Alternative to cat flaps? (Also posted this in Pets section)

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

Don't know if anyone has this problem but we have 2 indoor cats and large heavy wooden doors that we are not able to put cat flaps in. They do all their business in the basement (we live on 4 floors of a large house) which means they always need to have access to it - which in turn means we have to leave the kitchen door open and the basement door open ALL THE TIME. The basement is more or less Arctic!
This is sooooo annoying because it means the house is freezing all the frickin time and never heats up! I have tried little door stoppers that close the door to a small gap - but it doesnt help.
Does anyone have an alternative to cat flaps in doors? Anyone else have this problem? Am i just doomed to a cold house and ridiculous heating bills? I am also reposting this in pets section.

no booyhoo - no under stairs cupboards unfortunately. that would be ideal. i will try that bicarb idea.

do you have a back hall/utility room/porch? sorry if you've already thought of all this. is there a downstairs loo? how big is your hallway?

my friend used to live in a very small house. her front hallway was tiny but she kept her litter tray there. she was very on top of the poo though so it never smelled unless the cat had gone in it while she was out. she had no other option and it wouldn't be my first choice but it may be ok if your hall was a big enough size. although, just thinking about it, that would be too dangerous for a crawling baby so maybe not then!

no back hall, no utility, no porch and no downstairs toilet. ha ha. No real hallway - u sort of come through the door into the living room straight away. There is a hall area at bottom of the stairs between living rm and kitchen. And yes i want to keep all cat goings on FAR AWAY from me and my baby - which is why the basement has been the answer to all our probs - if it wasnt for the bloody breeze of cold air!

hmm. failing all that then i would go with the other poster's suggestion of replacing the heavy wooden door with a cheapo one and fit a cat flap then put original door back on if you decide to move out.

before you do that though, take a quick walk around your house and see if any previously unnoticed knooks(/nooks?) spring up. alwyas worth a shot and costs nothing. you never know what you could end up with. in my last house it was the top of the landing as there was a good bit of unused space between top of the stairs and bathroom door and it was also handy for flushing poo and washing hands with minimal germ spreading.

ooh and before that (i move alot! ) it was the spot right behind the bathroom door that i'm sure most people keep their laundry hamper in. it was the perfect size for a litter tray.

oh thank u - i will do that. its so big and we prob havent explored it properly yet.

good luck. i'm sure you'll find a spot for it somewhere. you can always put up stair gates at doorways for when baby is mobile.

I did a Maturapaper about this. It's in german though and a lot of work but if you're determined I can send the pdf to you through email