Cat opens screen door :(

RanCarr

Well-known member
We can no longer leave the outside doors open for air. Our kitty Phaedra learned how to pull down on the latch and open the screen door. These are indoor kitties but she unlatched the screen door and stepped outside. She was tentatively sniffing the ground. The other two didn't follow her or didn't realize the door was open. How are you folks keeping your clever escape artists from opening the screen doors on your RVs? :confused:
 

Wharton

Well-known member
Our cats haven't figured that out yet but maybe an extra strip of velcro on the door. This will be a pest for you but we all give up a lot for our animals. Congrats on your smart cat. When we lived in a s&b our cat figured out how to take out the screens. I am amazed as to how smart they are.
 

jjriker

Well-known member
Our cat can open the closet doors and cabinet doors in the kitchen. We have to put a child-lock on the one where all the cleaning products are - she is too smart for her own good. But I hadn't thought about the screen door in the rv. I will be watching this thread to see what ideas people have.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Have they changed the design of the screen doors? Mine has a sliding panel that covers the latch bar from the inside of the trailer. Our furballs haven't learned how to move it.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
RanCarr:
I had a similar problem with grandkids instead of cats. See this thread with photos for my solution:
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...e-for-Small-(Grand)Kids?highlight=screen+door
 

clubmgr

Heartland Owners Club Manager
Staff member
Sh-h-h! Don't tell my cats. They would love to be outside! Glad your cat doesn't have her own thread:)
 

ericandalice

Senior Question Asker
I don't know if this will work for you or not but it'd be a low cost solution to at least try. When my sister-in-law's fridge seal gave out, she used two stick-on hooks and an elastic hairband to keep it shut. This is similar to the safety chains or door chains you use to keep your kids from escaping. You could try it with the no damange 3M hooks (hooks facing away from each other.) One on the door, one on the wall. Then a rubber band or hair elastic between the two.

I've wondered about this myself. Not for the cats, but for the dog. He's no devious, just tall. We had a hook & eye closure at "nose" height on the screened porch door. He can totally pop that open with his nose. We trained him to point to the door handle when he's got to go out. Evidently, we trained him too well. LOL
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
Our cats haven't figured that out yet but maybe an extra strip of velcro on the door. This will be a pest for you but we all give up a lot for our animals. Congrats on your smart cat. When we lived in a s&b our cat figured out how to take out the screens. I am amazed as to how smart they are.

Good idea. Thanks. I think I'll play around with Velcro and try to come up with something to foil her escape attempts. Of the three cats, she's by far the smartest.
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
The screen door has a round thing you push down on to open the screen door. It's very easy for a small child, cat or dog to open. When pushed down on, the screen door opens. :( You only need to slide the panel if the outside metal door is shut and you wish to open it.
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Originally Posted by JohnDar //heartlandowners.org/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png Have they changed the design of the screen doors? Mine has a sliding panel that covers the latch bar from the inside of the trailer. Our furballs haven't learned how to move it.



That is what I thought also.
Don
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
I don't know if this will work for you or not but it'd be a low cost solution to at least try. When my sister-in-law's fridge seal gave out, she used two stick-on hooks and an elastic hairband to keep it shut. This is similar to the safety chains or door chains you use to keep your kids from escaping. You could try it with the no damange 3M hooks (hooks facing away from each other.) One on the door, one on the wall. Then a rubber band or hair elastic between the two.

We tried using elastic with hooks and it didn't work. She pushed down on the round thing, the tight elastic stretched enough, and the door opened enough, for her to push her way through, nose first, and sneak out. :( I would like to use a spring-hook and eye but there is nowhere to screw them in in the screen door. At this time we're stuck keeping the outside closed and miss the light and fresh air.


I've wondered about this myself. Not for the cats, but for the dog. He's no devious, just tall. We had a hook & eye closure at "nose" height on the screened porch door. He can totally pop that open with his nose. We trained him to point to the door handle when he's got to go out. Evidently, we trained him too well. LOL

Dogs are also clever and all it takes is ONE time and we may never see them again. :( I wonder what people do with small children?!?!?! There's no space to screw anything in on the screen door to securely latch it from the inside, or the outside for that matter.
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
RanCarr:
I had a similar problem with grandkids instead of cats. See this thread with photos for my solution:
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/25324-Making-Screen-Door-Safe-for-Small-(Grand)Kids?highlight=screen+door

Thank you so much.... where did you buy that hook and eye with the spring? I can't find them anywhere here in FL. I haven't seen them in TN where we live, for years now. I had them some years ago to keep the dogs from opening the old-type wood screen doors in my house. And what did you screw it into on that screen door? I see nowhere to screw it in on the screen door on my TT.
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
;):D She thinks too much of herself to even think "mouse".... the furry kind or the computer kind. She also been trying to figure out how to slide the window over the dinette table over. She's just not strong enough. She's a small cat with chutzpa like you wouldn't believe.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Thank you so much.... where did you buy that hook and eye with the spring? I can't find them anywhere here in FL. I haven't seen them in TN where we live, for years now. I had them some years ago to keep the dogs from opening the old-type wood screen doors in my house. And what did you screw it into on that screen door? I see nowhere to screw it in on the screen door on my TT.

If I remember right I bought it at Home Depot. Or go to a good sized Ace hardware and get some help. They usually have a little of everything. As a last resort there are online hardware stores.
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
If I remember right I bought it at Home Depot. Or go to a good sized Ace hardware and get some help. They usually have a little of everything. As a last resort there are online hardware stores.

Back in TN now, I'll try all the local Hardware stores. We have ACE, Lowe's and Home Depot here. Someone may be selling them. Then it's how to screw them into the screendoor frame.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Back in TN now, I'll try all the local Hardware stores. We have ACE, Lowe's and Home Depot here. Someone may be selling them. Then it's how to screw them into the screendoor frame.

If you look closely at my photos, you will see that I glued a small piece of plywood to the plastic part of the screen door for the latch eye to screw into.
 

eddylives

Well-known member
How about a powerful magnet?
You could use a two part epoxy type glue to place a magnet on the door frame and small metal plate to the door.
This may provide enough resistance to keep the cat/small dog in while being easy for people to overcome.
Just a thought I had after reading how sneaky some of the cats can be lol.

BTW how do you keep pets from damaging the lower part of your screen door...larger dogs in particular?
 

jjriker

Well-known member
We cut a piece of plexiglass and put it on the inside of the door over the screen. We lose a little air flow but we still gets lots of sunlight. So the screen is protected from cat nails, and also we don't have to worry about a child falling through and down the stairs.
 
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