Pet owners often need to seal off certain rooms from their pets or seal them into a single room for a limited period of time. The new carpet, the presence of a staircase, the need for a pet-free kitchen while cooking, the fact that the baby is sleeping or playing in a certain room, etc. are all reasons to use a pet barrier.
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Dog gates are by far the most common type of pet gate, and many dog owners are cat owners as well. This situation creates a need for a dog gate with a built-in cat door. Below we will look at three of the best dog gates with a cat door on the market today.
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The Carlson 0930PW Walk-Thru Gate With Pet Door
This dog gate is basically the same as the one covered above, only it is “medium-sized” instead of “super-sized.” It is 31 inches high and can adjust, with extensions, to widths ranging from 28 to 48 inches.
Some good points are:
It has an easy-to-open “people door” that allows you to get through without taking the gate down. You could also open this to let the dog in and out.
You can close the door with this gate still in place, while the 0941PW can interfere with the door knob due to its height.
You cans set up the gate so that the walk-through door opens in the direction of your choice. It cannot, however, swing both ways like the cat door can.
Some drawbacks include:
The walk-through door is only 16 inches wide, which is sufficient for most people, but it is something of a tight squeeze.
While the dimensions are great for standard-sized doorways, odd-sized doorways might require you use an extension for the sake of just a few inches.
The Carlson 0941PW Extra-Tall Walk-Thru Gate With Pet Door
This isan all-steel gate that fits snugly into standard-sized doorways. It stays in place by exerting pressure against the wall at four points, and its rubber-ended contact points prevent it from scratching up your walls. The height is 41 inches, so it can keep almost any dog in check. The cat door is seven by 11 inches.
Some good points about this product are:
It is easy to set up, and the release button makes for quick take-down.
It is sturdy, chew-proof, and non-toxic.
With extensions, it can work in doorways as wide as 48 inches.
You need not put holes in the wall to set it up, though you can screw-mount it for additional strength if you wish.
The cat door is easy to open/close and sings out in either direction.
Some of the possible drawbacks are:
The 2.5-inch wide gaps between the bars could allow a small kitten to sneak through.
The cat door does not lock shut, so a small baby might be able to open it and crawl through. One would need to secure it shut with a padlock or by some other method.
The Carlson 0680PW Mini-Gate With Pet Door
This model is only 18 inches high and 32 inches wide, though it comes with a six-inch width extender. It is great for use with smaller varieties of dog.
Some good points are:
Not only the cats, but the small dogs as well, can pass through the “cat door.”
You can easily step right over the gate to get by.
One drawback is that the two-inch gaps between the rungs could allow a small puppy through. This is especially true of the gaps at the far ends, which are a little wider than the others.