Pets are loving companions that almost every family has at home. To repay that love and stress-relief that these beloved pets bring, pet owners would need to provide a comfortable life for their dogs, cats, or other pets. One of the items that owners should have to make pets more comfortable is a pet door.
A pet door is a type of small door that is installed at the lower section of the house’s door (usually the front door or back door) and gives a convenient entrance and exit for pets without the need to open the whole house door. There are a few pets that can benefit from pet doors, and in this article, we will talk more about those pets and the advantages of having a cat door or dog door in your house. Without, without any more delays, here is the list of pets that you should install a pet door for. Also, learn how you should raise a cat when you have a baby and what are the things that you must be aware of.
Pets that Can Benefit from Pet Doors
Almost all pets cannot open big house doors due to their size and because they don’t have human hands that can properly grip door knobs. So, having a pet door would allow animals to get in and out of the house without the need for their owners to open the door for them. Here are the pets that can fully use pet doors to their advantage.
Cats
Some cats like to explore outdoors instead of staying at home, and for those feline companions, a pet door will be very convenient to have since they can go outside whenever they want, even if the front or back door is closed. Interestingly, pet doors were believed to have been invented before the 14th century as a way for feral cats to get inside homes and hunt rodent pests that are feeding on stored food. Through pet doors, which are first introduced as pet holes, feral cats slowly became domesticated.
Dogs
Besides cats, dogs are also benefiting from having pet doors in the house, as they can go for a stroll, a walk, or a run in the front yard or backyard with ease by just pushing the pet door. However, since most dogs are larger than cats, you may need to install a bigger pet door in your house, which can often be more expensive than the smaller pet doors. Pet doors for dogs were popularized in North America, where dogs are usually more popular to keep or purchase as pets compared to cats. But, to prevent dogs from going outside the property, homeowners would usually lead the pet doors to fenced-in yards.
Rabbits
Although it is uncommon, pet rabbits can also use pet doors if they are properly trained to do so. Training a rabbit is much harder than training dogs, but through perseverance, you will be able to teach it to use a pet door conveniently. Besides using a pet door, a rabbit can also be litter-trained since they have an instinct to pee and poop in one spot, much like cats.
Advantages of Having Pet Doors
There are various advantages to having pet doors, and these advantages are mainly connected to the convenience of the comfort of your pets around the house or in the yard. Here are the benefits of having pet doors.
Have Easy Access to the Yard
As mentioned previously, the advantage of having a pet door is that your pets will be able to have easier access to the yard. Instead of waiting for their owners to open the doors, the pets can just simply push the flap or the small door at the bottom to get out of the house.
Keeps Your Pet Active
A pet would often need to get some exercise to stay fit and healthy, so a pet door is a great way for them to go out into the yard and walk or run around as exercise. A pet door can also help in keeping your pet active so that he or she won’t just sleep inside the house all day.
Reduces Boredom
Boredom can sometimes be detrimental to the health of your pet, as it can lead to aggressiveness and compulsive chewing and scratching of items and furniture at home. To kill boredom, your pets would need to go outdoors often, which is why a pet door allows them to freely walk around the yard to have fun.
Can Escape Danger within the House Faster
In case of fire or any other disasters that may occur inside the home, a pet door will allow your beloved pet to get outside without having to worry about calling them or bringing them with you. If they are properly trained to use a pet door, they will leave the house immediately in the sight of major danger.
Allow Pets to Inspect Suspicious Noises or Strangers Outside Better
If there are suspicious noises, strangers, and animals outside your home, your pets will be able to inspect those better by using the pet door to go to your yard. Because they have better access to the yard, your pets can give you better security and can warn if there is someone trying to break into your property.
Scare Off Intruders
Besides alerting you, the bark of pet dogs can also scare off intruders who may want to get inside your home. With a pet door, dogs can intimidate intruders more aggressively since they can hurriedly run outside and bark at suspicious people.
So, those are the pets that can use a pet door and the benefits of having pet doors in your home. Pet doors are very convenient to have when you are taking care of a pet, and it could even be considered a necessity since it provides so many benefits for pets. So, if you want to own a pet or if you already have one, it is great if you can install a pet door in the front or back door for your pets to enjoy the outdoors. However, be sure to install fences in the yard so that your pets won’t walk or run too far away from home.