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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.
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Products: Airtight cat flap

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorNeil K
    • CommentTimeAug 27th 2007
     
    I never thought I'd need to put up a post about this, but since my wife came supplied complete with an attached cat I am having to get used to the joys of having one about. (A cat that is)

    We are planning our airtight house, so I am trying to source a cat flap that will be as airtight as the rest of the house. There are the usual flaps marketed as airtight, but as far as I can see they rely on a brush seal. My experience of these is that if the cat comes in on a windy day the flap does not lock shut, so the brushes don't have any effect. Heavier flaps seem to result in the cat struggling to open it against the weight (but it did look fitter for a while!)

    Has anybody found a solution?

    I have been thinking about some form of air lock with dual doors, long piped runs or even a fully electronically actuated solution..... I am resisting the cat/brick/sack/canal solution. :wink:

    Glad of some input here.

    Neil
  2.  
    Teach the cat to get the neighbour to let it in - we had a cat that did that. It would make the neighbour's dog bark and then she would get up and open the special out-only cat flap I built (the way the air pressure in that house worked the flap was always held closed). Of course, this approach relies on having a neighbour that can be trained. Other than that, train the cat to come and go at certain times. That's what we have done with ours in Montreal (far too cold for a cat flap in winter) and it works well. Though I wonder if, really, the cats have trained me to let them in and out at certain times rather than vice versa.

    If you have the money, there are electronically activated cat flaps available that work on some kind of special collar. But that assumes the cat will agree to wearing said collar. My previous experience (with a home-brew version) is that they didn't like the collars. That's when the flap became a one-way exit-only affair and the training of the neighbour began :wink:

    Paul in Montreal
  3.  
    My folks have an extended window cill. The cat sits there looking an sad and gloomy when it wants to come in. One of my parents get up, open the window and let it in. No cat flap required. (Cat flap will knacker the airtightness in just the same way as a letter box.)

    Mark
    • CommentAuthorOIMO
    • CommentTimeAug 28th 2007
     
    We looked at this and also came up with the dual catflap airlock with an 'tunnel' between. Another option might be a cat flap into an porch space or north side 'cool room' and then a second catflap into the house proper, if required.

    OIMO

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