Pets are free-willed creatures just like us, and being confined to our homes makes them unhappy. To let them have that freedom to move in and out of the home in the most efficient manner, and without us having to open the door every few hours.
Pet doors aren’t just bought and done deals, it needs thinking. It might cost you a whole lot in the long run for a single mistake in decision making while getting a door.
Then you may ask, what to look out for while choosing the pet door for your home?
Well the answer is simple, this article helps you find out what’s the best for your home when finding a pet door, you and your pet. And experts advise this list for any new and upcoming pet owners that may want to install a pet door.
Basics Of A Pet Door
The first and foremost in finding a pet door is to understand that there are many factors in play when choosing a pet door. And how can you tick all the conditions to fit your need to find the best suitable pet door?
Among the most prevalent conditions are:
- Pet (species, behavior, and its size)
- Location of your home (weather and climate as well as the local wildlife)
- Placement of pet door and current residence (rented home or a bought home)?
- Construction and features/gimmicks
- Total cost in owning pet doors (doors cost, cutting the door/wall, or replacement).
Pet Size
Pets are the reason you might want to own a pet door in the first place. As such based on them the door will be custom attributed. Pet size is the first factor you will need to consider, and how much it can grow up to. Buying a smaller sized door for your dogs can especially be bad. Dogs can’t squeeze through narrow spaces and will get injured. Cats, on the other hand, have smaller cat doors to be cost-effective, because they can appropriately adjust their skeleton to go through the small spaces.
Pets with injuries or that have some sort of disability or disease need to go through the pet door comfortably and can’t have the door raised too high.
More rough and destructive pets need bite/ scratch-proof pet doors for them.
If you have multiple pets, you will need to save costs by getting one large door for the biggest dog in the house.
Location
The region of the world that you live in, as well as the location locally, matters a lot when getting a pet door. The door can be average if there are no excess weather conditions in your location. But if it’s snowy or very cold, extremely hot, humid, or have bouts of flooding then you might want the best-suited pet door for that region. The materials must be sturdy to weather the effects of extreme heat and cold, not rust due to humidity, or let rain, sand, or water inside your home through the door.
The pet door has to insulate the weather well to not affect the internal temperature of your home. Security is also a concern. If there is a high crime rate in your area you might want a stronger pet door that is as equally sturdy and hard to breach as your front door.
Placement And Residence
The placement of the pet door is extremely important. As there are pet doors for walls as well as doors. The pet door can be bought preinstalled with the door if you wish to have it replaced or put on your door frame. This can be cost-effective for pet owners in rented homes as the landlord might not want you to destroy his property for your pet. Sliding glass doors can also have pet doors installed or can be bought preinstalled and have glaziers install them for you. Here is a short guide for you on how to install a pet door perfectly.
The secondary concern is where the whole or pet door should be. It can’t be near electrical wiring in the walls, near appliances or furniture. As the pet will most likely push over your vase (or any fragile showpiece) and break it if they are not careful while going through the pet door.
The aesthetics and design also need to be considered when buying a pet door that can complement your home.
Construction And Features
The pet door must have the correct qualities. As explained before it must have good materials for weather and also hold out over your pet’s lifetime. That’s a very long time and can span a decade and a half, so you need to get one that’s suited for that.
The doors can be mechanically opened when your pet arrives and pushes a certain button. They need to be taught how to interact with the door before letting them use it.
Also all these mechanical and motorized can break and malfunction. So you need to be careful not to let your pet be stuck in or out of the home.
Electrical sensors can be put in collars that open the pet door on the pet’s arrival. But the collar can sometimes be lost or the battery needs to be changed. Implanted chips are a workaround, but can have the same issues of malfunctioning.
Pet doors that are made for harsher conditions will have a warranty to help you out when it malfunctions or breaks.
Cost
Cost is a concern when buying these pet doors. Not everyone can spend hundreds of dollars on a pet door. But don’t also cheap out on it, if it breaks you will need to buy a new one and the added cost will be double. The installation also adds to the cost whether the or needs cutting or wall, as well as pre-installed pet doors, might be more expensive.
To Conclude
It’s best to have a general plan before buying anything like a pet door, always to avoid future troubles.
