Help me keep dog out of cat's room while allowing cat to move freely.

November 19, 2024 6:52 AM

My father and his large cat have recently moved in with me my wife and our 12 pound dog. Luckily his cat and our dog get along but we haven't figured out a solution to allow the cat to have free range of the house while not allowing my dog into my dad's bedroom where the cat's food and litter are. The cat is a grazer and the dog will vacuum up the food at any chance. Anybody have any tried and true suggestions?

We have tried raising the cat's food to a table, but in the first few days of trying it the cat seemed to be eating less, we suspect because its an older cat and really wasn't super comfortable jumping on the table. Also unfortunately the cat is slightly bigger than the dog so no solutions will work based on the dog being larger. We've also looked into invisible fence type solutions, but none we've found seem to have great reviews.

Has anyone solved this problem before and can share what worked for them? Thanks!

posted by lips to Pets & Animals (25 answers total)

How about an RFID collar activated food bowl for the cat? It opens when the cat is nearby and closes when it leaves. Could also consider an RFID cat/pet door such as this.
posted by jenny76 at 6:55 AM on November 19 [13 favorites]

I have two cats who can't have access to each other's food, and both eat out of one of these feeders, which read their microchips and allow only the "correct" cat to eat from each bowl. Not cheap, but I've had them for several years with zero issues.

They also make an RFID pet flap. Depending on your budget and situation, this could help you also solve the litter issue if you need to keep the dog out - you could just install one of these into the bedroom door. Obviously that's a bit more permanent, but it'd do the trick. I can vouch for this, too, being a high-quality long-lasting product.
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:00 AM on November 19 [6 favorites]

We used to put a baby gate on the doors of rooms the dogs weren't allowed into. Easy to install and use and work well unless your dog is a big jumper.
posted by Zumbador at 7:13 AM on November 19 [14 favorites]

Agree that a baby gate is a great answer if it makes sense for the size and jump ability of the dog.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:16 AM on November 19 [3 favorites]

I've always had the cats food up high where the dog can't get it (on top of the fridge in my case). I also have top entry litter boxes to discourage the dog from messing with them.
posted by klugarsh at 7:27 AM on November 19 [1 favorite]

I too have a 15lb grazing dog and 2 geriatric cats, so I'm dealing with similar issues. I keep the cat food on a table, but I also have a stool next to the table. The cats can still jump to the stool and then jump to the table, but the dog has not figured that out.

I also use a low pet gate (the lowest you can by) to keep the dog from the litter and other rooms. I keep another pair of stools on either side of the gate to help the cats get over, although the cats seem to be able to still jump over the gate without assistance. My pup even does agility and could jump over the gate if it was on a course, but without the proper running start she cant. Cats thankfully don't have that limitation!

If the dog ever figures out the stools though, I'm going to have to re-evaluate my whole setup. The key factor that does allow this to work is the dog is also cat-sized. Bigger dogs will just step over the gate.
posted by cgg at 7:28 AM on November 19 [2 favorites]

I've had good success with the Door Buddy prop latch--you swap it out with your normal strike plate and it keeps the door latched open enough for the cat to go through. Obviously this works better if the dog is larger than the cat, but very often dogs are not willing to sneak through a small gap like this even if they technically fit. For about $20 it's an option worth considering.
posted by radiogreentea at 7:31 AM on November 19 [2 favorites]

The Petlibro RFID feeders are expensive but have saved my multi-cat household with mixed eating styles. We use the dry food one but I believe they have a wet food one too if that's what the cat eats. Our fat cat has become much less fat now that he can't steal the grazers' food. Maybe sign up for emails, they do run sales sometimes and I wouldn't be surprised to see Black Friday deals soon.
posted by misskaz at 7:37 AM on November 19 [1 favorite]

Maybe the cat is more comfortable walking up a long ramp (or catwalk if you will) than the dog?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 7:40 AM on November 19 [1 favorite]

Definitely look at the RFID-controlled food dish situation. We have a pair of these for our two cats to prevent one from eating the other's food. Our cats came microchipped, but you can get collars that pair with the feeders.
posted by briank at 8:22 AM on November 19

I've known people that have used a large plastic storage container and put a chip-responsive cat flap in it to make a private "dining room" for the cat, like this.

Of course, you have to get the cat accustomed to eating in the box, which not all cats will do, but perhaps yours will? Put some newspaper or something in the bottom of the box so it feels nice under paws. Warm the plastic with a hairdryer before you cut, to prevent cracking.
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:40 AM on November 19 [2 favorites]

Just use a baby gate. Since presumably your father is older, use one of the style that you can firmly attach to the wall and has a latch and swings open, not the type that "stretches" and he'd have to step over. (They have plastic or nicer-looking metal ones, and there are taller options if you think your dog might jump over the shorter ones.)
posted by stormyteal at 9:03 AM on November 19 [2 favorites]

When we unexpectedly had a friend's cat living with us for a short period of time and wanted to keep our dogs out of their food and litter box, we used baby gate. We put about an 8-in gap between the floor and the bottom of the baby gate so that the cat could scoot under the baby gate with no problem but our dogs could not. This obviously depends on you having dogs larger than toy size!
posted by canine epigram at 9:27 AM on November 19

If the dog getting into the cat litter is an issue that keeps RFID food bowls from being a total solution, they also make RFID cat doors. It would involve modifying the door, of course, so is a bit more work as a solution.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:50 AM on November 19

We cut pet doors into most of our interior doors and the RFID one (keyed to the pet's microchip) has worked very well. It's a permanent change but I really appreciate being able to control pet access when needed.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:15 AM on November 19

Baby gate, plus a chair on either side so the cat can jump up and over the gate. You may have to try different chairs. I had a cat and dog, and made a little car area where the cat had enough room to jump to the she;lf with food, the dog could not manage it. That house had a funny spot that worked well, but you might be able to make a closet work.
posted by theora55 at 11:39 AM on November 19

A friend of mine used a variation on the baby gate solution, where she left a gap under the gate that the cat could fit through, but the dog could not. (May not be workable with a large cat and small dog though!)
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 11:47 AM on November 19

Response by poster: Hi all, thanks for so many great ideas! I'm diving into research now.

Couple little notes, first off the cat is bigger than the dog so nothing will work that depends on it being a larger dog.

I'm a little concerned about a gate as the cat is older and not the most athletic of creatures, also dad gets confused sometimes and I worry about him forgetting how to use the gate.

For the people who used the RFID bowls, was there issues getting the cat to use it? I'm leaning towards that solution but the cat is a tad bit picky.

Thanks again everybody!
posted by lips at 1:13 PM on November 19 [1 favorite]

We got rfid bowls for two cats that needed really different foods. One cat (Rubric Ann) was a low reps mad scientist who could figure out a novel situation pmuch instantly; the other (Yunior Marie) needed to see it several times to get it.

The Petsafe rfid feeders we got have training settings so you can start by leaving the feeder open, and then gradually reduce the time open when the designated eater walks away. We were able to train Yunior how to use her own feeder within a day or two so we could set Rubric’s feeder to slam shut the second she walked away.

The feeders look intimidating but they’re actually quite easy to program and learn, for humans and animals. I would add that if possible you could put in some really high value treats to make initial learning attractive.
posted by toodleydoodley at 1:22 PM on November 19

We installed an RFID cat flap in our bedroom door, and that has worked perfectly well for our somewhat similar situation (different in that the unwelcome guests are other cats, one of them both bigger and more agile, so using a cat-jumpable baby gate was not an option at all, though we had also had that work previously when it was cat v dog). I was able to install it with a drill and a jigsaw* without even dismounting the door, though I almost certainly would have disappointed anyone from OSHA if they'd seen me. It is worth noting that the locking/unlocking mechanism is not entirely quiet, nor is the flap itself, so when our one cat gets restless and goes in and out, it can disturb our sleep a bit. They do make quieter ones if you're willing to pay more.

*Which I obtained specifically for this purpose, to give you an idea of how infrequently I tackle DIY projects, so it's not exactly a job you need Bob Vila for.
posted by solotoro at 2:14 PM on November 19

We also keep our aging cats' food on a table, and there's a stepstool that the cats can use to easily get up on the table. (At least one of them can jump up on the table directly, but they both appreciate the stool as an option).
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:56 PM on November 19

Nthing the RFID feeders. We use them with our dogs and they have been the perfect solution. One of our dogs is very sensitive and skittish but he got comfortable with it after a few days and it’s been great ever since.
posted by pearlybob at 3:30 AM on November 20

Nthing the RFID feeders. A note on that - one of my cats is a giant ragdoll and his neck ruff touches the archway of the feeder. So he will use it, but it annoys him. Smaller 11lb short hair cat uses his just fine.

For the litter situation, you could get a litter robot, so the poop doesn't stay in the bowl very long after being deposited. Dog would probably learn pretty quickly that it's not a snack dispenser.
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:47 AM on November 20

We used a baby gate to keep our dog out of the room where the cats did their business. Most baby gates open like doors for ease of use for people.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:53 AM on November 20

The other option is to wean the cat from being a grazer. This is also better for their health if you are able to do it.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:49 PM on November 20