Pros and Cons of Installing a Pet Door

Some homeowners who have pets are eager to hire a carpenter in Brantford to install pet doors to allow dogs and cats to enter and exit the house at will. Others have doubts and questions as to whether this is the best idea. Pet doors offer both advantages and disadvantages, both of which you should take into consideration before you decide to have the installation.

Pros of Installing a Pet Door

Pet doors offer your dog or cat freedom and can give you peace of mind. A pet that can get out of the house and go out into the yard whenever it wants to is less likely to suffer from boredom or anxiety, meaning that you may find a happier pet when you get home from work. With a pet door, you don’t have to stress out about hurrying to get home to let your pet out, and you know that your pet has an escape route in case of an emergency that occurs while you are away. A pet door may help you sleep better at night, not only because of less stress but because you won’t have to get up to let your pet out at night or in the early morning.

A pet door could help improve the health of your dog or cat. Pets that can go outside to play whenever they feel like it may get more exercise. Pets, especially dogs, can experience health problems if they have to restrain themselves while waiting to go outside to urinate or defecate. The ability to go outside on their own can help to prevent problems like these. Even well-trained pets can have accidents if they have to wait too long to go outside, so installing a pet door can help to keep your house cleaner. The ability of your pet to go outside and play may also mean less shedding indoors.

Cons of Installing a Pet Door

For all the potential benefits of a pet door, there are also some drawbacks. While it may help to prevent accidents by allowing your dog or cat to go outside at will, it could also allow your pet to track mud inside the house. A pet door could also allow insect pests or wildlife to get into your home. You may be able to prevent this by installing a door that only responds to a sensor on your pet’s collar. Nevertheless, sometimes wild animals have help getting through a pet door. Specifically, house cats can catch rodents or snakes when they are out and bring them back inside through the pet door. Usually, the prey animals are dead by this time, but not always.

A pet door can allow air to leak out of your home and drafts to get in from around the edges. This can affect the energy efficiency of your home and potentially increase your utility bills. However, there are energy-efficient pet doors designed to prevent this or at least cut down on it.

Traditionally, pet doors have been installed in the exterior doors of the home, which are easy to replace as necessary. However, some pet doors are intended to install directly into the wall of the home, which means permanently altering its structure.

Ultimately, the type of pet you have may be the deciding factor as to whether or not to install a pet door. Cats can live out their lives happily indoors, and experts recommend that they not go out for their own sakes as well as that of local wildlife. Dogs, on the other hand, have to go outside from time to time. When you need to hire a handyman near me for a carpentry project, contact Handyman Connection in Brantford.