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We have an indoor cat, she uses the basement for her litter box. The interior door is a 24” X 80” hollow door providing access to the basement from the kitchen. I'd like to put a cat door in that internal door to allow her free access up and down to the basement keeping the dogs from getting into her food/cat box.

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    It'll work fine, I've done this many times. Note that whilst the door will be structurally fine there is some heat loss as a result. Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 7:45
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    @JackAidley I put a cat flap meant for an exterior door in the internal door to the (barely heated) utility room, to stop draughts and reduce heat loss. It also stopped the litter tray smell getting into the kitchen. That was fine with a hollow door Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 9:42

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You can cut the hole in a hollow door. The door skin is strong enough to hold the pet door.

The hole is not large enough to weaken the door.

If you make your life easier and remove the door to cut, make sure to mark the bottom. It makes it easier for the cat when they do not need to climb to the top of the door.

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  • Thank you, I think this will work on a solid door as well… Right? Commented Dec 15, 2024 at 20:30
  • @DorisLong It should work on most doors. It should have a decent size lip on it to cover the hole. Use the inside measurements to cut the door, not the outside. Commented Dec 15, 2024 at 20:49
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    It makes it easier for the cat... Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 7:01
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    Depending on fasteners and thickness of the door skin, it may be helpful to cut some wood to match the inside-to-inside dimension of the door skins and glue them in to frame the hole. Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 15:18
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    Maybe use an oscillating tool (if you have or can borrow one), new blade is helpful, you might that a way not need to remove the door, use a paper template reaching to one door edge to mark and line where the tool will operate on each side. Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 23:28
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Follow the instructions that come with the cat door.

If needed, wood can be cut to fit inside the hollow panel of the door, however many of these pet door kits screw the inside frame to the outside frame and reinforcement is not needed.

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  • yes, I noticed they screwed together, I measured the thickness of the existing door which is 1 2/3 thick. so I wasn’t sure exactly how to cut the hole? I also took a good look at this door it seems to be solid. Commented Dec 15, 2024 at 20:33
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    @DorisLong A jig saw is one of the better tools for this. Drill four small holes in the corners of the door hole, to fit the saw blade. Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 0:22
  • @DorisLong If you don't have a jig saw, a jabsaw is a decent option although takes rather more elbow grease. Interior doors are usually pretty easy to cut. Commented Dec 16, 2024 at 9:49

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