Temporary door

Moki's vet-behaviorist strongly recommended we use a screen with paper to separate cats during mealtime introductions (the paper covers less and less of the screen as the cats get used to it.) We weren't sure about the logistics until we found photos on the web posted by people who had bought cheap (less than $20) screen doors to put in place for the cat-sanctuary room but Norris had a better idea for us.

In our garage was a discarded interior door fitted to open on the correct side for the studio door. This door had some damage from shrinkage in the panels, and had to be replaced after our first winter here. So, instead of installing a home-improvement store screen door which would require repairs to the door frame afterward, Norris decided to work with our damaged door.

Here's a photo of the installed "cat-behavior-modification" screen door.


Norris used his jigsaw to cut the raised panel from the lower portion of the door. The new left lower panel slides to the right in a track. The panel above the sliding one is stationary. The bit of blue painter tape near the bottom is a simple handle on a narrow piece of wood that works just like the broomstick people use in their patio sliding doors to prevent intruders. We insert it in the track when we don't want any interaction between the cats. We took this precaution because Moki is very clever at opening doors. Every other day, she gets to move freely in the house, and Lily is inside the room. Usually at some point during these cat swaps, Moki wants to go back in "her" room -- and she's persistent.

In this next shot, just for illustration purposes we had the sliding panel fully open. But Lily came right over to check it out. Moki noticed her and came charging toward the door. We had just enough time to finish taking the photo before sliding the panel shut, giving Moki no time to get angry enough to spit. Last night, we started feeding using the screen at mealtimes, with both cats about three feet back from a 3/4 inch opening instead of right next to the door. We'll move them closer to the door by very small increments, then start sliding the door open wider.


The next photo shows the screen installation from the other side of this door. Norris has tacked a trim strip along the bottom so we don't need the flattened cardboard and weighted carrier anymore. That helps a lot!


So what's the little window in the upper panel? For meals, one of us goes in the room with Moki, and the other brings the food down on a tray - so the food arrives and is placed down next to the door. For safety, we would put Lily in a carrier until Moki's bowl was on the other side. Almost as an afterthought, Norris cut a pass-through hole large enough for food bowls or other objects. We also can push it open and make sure there are no cats waiting to make a break for it when we open the door to go in or out.

So now we're all set for this next phase of cat introductions!