Lockable Cat Door for Indoor & Outdoor Pet Safety

I just spent the last 5 hours of my life installing this door. I wanted to get a litter box enclosure for my cat but they were all too expensive and too small so i realized I could convert the bottom half of my computer armoire into one. I first removed the shelving for the printer and the spot dedicated for the tower. Then used a jigsaw to create the hole (I've never used a saw before but I for some reason feel I can do whatever I want.. That and my dad was a carpenter.) It may not have been the cleanest lines but I finally got it to where to door frame fit. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the included screws. ***BEWARE THEY ARE CHEAP SCREWS!!!*** In the middle of drilling them in i realized they weren't budging. Upon further investigation it became apparent that the threading which helps the drill bit hold it's place had completely worn away and was now a hole in the head on the screw. I had to use the wrench part of a hammer and yank all of them out and tore the particle board in the process. I was able to dig up 4 mismatched screws from my junk drawer to install the door and luckily was able to re-attach the torn board. Now keep in mind my cat is asleep and I have no idea if he's gonna use this thing but that has nothing to do with the overall quality of the product. Purchase if you want but just be ready to use your own screws.**Update: So my cat is now fully trained in using his new litter box enclosure. I did decide to pop off the flap though because it seemed to be too much trouble for him and it was bad enough he had to squeeze through a tiny hole to do his business (He's 15lbs) I would definitely recommend this product even without the flap. It's makes for a nice looking finish.Swings back and forth perfectly with a little hesitation in the middle for the magnet (designed to do that). I like the bristles because they act as an odor barrier and a little bit of a brush for my 14lb cat.Installed in the side of a bathroom vanity so my kitty has a place to go! Littler is not seen and she enjoys the privacy. I trained my cat in 3 weeks- could have been sooner.Week 1-2: leave door to vanity open with litter in it and leave swinging door open with a piece of tape.Week 3: close front doors to vanity and allow cat to use the door that is open with tape. - the kitty doorEnd of week 3: put the cat in the vanity, close all doors, manually open the kitty door about 1 inch and show the kitty the opening. He or she should push the door open with their nose and be free. Do this 5 times or so in 1 hour and they should be able to get it open next time they have to go.Likes: the package is professionally made and contains different length screws a for very thin frames (like a screen) as well as thicker substrates (like a 1/8-1/4 inch wood vanity). The frames themselves attach together from both sides and "sleeve" into each other. Has cover caps for screws also. You can use this on thick doors, but will need to paint the middle where the wood is not covered or fill I'm the hollow part of the door if you have hollow doors. Very well put together product.Dislikes: I broke off the locking mechanism like some other people due to me being afraid my cat may be locked in or our by accident. It's easy to snap off.We've had this cat door for 2 months, and it's working out great for us and our furry friend. Installation was fairly straightforward (though did need to double check on the directions for using the spacers on our thick door), and the locking mechanism works well even for our large cat (~16.5 pounds and quite tall). I've seen reviews saying that the cat got locked out. I can see how someone may accidentally lock it and not realize it (we often lock the door from one side, i.e. he can go through one way but not back out), but it won't happen all by itself (so if you lock it, it will stay locked; if you unlock it, it stays unlocked). Our cat is very tall and long, so he looks a little awkward - giggle - climbing through the door (though that is also due in part to the fact that the door is right at the top of the basement stairs). He fits just fine, and it's not worth getting a bigger door. If you have a big cat, this door will work fine as long as he is still slim and in good shape. If you have a fat cat, consider getting a bigger door.I had a special application where I needed a cat door to pass through a single sheet of wood paneling. Since most pet doors are designed to fit a 'thick' door, like an outside door, this was a problem. Luckily, I got to looking and found this...and it looked like the answer...so I purchased it on Amazon.When I received it, I took it out and inspected it. It is high quality and excellent fit for a plastic product. It came with a set of mounting screws for a 'thin wall' application, such as a screen door fit, or a paneling fit...so it worked well for my use. I used my dremel tool to route out the hole in the paneling, using the supplied template they provide you...and it worked like a charm.The door will fit most-any cat...up to probably 20-25 pounds...or small dogs around the size of a dachshund, or so...and has an excellent-quality weather seal, in case you are wondering. I don't see a reason this wouldn't work well for an outdoor pass-through door, either.Overall...I was very impressed with form, fit and function. I highly recommend.The Cat Mate is a sturdy cat door that is easy to install and is inexpensive. The door is hinged, as opposed to most doors that are composed of a semi-flexible flap. These flaps tend to wear out and become brittle, in comparison to the rigid plastic of the Cat Mate door. I also like the locking feature, which is a simple slide, as opposed to an barrier that must be slid into most other doors (fyi, you can buy a multiple slide Cat Mate door, which allows you to lock the door, or only let it swing one way. This is great if you want to let your cats out, but not in - or vice-versa).If your door is thick (i.e. typical exterior door), the supplied screws are not long enough, and you will have to buy longer ones. Also, consider buying the tunnel insert for walls or thick doors, which places a plastic tunnel section between the two door pieces.This is the third one bought. Cats love them. Now we can keep internal doors shut without the little moggies digging at the carpet to get through. Saves a fortune in winter heating bills!Used this on shed door so cats could have some space to themselves where I could leave a spare bed and food when out at work. My dad fitted this for me and he found it quite awkward, took him a while but once up it has been sturdy.Note it is standard size but my 6 month westie can pass in and out. Bear this in mind if you have small dogs and applying to a house door as your dog might escapeThe photos on the advert and the box are misleading as they show a cat flap with an inside panel and outside panel. The reality is that it only has one side, so the other side of the door will leave the quality of your hole cutting for all to see. I didn't mind as was fitting to a shed door, but would be annoyed if this was a house door. However, it feels solid and is lightly held closed by a magnet to resist the wind. Locking mechanism is quite fiddly.Yes these are great, easy to fit and pretty solid but I must say this is the 4th one I've bought, the first was smashed by a ferrel cat that broke in,the second was my puppy that used it, she looked so cute until her bottom was too fat to get through and that was the second one broken, the 3rd one my dog can just get her head through it now I left her home one day and she tried to get out through it hence the 4th one. (I've bought my dog a kennel so I hope this one will last many years.)Easy enough to install, but if your cat is timid, as ours is, it's impossible to get her to push hard enough against the swing door. And the magnet round her neck trails too far behind so doesn't trigger the release as it should. Even with that restriction removed our sad old cat simply won't head-butt the door firmly enough. We've given up. The flap's now permanently locked.