Cat flap through double glazing – muppet DIY or pro. required?

We have a plastic framed, double glazed door & static panel out into our back garden and want to fit a cat flap (it could go through the glass directly rather than through the bottom of the frame as well). I’m sure that it’s doable but I’m a bit of a muppet when DIY is involved and doubt whether I’d make a decent job of it (probably not even worth considering).

Has anyone had something similar done and what sort of cost would we be looking at.

If the bottom panel is ‘plastic’ you can do the cut out with a jigsaw (there may be an internal metal brace so use a metal saw blade). I did it and didn’t lose any fingersa *or* break the door.

Glass panel = pro.

Pic of door? We have done this twice, but only with doors with upper and lower panels. One was glazed, replaced with plastic, second was already plastic. The plastic panel material is in B&Q etc.. easy to cut to size and put catflaps into. If it’s a half door panel thathas to stay glazed it’s easy to change the unit and a double glazing supplier will do a unit with a flap but expensive.

We got the local glazing company to do this. we had a new panel done with the cat flap into the glass pane.

The original panel can go back in if we move.

Cat will still ask a slave to open the back door if one is available. Only goes out the cat flap if no slave is in sight.

You will not be able to cut a hole in a double glazed unit. It will be cheaper to order a new DGU with a hole already cut in it. Make sure the new DGU (with hole) meets safety glazing regs.

Local glazing company did a sealed unit with a hole in into which the cat flap fitted.
Three cats happy to use cat flap each way but Mr Biggins has only mastered coming in usually for food.

Both the door itself and the panel have single, full length double glazed panels; it’s starting to sound as if it’s going to be prohibitively expensive. I could always garner so quotes though.

New glass required as it will be toughened and will not cut without shattering. New glass with hole will also need to be toughened after cat flap hole made.

A new double glazed panel is very cheap, a lot less than a new door….

Maybe I need to get someone around for a quote. Our cats used to stay out all day (sleeping in the greenhouse if necessary) and our Old Girl (the last of the two) got to the point of only going out for a few minutes a day and slept the rest of the time away.

I’d like any new ones we get to be able to come and go as they please but we’re not flush with cash; that said it may well be affordable and I’ll see what I can find out.

— Edit —
Assuming that we could get a replacement panel, I assume it would be possible to get one that was 2 panel with UPVC at the bottom?

I got a replacement double glazed panel with hole for cat flap fitted in my patio door about 4 years ago. Cost was £120 which I though was reasonable. We still have the original panel to put back in when we move or when the cat croaks it.

When we had the double glazing replaced at our house, we had a new skin put in the back door & made sure it had a plastic lower half that could have a cat flap put into it.
It wasn’t very expensive & I fitted the cat flap myself using a jigsaw & measuring about 30 times before cutting.

EDIT – having said that – my parents have got a double glazed window in their kitchen that has a square pass through for one of those draw-cord extractor fans. It is very neat & if you wanted a full glass panel would presumably be do-able for a cat flap – you’d probably just need to check the min thickness required for the cat flap although you could probably get some kind of spacer for it if the glass was too thin.

Regarding the cat flap, assuming your cat has a microchip, I really recommend getting a sureflap.

Regarding the cat flap, assuming your cat has a microchip, I really recommend getting a sureflap.

We’re without a cat at present having had our Old Girl put to sleep a few weeks back, but we will be getting another one or two soon. RSPCA rescue centres list a cat flap into the back garden as a requirement of adoption (although most of the other ones don’t). As above, I’m aware that a cat flap isn’t a necessity but I’d like one fitted (next door has 3 yappy lurchers).

Our cats will be microchipped and some sort of chip controlled flap would be essential (we get a variety of other people’s cat wandering in when the door’s open).

Both the door itself and the panel have single, full length double glazed panels; it’s starting to sound as if it’s going to be prohibitively expensive. I could always garner so quotes though.

We had a cat flap hole put in a full length double glazed panel. It won’t be as much as you think, I bet it’ll be about £100.

We had a new sealed unit made for our enormous bi fold. It wasn’t that expensive.

If you have full length glass I don’t think you can make it a 50/50 glass/uPVC. Probably wouldn’t save that much anyway over just replacing the glass.

when faced with a similar problem I put a hole in the wall next to the door, and a catflap on that. Putting (any) hole in a double glazed panel removes the vacuum and thus the advantage of the double glazing, and on a panel that size I figured it’d be a fair amount of heat lost (plus it looked bad)..

I wanted to do this but I thought it would let a shitload of cold air into an already cold kitchen. And on top of that we wouldn’t be able to close the curtains making it worse.

I reckon we’d have to go through the wall in ours.

I replaced the double glazing panel with a blanking unit (plastic) which cost me £10 from local supplier. I cut the hole in this myself. Kept the glass and put it back in when cat had to be executed

Putting (any) hole in a double glazed panel removes the vacuum and thus the advantage of the double glazing,

There isn’t any vacuum. Its just dryish air with a whole load of silica gell in the aluminium frame which has loads of tiny holes in it to allow any moisture to be absorbed. Expensive units might have an inert gas eg argon rather than just air.

^ this. if it was a vacuum the panes would distort inwards with atmospheric pressure.

Got a bit of wall next to the door? Knock a hole through that instead and install a cat duct 😀

My Dad Decided it was easier to go through a Wall (Utility room) so he basically made a little cat tunnel/airlock about 10″ square which he finished off with concrete render on the inside and was able to fit lockable/one way type doors on the outside and inside.

That worked quite well, now they’ve killed their last cat it just remains locked, or sometimes comes in handy if my Mum needs to snake an old tumbledrier hose outside…

But yeah, is there an alternative bit of structure you could go through, we’re in a similar position with our new house and I don’t really fancy any new doors or glass at present…

Old cat has a slave.

2 posh cats and the rescue have a cat run outside, so go in and out of conservatory window. Rescue has cat flu, so we don’t let him out to infect non-vaccinated cats (although no issues since he lost all his teeth, poor bugger). Posh cats not allowed out as they are daft (ragdolls).

The run is quite big and they get good views out over the fields.

Round holes are cheaper than square holes. Really.

Get a cat flap that is made to fit a round hole.

I kid you not.