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Pet Gate - Is 30" Tall Enough?

post #1 of 20
5/25/11 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 
I'd really like to get this gate, so I can just block off one wing of the house when I have people coming in and out frequently, without having to close a door and lock them in a single room.

I REALLY like this gate, but is 30" tall enough?

http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-G15-Gate...377350&sr=1-16
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post #2 of 20
5/25/11 at 9:21pm
No, not nearly tall enough.

When I got Spencer and Katie they were 4 months old and I needed to separate them from Abby so that they could all see each other and still feel safe.

I went to Walmart and invested in 2 cheap baby gates and put one on top of the other so it was really tall. The gates were really cheap...about $15.00 each.



There is no "walk through door" though as in the one you saw at Amazon. To go beyond the ones I have you need to remove them and put them back up behind you.
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post #3 of 20
5/25/11 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, saved some money from a bad purchase. Darn, OK, well I'm looking for something that will be open most of the time and won't mark up the walls on the hallway entrance where it will be put, so no permanent holes.

How about this one:
http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-Extra-Ta...6384047&sr=1-5

Its 42" tall.
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post #4 of 20
5/25/11 at 9:42pm
42 inches is 3'6" tall. Can your cats jump that high? They don't have to clear it in a single jump, cats can spring board.

The gates that I have are removable. They aren't installed with screws or anything. Just place them where you want and using the spring loaded lever set to the required distance, you just press it down and the gate stays in place. The edges that sit next to the wall have white rubber stoppers so it doesn't mark up the wall.

Personally I think you should go to a department store and look at baby gates in person. It is much easier to judge what you need based on seeing each kind and how they work, than trying to figure it out from a picture.
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post #5 of 20
5/25/11 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, yeah I went to BabiesRUs and they had next to nothing, said they'd have to order it... lame. Hadn't gone to Walmart yet, so will hit them up. Trying to order tonight though so I'll have it for this weekend.
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post #6 of 20
5/26/11 at 6:43am
If I were you, I'd try to make whatever you use to block the entryway at least 4 feet tall. I know Scotty, as big as he is, can clear 4 feet pretty easily, but if your cats aren't good jumpers, it might be tall enough to keep them from jumping over.
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post #7 of 20
5/26/11 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
Thanks, saved some money from a bad purchase. Darn, OK, well I'm looking for something that will be open most of the time and won't mark up the walls on the hallway entrance where it will be put, so no permanent holes.

How about this one:
http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-Extra-Ta...6384047&sr=1-5

Its 42" tall.
42" tall might just do it. But here is the thing with those gates, I had one too, and my cats were able to squeeze right through the bars!!! It depends on the size of your cats, I guess. I did the same thing as Natalie, doubling up two gates stacked on top of each other. They are easy to put up and take down. Walmart carries some, they are dark brown and only about $20.00 each.
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post #8 of 20
5/26/11 at 7:20am
With some cats I have had luck with the bar gates. no cats with the mesh gates they just climb them SO easily.

I saw a friend had a pretty tall gate that was solid plastic worked well for some time till cats got a few notches into it

Home depot offers screen doors for about 30-40 when I was there last year(they are wood framed) may be something to look at depending on their personalities.
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post #9 of 20
5/26/11 at 7:24am
I was going to suggest a screen door, too. Not sure how much the installation would mess up the walls (I would think it would have 3 hinges, so probably 9 or more screws). You could paint it to match your decor and use a simple hook and eye to keep it closed.
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post #10 of 20
5/26/11 at 7:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsallaround View Post
With some cats I have had luck with the bar gates. no cats with the mesh gates they just climb them SO easily.

I saw a friend had a pretty tall gate that was solid plastic worked well for some time till cats got a few notches into it

Home depot offers screen doors for about 30-40 when I was there last year(they are wood framed) may be something to look at depending on their personalities.
Yes, that is true some cats will climb those plastic mesh gates. Here is another suggestion and I use this for my foster room so they can see out but not leave the room and my cats can see them. It is a piece of plexi-glass about five feet tall and a few inches wider than the door. I put duck tape all around the edges and it slides back and forth in the door. I use something real heavy to hold it in place on the bottom up against the molding on the inside of the room and a hook on top that keeps the plexi in place too and I just slide it back and forth to go in and out of the room. I have had only one cat who tried to scale it so I put a scat mat and hung it along the top of the plexi and then that cat never tried again. I can try to get a picture of it and post it so you can see. It has worked out so well over the years. I love it because my foster's feel like a part of the household because they can look out and watch what is going on in the house instead of being closed up behind a door. Also, my cats can go right up to the plexi and look at them and still be safe. It is also a great way to do introductions with new cats. They can visually see eachother without physically interacting.
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post #11 of 20
5/26/11 at 10:07am
I just got a First Years Everywhere Safety Gate from Amazon. It's my second one. The first I got at Target, but I couldn't find one at the three stores I tried lately. I intend to use them stacked on occasion, like when I need to corral my cats for trips to vet, groomer visits, etc. They are clear plastic in the middle and easy to use. I use the one every day to isolate Claude during dinner. But it is only 30" high.

I have Tonya in her room behind one of those gates with bars and the swing door. It's to keep the big boys who bother her out, because she can get through the bars if she wants to, and she sometimes does. And when the groomer last came, I stacked this gate with the plastic one on top. Harlow squeezed himself between the bars, and he weighs 12 lbs. Lily could go through the bars, too, but she just jumps over that gate (36") multiple times a day to eat Tonya's food and visit.

I had a cat who jumped to the top of open doors to rest up there. But others don't usually jump much.

I've been looking into retractable screen doors for a place I could use one and a regular door won't work. I'm afraid they don't secure well to keep the cats from getting through. Does anyone have any experience with them?

Robin
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post #12 of 20
5/26/11 at 11:59am
When Mooch and Noodles were kittens they climbed double stacked gates all the time!! I finally learned that if I put the top one up at an angle (back towards them) they couldn't climb out and it worked. Those lil stinkers even managed to get UNDER a closed door when they were first home with us!

Hope you find a solution that works for your kitties.
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post #13 of 20
5/26/11 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
I can try to get a picture of it and post it so you can see.
Could you please?
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post #14 of 20
5/26/11 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minka View Post
Could you please?
Yes, will do. Just give me a day or so. I am not computer savvy with pictures and need the assistance of my assistant, Larry, my DH
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post #15 of 20
5/27/11 at 10:55pm
If you're worried about messing up the walls, maybe a baby gate plus an instant screen door? That way the gate would prevent them from pushing through the bottom, and the screen door would prevent them from jumping over the gate.
By instant screen door, I mean like these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...n+door&x=0&y=0

They use velcro and things like that so it's not permanent.
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post #16 of 20
5/27/11 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 
Amazon has free return shipping for prime members, so I ordered the 42" per advice that the 30" was too short.

Its the tallest regular gate one I could find.

Trying to avoid a door one, as I like the idea of just picking up a cat and dropping him or her over the gate, get the next, and voila. Otherwise as soon as you have one in, you have to get through the door and grab the next and toss it in before the first gets back out... hah.

Watch them just be able to fit through the gap in the bars though.... lol! Will let you guys know how it goes.
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post #17 of 20
5/28/11 at 8:40am
I just noticed this thread so sorry I didn't post earlier. I have 4 shorter gates that I stack on top of each other. If the entire opening is not enclosed, mine simply climb over the baby gate. The height they can jump is irrelevant to a determined cat. I had a 6 week old kitten climb over a 42" gate once.

You need a screen door or multiple gates.
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post #18 of 20
5/29/11 at 2:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minka View Post
Could you please?
Ok here are some pictures of the plexi-glass to the foster room. I did have only one cat that tried to scale the plexi. I just drapped the scat mat over the top and that particular cat never tried again.

I put black duct tape around most of it. It has a hook at the top and I filled that can with coins (Larry always throws his loose change in that can) on the bottom to keep it in place as I slide it back and forth. You can use anything heavy though.


A close-up of the filled can. I also at one point filled the can with rocks.



Here is a close-up of the bent hook Larry installed at the top. The plexi slides easily back and forth and the bent hook keeps it in place at the top.



A view from inside the foster room looking out. It also slides behind that dresser, but you don't need the dresser for this set-up. Just the hook on the top and the heavy item on the bottom.



This is a view from outside the foster room looking in. Henry, my dog, and Pipsqueak are inside the foster room looking out. It slides all the way across to close and the door hinge area keeps the plexi secure


It has worked extremely well for us over the years and never wears out either. I do have a scat mat on that dresser on that wall just in case a cat decides to try to jump on the dresser from the bed and then over the plexi from the top of the dresser. They only try that once.
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post #19 of 20
5/31/11 at 5:50am
I use room screen dividers/ privacy screens..... you can buy them in most home furnishing stores they are tall (too tall to jump usually). I got ones that are bamboo - you can use any but mesh/paper for obvious reasons.

I use two as my door is open longer due to my wheelchair and they work well.
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post #20 of 20
5/31/11 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
I'll post up a video after a week, as I don't like to review something after a few hours of use... but so far....

LUUUUUUUUURV ITS!!!!

Working great, and it is crazy tall, especially since I couldn't put it flush with the floor due to the tall crown molding, but its low enough they can't squeeze under.

And I was super duper mean and tossed two treats through the gate, then closed it, and put two treats on the opposite side and walked down the hallway out of sight. Buttercup was meowing like CRAZY and I peaked and saw her try to squeeze through the bars and consider jumping several times to no avail. Her head fits up to the shoulder, but then she had to back out.

The actual installed height is exactly 43", and the top is too narrow for them to feel comfortable making that kind of leap to land and balance on so far. I also like that on this one the gate stays swung completely open with a reasonable amount of friction, so I don't have to prop it with anything.

What I like about it other than being easy to walk through, is that you can close it and THEN toss a cat over the top... ok, well, "place a cat" heh. Its just over 3.5 feet tall, and so I can put one cat over, and then get the next cat without worrying about opening a door and shoving her in without the first convict slipping by in the process. They can see and smell each other, so I'm thinking I can give Wesley an extra meal reaching over the top and putting him on the other side, and have him eat it since she'll still be there for company.
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