Raise your hand if your dog likes to get into your cat’s food bowl and/or litter box?
Ours sure does.
We’ve had that gate in front of “Kit-Cat’s closet” for the past year, but I’ve been determined to figure something else out. Something a little less…..baby-gate-in-front-of-a-cracked-door.
That closet also houses our tools, craft supplies, random “stuff”, vacuum cleaner, brooms, etc. etc. etc., and our half bath is right next to it, so I reeeeally wanted to be able to shut that door.
So ya know what we did? We cut a hole in the wall:
We trimmed it out so that it matched the look of our windows, and painted it with the same Simply White (Benjamin Moore) paint.
And guess what?
It works! Kit-Cat pops in and out of there with ease (we got him a nightlight, too), and I can finally keep that closet door closed! 😀
We chose to put the hole in the wall (vs. the door) because we didn’t want to damage the (extra tall, solid wood, special order) door (if necessary, repairing that little square of drywall would be less expensive) and I liked the idea of the hole blending in with the plate collection (vs. really standing out in the center of the door). And since we needed our hole to be higher up off the ground (so Max can’t jump into it), we wanted to use the basket (something Max would be waaaay too scared to jump onto) in front of it- something we couldn’t have done if the hole was in the door.
Anywho, just thought I’d share our solution here in case someone reading is still raising their hand. 😉
jj
Great idea…our litter box is “hidden” inside the floor off the linen closet in our master bathroom…our dog loves him some “Kitty Rocha”
Megan
Looks great! Ours in our basement and we needed something after my dog broke the bi-fold door (a blessing in disguise because it was ugly!), so my dad built us a gate that hinges on one side and locks on the other. We kept the spacing high enough for that cats to go under but our dogs can’t.
kathyrn
I’m sure Kit Cat really likes it. I’m a cat person so I’m happy for the happy cat!
Sunny
Great..great idea! You were thinking outside the (litter) box..haha couldn’t resist.
Amanda
We don’t have a cat mainly because of the “litterbox” issue. This has deff made me reconsider giving into my daughters pleading to get one. Very creative!
Carol
I am a big fan of your design ideas. I think some are downright genius. I am not loving this however. I would want the litter box to be as inconspicuous as possible. The hole in the wall kind of draws attention to that place and then you end up telling people what it’s for. Maybe if it was upstairs.
Layla
I may be a little bit weird, but I’m actually looking forward to the conversations our “kitty door” might stir up, Carol! 😀 Kit-Cat is one of the family, and I love thinking of that closet as his own little house and that hole as his own little front door. 🙂 I’m also sort of loving the idea of adding a few more pint-sized pass-thru places around here just because that one feels so fun- LOL! 😀
hello haha narf
LOVE your attitude, Layla.
Carol
LOL!
Nelson's Mama
I love it for that reason too! All of our pets are members of our family and we go to great lengths to incorporate them into our life. All of our metal threshold doors are “ruined” with kitty doors!
Lisa
That is SO adorable, and I’ll bet Kit-Cat loves it!
Liz VanKirk
Great idea huh? We did the same exact thing in our basement wall that leads to the furnace room. It was hidden under the end table near a corner. I had seen it on a former Parade of Homes tour where a builder did the same thing.
Carol
Yes, hidden is better.
Layla
…unless you like having your kitty door in your (fe)line of sight! 😀
#PurrsonalStyle 😉
Carol
That’s punny.
#toeachhisown
Jenn from Texas
Who’s a genius? You are! I don’t have a cat, but I kinda want one because this is so stinkin’ cute! Nice job y’all!
Nancy
When we had a cat and small children, we put a gate hook on the basement door so that it would hold the door ajar for the cat, but was too small a gap for the kids. It would also work for households with larger dogs. It may not be as cute as the hole in the wall, but it was a functional, non-permanent solution.
Jenny B.
That is really cute! I have a question about the Simply White trim paint… Do you like it lots? Would you choose to paint it in a house that wasn’t going to be photographed all the time? I only ask because I’ve noticed some other home blogger folks also choosing it lately, and I’m wondering if it is because it’s a good white for photos. In real life, does it look stark? Just curious! 🙂
Layla
Well, I *hope* it doesn’t look stark in real life, Miss Jenny B! 😀 We’ve sure enjoyed it, but since the light in every house is different, I’d slap some samples up on the walls to find the color that works best for yours. 🙂
Jenny B.
I’m so glad that you really like it in person! I have been wanting a fresher look for our house, and I’m sure that painting the trim a brighter white would help with that. 🙂
Andrea
What a great idea…….
Sabrina Mix
Wonderful idea!
Here we’re going to hide it inside a bench that we’re goint to put on our balcony.
xoxo
Kristen
We did this too! Loved it with no regrets. Ours goes into the garage for easy cleaning, just built a mini box with a door so kitty does not explore the garage.
Christine
I love this idea. Can you please share some pictures of the interior of the closet? We currently have our litterboxes in the basement but one of our cats is arthritic so we feel bad forcing him to use the stairs all the time. I’d love to find a spot upstairs but right now don’t have one that can house three litterboxes (we have three cats).
Kelley Kay
Love the pass thru but I have a question about the Simply White. Do you go with Benjamin Moore paint or have you color matched it with Sherwin Williams? I ask only because I’ve had Sherwin Williams mix it for me because they always have good coupons available 😉 but I’ve noticed it sometimes looks more cream then bright white. My walls are Gray Owl (or Owl Gray – I can never remember the order of the name) and I was hoping for the Simply White to be more white than cream. In your pics it looks like a clean crisp white and I love that. Any suggestions? Do I need to just quit being cheap and go with Benjamin Moore to get it right or is it supposed to be a little creamier?
Laurie V
What a purrrr-fect idea. Sorry I just had to.
Ami A in LA
That is brilliant!! I have a baby gate across the laundry room doorway – hate it!! This is an excellent solution – thanks!
Tania Russell
Ha! this is absolutely brilliant! Love the shot of Kitty’s sweet little face popping through the hole in the wall! You are so creative, Layla! Can you come and stay with me for a week and help me remodel?! lol! (not kidding, by the way!)
Rhonda Beauchamp
Super idea! I hope this goes viral. Hope you have yet another day of genius!
Patricia D'Ambra
Genius! I love everything you do. Please come fix my house.
KJ
That is THE smartest, coolest and best thought out blog “trick” I have seen in a while! Kudos to you!