Cozy Cat Cave with Interior Door - Perfect for Indoor Cats

I finally got around to putting in some bookcase cabinets for my Pyrex collection.Only problem was it took away the alcove the cats would eat in.They are both on prescription food as are 2 of my dogs. So they all have microchip feeders but that doesn’t stop the dogs from trying to get the cat’s food before the flap slides shut.Anyways, I wanted to create a space for each of them that was functional yet nice to look at.These doors were exactly what I was looking for!I was able to cut the inner tubing down to a few centimeters to fit the thin plywood. (Since these are intended for walls)It was super easy and took minimal skills. I was even able to use my little dremel to cut the hole. The adhesive strips were more than sufficient to hold the pieces in place even with the fat cat going in an out all day.My cats took to them within an hour and it’s been peaceful at feeding time since!5 stars, totally recommend.Adorable and functional!Because they are serious about how sticky the adhesive is, make sure you mark which side of the door is front facing before you stick the pieces on!! Made the mistake of not doing that and since the door was off the hinges I messed it up and had to repaint the door after to fix where it tore off the paint. Totally my fault. The cat door looks and works great. I liked this one because it was off the ground, the ones that are at the bottom off the door and open to the ground are hard on the cats having to crouch to get through. I saw someone else had painted it and I loved how much more it stands out that way, and our kitty is black so it’s super cute.I shopped for cat doors for far longer than I really should have. Compare, contrast, etc. I didn't want a standard square door with the flap. At our last house, I installed those, and then the cats didn't like the flaps, so I took those off, and then the doors just looked ugly with the hinge holes and the lock mechanisms.I ended up buying 3 doors, since I couldn't tell from the descriptions and reviews which one I would like. So, I ordered this door, the Kitty Pass and the Cathole.I lined them all up in the photo, so you can see them side by side. I relatively quickly decided the cathole wouldn't do. It comes in unfinished wood (kudos for using real wood, though!) and has screws (kudos for using real screws!), and then the "brush" part. When the brush is inserted, it makes it too narrow for my larger cat (and maybe even my smaller), without them actively brushing themselves over the brush. I worried that they wouldn't want to squish through the hole and/or wouldn't like the feeling of the brush, as it is a very rough consistency, like the brush I use in the kitchen to get food off pots and pans. If I didn't use the brush, then there was no spacer between the two sides, so my hollow door would show. I didn't like that, either. So, bye Cathole.So then it was between the kitty pass and the cat cave. I engaged my son, wet cat food and our larger cat, and tried to see if he would fit through the hole. Perhaps. But because the hole is at the bottom of the door, he would have to get down on his belly to flt through. Again, I worried that this would dissuade him from using the door (and therefore, the litter box). So, that left me with the cat cave.To be clear, before I even chose this door, I had him walk through the circle, to make sure it would fit his girth (my son looked like a lion tamer, holding wet food on one side of the circle, and trying to keep the circle between the cat and the food!). He fit, no problem. Then came the installation.The instructions contradict themselves. They say to mark up 2 inches from the bottom on the instructions, but then the template itself says to mark up 3 inches. I did 2 inches, to avoid having too much of the inset part of the door in the circle, as the glue to attach the facade can't reach the inset areas. If I had to do it again, I would probably do the 3 inches, and figure out a way to fill the space behind the facade. The instructions also appear to say to center the template on the mark you made, 3 inches up. Don't. Put the bottom of the template on the 3 inch mark, making a vertical line along the center with a pencil, to center the template to. Other people install it toward the side of the door; I chose the center because I like the symmetry. In the pictures you can see our cat, Marah, looking through the hole, and then as she leaves the hole (darn camera on my phone has a long lag time!). She had to crouch down a little to get through. She is our smaller cat, at about 9 pounds. Our other cat is a little taller an weighs about 16 pounds. He will have to crouch down even more, using this 2 inch height.I think this will work out well, and it is much more aesthetically pleasing than the square doors.Put cat door in door leading to basement. No longer need to worry about them getting stuck down there. Now the kitty litter boxes are in basement also. No more kitty mess on main floor. It looks cute in door alsoThis is perfect for giving my cat free access to a closet where I keep his litter pan and where he can hide out during thunderstorms. The opening is large enough to accommodate my 19+ lb. cat. I ignored the directions to cut the hole 2" from the bottom of the door and instead eyeballed it up a few inches from the bottom of the door so he wouldn't have to belly-crawl in. It's perfect. The one minor issue is that the inner sleeve is exactly the depth of the door when it is connected to the face plate, but is not long enough to connect to the back plate. That isn't really a problem, because the adhesive stick ons hold the plates onto the door, the sleeve covers the interior of the opening and the whole thing looks finished. Also, it's made of very sturdy wood-like material. Love it.Of course, it is cute. As for fitting: It fits the standard American door (1 3/8"), no room for thickness adjustment. Hole to cut is 7 1/4" in diameter, the template helps.For the price however, I had hoped for better materials and craftsmanship. The sawed edges on the front & back pieces (some form of wood/MDF) are surprisingly rough, meaning dirt will collect and be hard to wipe off. The paint is mate, more like a primer, waiting for dirt to collect. The connector ring (some sort of plastic band held together with one rivet), was gaping open at the side that should slide into the tail-piece, making it near-impossible to fit. If you have a rivet gun, do yourself a favor and add a second rivet for an easier fit.Absolutely loved this! Super easy directions and even comes with a cut-out paper so you don't have to fuss over measurements. My cats fit through them perfectly and now I no longer have to see 100 lbs of cat litter kicked all over my floor cause now I have a door with a entrance lol.