cat flap installation in brick wall

Cat Flap Installation in a Brick Wall

Security experts will probably tell you cat flap installation in a brick wall is best, for security reasons, as the cat door can weaken the door itself. Anyway…

Each microchip pet door will have slightly different ways to install them, as they differ between brands and products. There are, however, similarities between them all though. First, the microchip pet door should be set up for all your pets. This can be done after installation but is best done beforehand. See here how to set up for your microchip cat flap.

cat flap in wall

Installing a microchip pet door through a brick wall requires a fair amount of skill and experience on your and if you do not feel comfortable to follow the advice here or the manufacturer’s instructions, then click to find a cat flap fitter in your local area for pet door installation.

Put simply, a hole has to be made in your wall, door or window and then the microchip pet flap can be fixed around it. For step by step instructions on pet door installation into a glass door or window, see below.

If you would like advice on how to install a microchip pet door in a glass door or window, have a look at this cat flap installation in glass post and here for steps installing a microchip cat flap in a uPVC or a wooden door.

Cat flap installation in a brick wall


SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap Tunnel Extender in White
List Price: £6.99
(as of 03/28/2024 04:43 PST - Details)

Cat flap installation in a brick wall is messy and very involved. It is recommended that you consult with a builder before starting work on installing a pet door in a wall, unless you have relevant building experience. It may help to stick on masking tape where you are to make pencil marks to outline the microchip cat flap if there are tiles or a dark painted surface.

Measure the height of your pet’s stomach off the floor. Mark the height of your pet’s stomach on your wall. This will be where you will place the bottom of the inside of the pet door, so your pet can walk through the pet door comfortably. If you have more than one pet that will be using the microchip pet flap, make sure that the smallest measurement from your pets’ stomachs to the floor is used. Make this mark where you want the centre of the microchip pet door to be, horizontally, and also mark this on the inside frame of the cat flap.

Breaking through the wall for the cat flap installation

Use a hammer drill with the correct drill bit to drill through the wall to create a reference point. Drill around the pencil outline, overlapping the line by about 2mm or 5/64 Inches. A masonry drill bit should be used to drill through the entire wall. If you do not already own one, a breaker can be hired for a day to remove the bricks and tiles from both inside and outside. Use a tunnel extender to check if you have broken enough out, by passing it through the hole, both inside and outside. Any obstructions are bits that still need to be broken out.

Clear away any dust and debris that could work its way into the cat flap mechanism and you may need to add some cement if you have made the hole too big in places, to fill it in. A vacuum cleaner can be used close to the drill bit to remove the fine brick dust before it fills your room.

Fitting the cat flap into the wall

Now drill on the cat flap inside frame to the inside of the wall. This should be done by removing the button cover to the inside frame, by unscrewing the screws. Measure how many tunnel extenders you require to pass through the hole in the wall. The tunnel extenders should be fixed together with all weather tape and taped to the inside frame of the cat flap.Then the tunnel should extend into the inside and outside frames of the pet flap.

The tunnel and inside frame can be fixed to the wall by drilling the screw holes with a masonry drill bit and putting in wall plugs. The inside frame of the pet door can now be screwed in by hand. The outside frame of the pet flap can now be put in place and the holes can be drilled in the outside of the brick wall. This should be done just like the inside frame screws. The button cover can now be put back in place.

cat flap in wall

To finish, apply an all weather sealant between the tunnel and outside frame cover and between the outside frame cover and the wall.

Brick wall cat flap installation video

Check out this great video of a microchip cat flap installation in a brick wall by Sureflap

Let me know what you guys think about this post for installing your microchip cat flap in a brick wall

Take a look at our one of recommended microchip cat flaps, the Sureflap DualScan Microchip Cat Flap

In fact, if you would like to support me, George and this website, then please click on the adverts and the links to Amazon on the pages 🙂

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required



Email Format

View previous campaigns.

Powered by MailChimp


Summary
Cat Flap Installation in a Brick Wall
Article Name
Cat Flap Installation in a Brick Wall
Author
Publisher Name
Top Cat Flaps

54 thoughts on “Cat Flap Installation in a Brick Wall”

  1. Does a cat flap installation in a brick wall need a lintel installing? How far away from the edge of the wall does it need to be placed? It’s a solid wall (no cavity). We are moving soon and a cat flap into the wall looks like the best option for us. Any advice gratefully received.

    1. Hi Tracey, the cat flap doesn’t need a lintel and I don’t think it matters too much how close to the edge or corner of a wall you are as long as it is still easy to use and fit into place. Hope that helps, thanks Sean

      1. Hello, please could you confirm why this can be done without the installation of a lintel, what supports the wall above the hole?

  2. If installing in a wall, do you need to buy two cat flaps, one for the outside and one for the inside?

    1. Hi Cheryl, thanks for getting in touch! No, you don’t need to buy two cat flaps. The cat flap you buy comes with two covers and you put them one inside and one outside whatever door or wall you have the cat flap. You would need to buy tunnel extenders to go in the hole in the wall. Hope that answers your question 🙂 thanks Sean

  3. I need to instal a dog flap in my kitchen wall for my cocker spaniel & large cat to share, any advice please? Thanks, Maggie

    1. Hi Maggie, glad to hear from you! If you are after a microchip cat flap for a small dog, have a look at my review of the Sureflap Microchip Pet Door – http://topcatflaps.co.uk/sureflap-microchip-pet-door/. If you are looking at how to put a pet door in a wooden or uPVC door, read this http://topcatflaps.co.uk/cat-flap-installation-in-wooden-door/. If you would like to find someone to install a cat flap for you have a look here, http://topcatflaps.co.uk/cat-flap-fitters-in-your-area/. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions, thanks Sean

      1. Hi Sean, I’m so glad I found you as it’s brilliant to get help like this! You’ve pointed me in the right direction, thanks ever so much!

  4. Hi there I need to order two cat flaps one that will lead from an internal room through the wall to outside and one that will lead from the same room into another internal room though an internal wall.
    Please could you recommend the best cat flaps to buy?

  5. I need a cat flap with a tunnel installed in a brick wall.

    Bridgwater Somerset Area.

    Fitters and Numbers Please.

    Many Thanks

    1. Hi David, thanks for getting in touch. Try Jeff’s Odd Jobs & Handyman Services, phone number is 07703 342434, let me know what you think! Thanks Sean

  6. Hi Sean,

    I’m looking for a cat flap with a tunnel to be installed in a brick wall (with cavity).

    Amersham, Bucks area.

    Fitters and numbers please ideal.

    Many Thanks

    1. Hi James, thanks for getting in touch. I would suggest trying Ask Ben Handyman (Tel: 01323 643669, Mobile: 07422522836, email: contact-us@askbenhandyman.co.uk and website: http://www.askbenhandyman.co.uk/eastbourne-cat-flap/), Capital Glaziers (tel: 0207 096 3749 email: info@capitalglaziers.com and website: http://www.northlondoncatflapfitter.co.uk) and Four Paws Doors (tel: 0781 4406010, email: phil@fourpawsdoors.co.uk and website: http://www.fourpawsdoors.co.uk), let me know how it goes! Thanks Sean

      1. Hi Sean,

        Thanks for your reply and the contacts. I’ll drop them a line and let you know how I get on.

        Thanks again, James

  7. Hello

    I am moving house soon with my cats x 3, both aged 6. One is a large cat (not fat, just big)and for all of their lives have been very happy to pop in and out of a normal cat flap in a door.

    My new house has walls 38cms in depth and for the cat’s peace of mind, I have identified that I should purchase a Sureflap Microchip Pet Door (larger entrance than a cat flap)

    My questions are: –

    Is it safe for the cat to have a 38cms tunnel. Will it seem threatening to them, how will they cope as they get older?
    Will the device work properly ?
    How do the extension tunnels stay together. I apparently need x 6 (5oomm each).

    Is this just a bad idea, or is there another device which would work better.

    Many thanks for your assistance. If it is possible, do you know of anyone in the Deal area of South East Kent?

    Kind regards

    Colette

    1. Hi Colette, thanks for getting in touch. To answer your questions, I don’t think the length of the tunnel should be too much of an issue, cats are often exploring tight spaces between furniture and between garden fences and I think once they are used to the cat flap tunnel they should be fine, I don’t think it will be an issue as they get older. You can tape the extension tunnels together with duct tape or another all-weather tape.You could try Four Paws Doors and South East Cat Flaps. You can find their details on this list of recommended cat flap fitters. Hope that helps! Sean

      1. Hello again

        In the second main picture of this article, the tunnel shown seems to be a purpose built wooden box and not x7 tunnel extenders stuck together.

        Which would you recommend please, as I don’t want to be in a situation where in 18 months time the extenders are coming apart or the cats are catching their paws on it.

        Thank you

        1. Hi Colette, that wooden tunnel is custom made by a private individual. If you would like to make one yourself that would be a great idea, but lots of people use the taped tunnel extenders and are perfectly happy with them. Thanks Sean

          1. Hahaha, that’s my photo 🙂 Apparently it turned up on pinterest (after we posted it on mybuilder – we needed a guy to drill away the excess brickwork) and we found this article using an image search.

            I’m happy to say that the cat tunnel is still going strong after about 5 or 6 years now. Just remember to give the wood tunnel a water-proof finish before installing!

  8. Hello, thanks for the helpful article! I need some advice on installation of a cat flap in a brick wall, the cavity will be long. I’m based in SW14, London. Is there someone who might be able to help? Thank you

  9. Hello again
    Final question I promise.
    So, I now have my Sure flap microchipped pet door, which a builder is going to fit through 38cms of wall using extension tunnels x 8!
    The microchip door is on the internal side, but I am concerned about heat loss/ draft from the house as there is no external door on the exterior wall.
    Any ideas?

    1. Ha don’t worry about it, Colette! There might be a bit of heat loss, but the Sureflap Microchip Pet Door has an integrated draft excluder. I don’t think it should be too much of an issue, the microchip pet door is relatively small. Thanks Sean

  10. Hello We have installed a sureflap microchip catdoor in a wall but the wall is of such a width that the tunnel extenders do not fit exactly. What are you supposed to do if they do not fit exactly? I can not find any instructions on how to cut them to size??

    1. Hi Bridgit, thanks for getting in touch. Hmm this does sound tricky… and might require a bit of a bodge. I think you have a couple of options, either make it fit with an extra tunnel extender and try to shorten the tunnel extenders and go without one and try to make up that gap. I haven’t faced this problem before by the way 🙂 but if you cut the top off one of the extenders, you might be able to squeeze it into the other tunnel extenders slightly, although there will be a gap at the top. Other option would be to have one less tunnel extender and make up the gap somehow. Maybe you could place some of the tunnel extenders at angles to make up the gap or use duct tape and some timber to bridge the gap. Afraid I can’t think of anything better than that, might depend how big the gap is to make up and would love to hear what you go with, thanks Sean

  11. Hi In the end the tunnel extenders were only about 5mm too long so they simply extend outside the surround on the outside. I still think it is odd that they are not designed to be trimmed to size, it makes the assumption that all walls are multiples of the extender size. Thanks anyway.

  12. Hi, I need a medium sized dog flap which needs to be fitted into an insulated wall under the kitchen window, the large cat/small dog size are not big enough. I can’t seem to find one that has microchip or magnet, the only ones I see are the cheap flap from Pets at home and argos and they have no tunnel. I would also like it professionally fitted. I live in Tamworth, Staffs. Could you let me know what options I have and details of any local fitters please.

    1. Hi Wendy, thanks for getting in touch. Unfortunately, I don’t know any microchip pet doors that would be suitable for medium sized dogs. The largest I know of is the Sureflap Microchip Pet Door which is 178mm wide and 170mm high. Here is our size comparison table for microchip pet doors, <http://topcatflaps.co.uk/microchip-cat-flap-sizing-chart/>. Regarding tunnels, the only ones I have come across are for microchip cat flaps or they are custom made, so my advice would be to speak to cat flap fitters to make a tunnel for you as well. Or you could make your own out of four pieces of wood screwed together. I would try the following cat flap fitters: Carl Jones Carpentry & Building Services, 07889 418533, <http://https//www.facebook.com/CarlJonesCarpentryandBuildingServices?ref=hl> and TR Services, 07715 595592, alex [AT] attico [DOT] co [DOT] uk. Let me know how it goes! Thanks Sean

  13. Hi Sean
    I live in an apartment with a large terrace, off the living room. Walls are about 25cm thick. I am concerned about heat loss affecting our main living area. Any comments?

    1. Hi Ivan, I think there might be a little bit of heat loss, but not anything you’d notice. These cat flaps are so small, especially compared to your windows, so it won’t be an issue. Just make sure you get the microchip cat flap fitted properly and make sure the microchip cat flap you get has a draught excluder. Regards, Sean

  14. Thanks for the really useful video and clear instructions. I’m having building work done and wonder if a wall can be built around a cat flap? Or would the wall need to be built first and then a suitable hole drilled out? (Trying to save time and energy!)

    1. Hi Stella, thanks for getting in touch and great question! You can definitely leave a hole in the wall as you build it. Depending where the wall is you might want to board it up for security reasons, but I don’t see why you can’t have a hole in the wall and make life easier when installing your cat flap 🐈 🙂 thanks Sean

  15. Hiya. I have two chihuahuas and a shihtzu that currently use a large cat flap in my back door. I’m moving next week so need a cat flap fitting in an outside wall please asap. Any recommendations for Southport Merseyside

  16. Hi, I’m having a conservatory built and it has cavity walls depth 350mm, not happy about fixing numerous extenders together so would prefer the idea of a (wooden) frame to be inserted. The only petflap fitter I can find that offers wall installation doesn’t actually cover my area. I have asked the builder if he could possibly do it, tho he’s not keen. Do you know any other “fitters” or experienced builders who cover (north) Essex area.thanks

  17. Hi, is there a cat flap installer who covers south east Cornwall? it’s to go through a brick wall.
    Thanks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.