Cat Flap Fitting in Bristol

Family-run Bristol business · 20 years trade experience · Send us an enquiry with photos and we'll get back to you

Your cat flap options

Almost every cat flap enquiry comes down to one question: is it going into a solid panel, or into glass? They're different jobs at different prices, and which one applies is decided by your door, not by preference.

Into a door panel — £180 + VAT

If the lower half of your door is a solid panel, the opening is cut into it and the flap fitted directly. This is the cheaper and more straightforward of the two, and it's usually a single visit.

Into glass — £350 + VAT

If the door is glazed where you want the flap, the glass has to be replaced with a new unit that has the opening already made in it. This is the part people are surprised by, so it's worth explaining properly.

Toughened glass cannot be cut, drilled, or altered once it has been made. Any attempt to cut it doesn't leave a neat hole — the whole pane breaks into fragments. That's exactly what toughened glass is designed to do, and it's why it's used in doors in the first place. So the opening has to be formed while the unit is being manufactured, which means ordering a new sealed unit made to size with the cut-out included.

That's why the glass route costs more: you're buying a new made-to-order glass unit, not just the fitting work. It also means a lead time while the unit is made, rather than a same-visit job.

Before

After

A real Bristol job. The toughened pane had shattered around an existing cat flap — you can see how toughened glass breaks into thousands of small pieces rather than sharp shards. The replacement is a new sealed unit made with the cat flap opening already formed in it, because the hole cannot be cut afterwards.

What does it cost?

The cat flap itself isn't included in those prices. Which flap you fit is your choice — plain, locking, large-breed, or a microchip-reading one — and they vary a lot in price. Buy the one you want and we'll fit it; the figures above are for the work.

How long does it take?

A flap cut into a solid panel is normally done in one visit, once we've agreed the position and you have the flap.

The glass route takes longer, because the unit has to be made before anyone can fit it. The visit itself is short — it's the manufacturing that sets the timescale. We'll give you a realistic date when we confirm the order rather than a hopeful one.

Cat flaps and bifold doors

Bifolds are the one case where we won't give you a price off a list. It's the same job as any glazed door — a new unit made with the cut-out — but whether it works comes down to the panel itself. A flap needs a decent margin of glass all round it, so a wide panel is usually fine and a narrow one isn't. The panels also fold back and stack to one side, so where the flap sits matters more than it would on an ordinary door.

Send us a photo of the doors and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a runner. What we won't do is quote it blind.

To be clear, that's about cat flaps only. We do repair and reglaze bifolds — see bifold door repair for the work we do carry out on them, including replacing failed and broken bifold glass.

If it turns out yours isn't a runner, the usual alternatives are a nearby window, an adjacent door, or a wall.

A few things worth knowing first

Position matters more than people expect. A flap needs to sit low enough for the cat and clear of the frame, the lock and any reinforcement inside the door. Send a photo of the whole door and we'll tell you what's workable.

Composite and modern doors need checking individually. Some manufacturers take a dim view of cutting into their panels, and it can affect an existing warranty. We'll be straight with you about that for your particular door rather than assuming.

It's a permanent alteration. Cutting a panel can't be undone; if you later remove the flap, that panel needs replacing. Worth thinking about if you're renting or planning to sell.

You choose and supply the flap. It isn't included in our price. Sizes vary a lot between makes and models — including the large and microchip-reading ones — and the opening has to match the one you've picked, so tell us what you've bought or are planning to buy and we'll confirm before anything is cut or ordered.

How to get a quote

The quickest route is a photo. One of the whole door, and one closer in on the area where you'd want the flap. From those we can almost always tell you whether it's the panel job or the glass job, and confirm the price, before anyone visits.

Frequently asked questions

• How much does it cost to fit a cat flap?

  £180 + VAT to cut one into a solid door panel, or £350 + VAT to fit into glass, which needs a new sealed unit. Both prices are for the work — the cat flap itself is not included.

• Do you supply the cat flap?

  No, that is your choice. Flaps vary a lot — plain, locking, large-breed, microchip-reading — and the right one depends on your cat and your budget. Buy the one you want and we will fit it.

• Can you cut a cat flap into my existing double glazing?

  Not into the existing pane. Toughened glass cannot be cut, drilled or altered once it has been made — any attempt shatters the whole pane, which is exactly what toughened glass is designed to do. The opening has to be formed while the unit is being manufactured, so a flap in a glazed door means a new made-to-order sealed unit.

• Why does fitting into glass cost more than into a panel?

  Because you are buying a new made-to-order glass unit as well as the fitting work, rather than just the work. It also means waiting while the unit is made.

• Can you fit a cat flap into a bifold door?

  Usually yes, but it depends on the door. It is the same job as any glazed door — a new sealed unit made with the cut-out in it, not a hole cut into the glass you already have. What decides it is how wide the glass panel is: a flap needs a decent margin of glass all round it, so a wide panel is fine and a narrow one is not. Send us a photo of the doors and we will tell you straight which yours is.

• How long does it take?

  A flap cut into a solid panel is normally a single visit once the position is agreed and you have the flap. The glass route takes longer because the unit has to be made first; the fitting visit itself is short.

• Will fitting a cat flap affect my door warranty?

  It can. Some manufacturers take a dim view of cutting into their panels, and it is a permanent alteration — if the flap is later removed, that panel needs replacing. Send us a photo and we will be straight with you about your particular door before anything is cut.