I didn’t get to work on the Turtle Power Pool last night because when I got home from work, Boo was guarding the package containing the fiercely expensive cat door from the UK.

I’d just gone out at lunch and got the plywood, which was fortuitous, considering I expected the door to arrive next week. I’d planned to fancy up the “portal” and paint it to match the door (match-ish…door paint is oooooold), but considering we’d become reduced to putting two concrete blocks in front of the existing cat door to keep trash pandas out at night, I decided to go for it. Doesn’t need to be pretty, just needs to keep trash pandas out!

It was hot, but even so, the installation went okay.

Inside:

Outside (you can see where trash pandas have chipped/peeled bits off the door as they figured out how to move the bucket of salt we’d been placing in front of the door before we had to switch to concrete):

Box. “Scream and gurgle as they skewered his cat flap for want of a farthing…” Hehe.

I’d thought there was one tag with the door, but there was not. No big deal since I’d got two packs, so I still had one left over for the first time (of what I’m sure will be many) that one of the cats loses his tag and can’t get inside.

The cats are all scared of the latch click when it opens, but they’ll get used to it, and the trash pandas weren’t able to get inside (though they did try) last night. I just hope they don’t break it; the total for the door and tags was $152, and then I had to buy a sheet of 1/4″ plywood to make the “portal”. Expensive cats…or trash pandas…or both, I guess. Anyway, it’s installed, and P put on new Seresto collars and their RFID tags last night, so they’re all geek kittehs…that are afraid of their own door.