just lock in place?
I thought they just locked in place. It's been a while since I've used the jigsaw out.
Oh, there we go. Say, little lever you push down and then I'm assuming the blade will slide
in. There we go. Locks and I, yes, very simple. Alright, I wanted to, I had to go out and buy this one
but I was like I did not want to pay a lot of money for a battery operated one although it was
tempting but this was like a third of the price of the cheapest. One battery operating one so I
guess I'm just got to go get an extension cord real quick. Alright, now I will not have to worry
about the distance. Alright kitty, time to go away. There's just going to be loud and potentially
dangerous. Speaking of, okay, I'm going to move the phone back a little bit.
Oh, this could be interesting. How much noise this makes. I don't know where to put it.
So let's go. The real question is, something's not right.
Is that not put in? Let's go power.
Yep, just had a bad outlet on my A3. Oh, that is the bad one. I do remember that now.
Alright, that's that big enough. Oh, this should be fun.
Okay, I started cutting and I was like I really, I guess I knew it wasn't going to happen.
I just got this paranoid feeling I was about to cut into something on the other side but
I'm good. Oh, no, it's just long enough. Okay.
There's one side. I don't know, I sort of get a, this should be fun.
I'm getting there. One more.
Oh, my goodness.
Oh.
there's no wood in there this is just like pressed something paper I don't know
I mean I guess anyway I just got to clean this one corner up and then see if
the door fits
Okay, well that was simple, it's a little messy.
Oh wait, oh wait, that was a little hard on the back being bent over for just that
short bit of time. Oh there's, I don't know what we did, the cat dojo.
Oh, oh, right under my thumb, that's why I'm gonna see it. Okay.
Which, that's the back side.
I guess it doesn't matter, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, it's on handy.
That's why I didn't want to do that, but well, probably with this door it's a good thing.
The other side, this one's fit. I got to cut it a little bit on the other side I think.
I wasn't I guess quite perpendicular with my, or vertical perpendicular with my cut, so the
other side of the door isn't quite as, I need to shave the edge a little bit.
I don't think I went too big, hopefully. Let's see, I guess on the back of the instructions.
All right, I'm probably very glad that I did go those three inches given, there is no real
structure, structure one, tag your deed to the store.
Fit before putting away your jigsaw place the interior door frame
with flap inside the cut out of fit check, then place exterior frame into the underside
and fit, frames do not fit. I need to cut center, center and dear mark screw holes.
Got you. How do you, I guess you just tape on the other side, they just get like tape.
Oh, that's what the tapes were. Okay, so now let me, I guess I can peel off the masking tape.
And the door down.
Yeah, the downside is two of the holes are now like over the feature. I don't even know how the
screw, these screws are going to, there's not a lot to bite into to begin with.
I guess we'll see, I guess a little putty or tape or something, or I could do a line of
sealant around the edges at some point to, and then the interior, they did say, because it's a
little, you're going to be able to sort of see the interior of the door plus, I'm going to have to do
all right then, get a little fitting to do, and then, let me see if I can just eyeball this, like so.
Okay, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
All right, let's see if that fits now. All right, where does it need? Nothing is simple. All right, I need some more carving of the turkey
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
Let's do it
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
Oh
Like
What's up
So close so close
There we go.
I'm called out a cat door.
It's a real trick.
It's actually open and even swings open.
Hey, that's what we like to see.
Alright, well, that's good to know.
No question, I don't know for one cat.
It's going to be a little chunky.
That might be a bit of a squeeze for him.
Well, put this on, see how it goes.
Alright, so now I need to mark the drill holes.
I don't know why, I should just...
Why am I talking to this?
I don't know why.
Fit check, old jigsaw, center frame, cut-out door.
Next, use a screwdriver to drive screws to attach frame.
A screwdriver liner from one side.
Oh, peel.
Alright, this is basically just screw this in place and call today.
Well, then I got to tape the...
Like, one side just screw on and then the other side just has tape...
Two sided tape to hold it onto the door.
And then I'm guessing I'm probably going to need...
Something else, maybe a line of cock or silicone,
silicone seal into or something around it to keep it from moving.
That was the other thing.
Actually, the other thing I want to do is take a piece of paper.
So, like I said, the door's hollow.
The cat door things aren't that thick.
So, now there's like...
You can see a gap in the...
Like, you'll be able to see the door plus bugs will be able to get in,
which I'm not real fond of.
I just need to take...
Maybe some...
Yeah, I'm just going to go with paper, but I think I'm going to go with mass or duct tape if I can find some.
Might as always.
Nice dark gray.
Don't quite match the paint, but...
Should work.
I think I better take a picture.
You can sort of see what I'm saying, as far as...
The hollowness of the door.
What a tape.
Just wide enough.
Maybe a little bit of a...
Hopefully not too much on the other side.
There we go.
I can't see it at all.
It's just what I like.
Alright, so now I'm just going to keep...
Okay, not really sure what happened, but the last 10 minutes of my recording on my phone was silent.
So you've missed me going on about taping the inside of the door,
and then sitting the cat doors in, screwing them down.
Everything went smoothly.
Overall, I'm very happy with the project.
I even tested after hanging the door.
You'll get to miss the sounds of the screws going back into the hinges, I'm sorry.
But I did test the cat door by getting cat treats and going into the utility side and closing the door,
and then shaking the cat treat box until the cats came through the doorway.
I did do what they suggested, which was to tape up the...
The flappy door, tape it in the up position until the cats get used to it.
We have another cat door in the upper root at the top of the stairs to the basement,
but that one just...
It's either open or closed, so they're not used to like pushing through a door.
So after a couple days, I'll figure out how to make sure they go through the flappy door.
But so far, everything's going great, looks good, and I'm very happy.
So thank you for following me on this cat door installation,
and I hope you enjoyed another episode of Hacker Public Radio.
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