Customer Reviews

Ideal Pet Products 5-by-9-Inch Small Ruff-Weather Pet Door with Telescoping Frame

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second one of this brand we've installed. We have owned other brands and found that they leaked alot of air and the flaps often didn't flop down squarely. The other issue we had with some was the dog would stick his head through the one sized for cats to check things out. With the double flaps and telescoping area in between them, the air loss is much less, the flaps fall "square" and the dog doesn't put his head in the middle as he doesn't get his nose all the way through. Again, ours is the littlest, we use it for cats. The cats do all use it, but it is higher stress for them than the one flap system. They don't like it as well, it seems to strain their brains pushing two flaps open and not just one.

We purchased this product along with the Ideal Pet Products Wall kit. The goal was to allow our cats to walk out into the porch through the 6" walls. I have installed many pet doors before but only in regular doors. The first challenge was to cut an opening in the inside and match it plumb and square with the reciprocating opening in the outside wall--very difficult to accomplish. If the openings do not line up exactly, you won't get the long bolts to align. The second major difficulty was to fit the extender. Both sides of the door need to be in place while you try to install the extender. The extender tends to collapse inside the wall, causing you to start all over with aligning the doors. We ended up hiring a carpenter who spent three hours and barely got it installed. This is a job for a professional carpenter, definitely NOT DIY!

I really studied a lot of pet doors before deciding to purchase this one. I am not sorry. My two cats use it all they time. I am only using one flap because the cats took awhile to get used to it. I may try putting on the other flap before the weather gets too cold. I like the fact that when they come in and go out, the magnet that holds the door makes a clicking sound alerting me to the fact that one or the other is entering or leaving. The only improvement I could suggest would be a way to allow them to enter but not exit since I have trouble getting them both in at the same time at night. Of course when they both come in for the night, I drop the door.

This is for the Ruff Weather small door although we also purchased the small size Ideal Pet door in small as well. The two are very similar; both are fairly easy to install, have a nice frame with a finished appearance and slide in door that closes securely when not in use.

The primary difference between the two is price. This one is more expensive but contains TWO flaps rather than one...making this a great option for inclmenent weather. This is also slightly larger than the other option. If you are price sensitive and do not need extra insulation/dual flaps for the weather, opt for the standard version and save some money. We own both and use one for the outter garage door and one for the inner garage door leading to the house...the two look similar in appearance so works perfectly!

No more snagged tails due to hard plastic, no more raccoons sneaking in thanks to secure closures and no more gunky build-up on a lock...FAR superior product compared to others on the market!

The telescoping parts barely still mated when installed in a standard-thickness door, about 2 inches, and it took some finagling to get all 4 screws to thread at the same time, but all in all the install went as expected and the door functions as advertised. It does protrude on each side, but only by about 2 inches, creating a little tunnel which my cat figured out in no time. Good construction. The picture only shows one side. Each side is almost identical.

I ordered the small but my wide body poddle would'nt fit thru. I returned this & got the medium, which I will review when asked