Pets and the RV

[Sez_Hoo_]

HELP needed~advice...we are having issues with the screen material separating from the spline when our cat pushes against it. Any suggestions? We are getting ready to purchase pet resistant screen material that is tear proof to eliminate the issue of screen tears (our dog insists on shredding the screen door screening in an attempt to get out to us) NO, beating him is not an option so please don't suggest it! Investing in a roll of this material is pointless if the screen keeps separating from the spline giving them a clear escape route. Anyone have to address this issue? Have a solution? Much appreciated.

[DiskDoctr]

Electric fencer. The 'survivors' will learn :R :B


Just kidding. You can get metal screening instead of the plastic/nylon junk. Should help.

[sayoung]

Thats_Ok wrote:
We travel with four dawgs.
Haven't had problems with attempts to escape.

We have thought about a 36" x 33" pet grill similar to below:


Around 40 bucks available at a large retail home improvement center.
Comes in white, gray and black.

x2

[Johno02]

Instead of plexiglass, use clear Lexan. a bit more expensive, but it is a lot tougher. Install it top and bottom. cats will probably still shred the screen, but scratched lexan can be replaced. De-Clawing will absolutely stop it.

[sowego]

Some manufacturers weld on the expanded steel mesh to the bottom of screen doors. So, we bought a piece and put it on the inside with screws and found a plastic edging to keep the edge from being sharp or catchy. The window screening material remains in place attached with splines on the outside. The pet screen material is only as good as the splines and they don't hold against an animal pulling at it with their nails or pushing really hard. Hardware cloth wire/hail screen/rabbit wire would work well on the upper 1/2 because it would not obstruct your view.

For the window situation from the cat leaning on it...my only guess is the pushing may be too hard to do much about it or the spline is old and dried out. Maybe if you replaced it with new it might help. My only other choice would be to apply hardware cloth wire over the screen on the inside so it might ease the stress on the screen.

My main issue with screens is they slide too easily in the track and have no latch to hold them from being slid aside. I solved that my using blue painters tape at the window edge, catching in the screen frame but easy enough to remove and it does not leave residue.

[Go_Dogs]

Choose a breed, that is not known for barking, unless you want a dog that will alert you. Choose a breed that matches your activity level. Get it as a pup, establish yourself as an Alpha leader, instruct the dog in acceptable/nonacceptable behavior. Keep the dog mentally/physically balanced, etc., etc.
As the dog gets bigger and realizes he cannot get out of the door, he will move on to the windows, etc. I would hate to see that rig in a few months. Not everyone that wants a dog, should have one.
The other options: shock it, drug it, confine it, or give it to someone else.


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[ddschuman]

In our previous TT, after replacing the screen a few times, we put heavy gauge rabbit wire (purchased at Tractor Supply) over the screen. We attached it with rivets and then put a decorative screen door attachment over the top (purchased at Camping World). We spent about $30 total on the project and it took only about 20-30 minutes. We never had to worry about our pup scratching the screen again and it looked nice. Our pup is now 3 years old and has traveled with us enough to know we are not abandoning her if we step outside or leave her only to go to the store or something so she doesn't even bother the screen in our FW. I do have the option of using a child gate with the design of our FW to block the door, but I haven't felt the need to do so. She is usually right along beside us when we go places so she is left very little alone and never for very long. I can see when that would be more difficult with a cat.

[FunnyCamper]

trying to get at the screen. Do you have a scratching post in the camper for the cat? might just be wanting a manicure 🙂

[Sez_Hoo_]

The dog doesn't go near the door when we are home. He only paws at the door when we are away. We had the window open and the screen closed and he pushed the screen right out of the frame, spline and all. I have replaced the screens and the splines on the screen door. I cannot seem to find the smaller size spline for the windows. And that is where I think the problem is, the window splines are worn and are not gripping as well as they should. As for the screen door, putting the metal pet guard would work well for the lower part of the door but it would obstruct my view while driving if it were put on the top half. The dog will stand on the dash to look out the windshield and that is when he paws at the upper part of the door.

[Ski_Pro_3]

I'm surprised I haven't seen it mentioned; a shock collar. No, they are not cruel. It's a training tool. You'll have to invest some time and money, but within a few attempts, that pup is going to assume that door hurts like hell!! He won't go near it. My dog gets his collar on and immediately lays down on his bed. (His safe zone where he knows he can't get into trouble and get shocked.) It's important the dog doesn't associate you with the correction or else he won't behave when you are not around. It's even better if he doesn't associate the collar and to that end, several manufacturers make fake collars for the dog to wear when not being trained or when the live collar needs to be on.

[pompomgirl]

Are these pet grills opaque? I need something to keep them from seeing passing dogs and going crazy barking.

[Dtaylor]

Here you go. Screen door fix

[crabbin_cabin]

WyoTraveler wrote:
How about training the dog? Beating doesn't help but training would.

By far the best (only?) solution. Train them!!

[Old-Biscuit]

brirene wrote:
Maybe too easy, but is the spline seated in the groove correctly? You probably know there is a specialized tool for that purpose, and insuring correct seating really increases the strength. Fwiw.

X2
And using the correct size spline

OP..that screen material is really good stuff.
Dog torn the OEM screen door material with her nails.
Replaced 5 yrs. ago with the tear proof---pet resistant material and no more tears.

[wny_pat1]

brirene wrote:
Maybe too easy, but is the spline seated in the groove correctly? You probably know there is a specialized tool for that purpose, and insuring correct seating really increases the strength. Fwiw.

One thing to remember is that the pet screen is heavier that regular screen, and that there are different sized of spline available. Make sure you get the right spline for the screen frame. And pet screen may be to heavy for RV screen doors. My thought is the grill might be better! When I did mine, I removed the door and took it to the hardware store to have it done. They had a handy man who was expert with these kind of repairs. He knew about the different sizes of spline and everything!