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Almost every problem with a pet door installation comes from one mistake, made right at the beginning: choosing the door before working out what it has to go through. Get that order the wrong way round and you can pay a glazier to cut a pane, only to discover the animal now faces a security screen, or that the model you bought does not suit the thickness of your glass.

So this guide runs in the order the job actually happens. Surface first, then model, then who does the work.

Step one — what is the pet going through?

Four surfaces cover essentially every Australian home, and each one leads somewhere different.

Surface	Range you need	Shape of opening	Who does it
Glass — slider, French door, fixed panel, window	Glass fitting	Round	A glazier
Timber — back door, laundry door, garage door	Wood fitting	Rectangular	You, with the supplied template
Security screen or flywire	Wood fitting, usually	Rectangular	A screen installer
A wall	Tunnel models	Rectangular	A builder or handyman

The reason the wood fitting range keeps appearing is that it mounts through a flat panel. A timber door is a panel, a screen is a panel, and a lined wall opening behaves like one. Glass fitting doors work differently — they clamp around a pane, which is why they only suit glass.

Dog door installation

Dog doors carry more weight, take more punishment and need a bigger opening than cat doors, so two things matter more than they do for cats.

Get the size right the first time. Measure your dog across the widest part of the shoulders and choose a flap comfortably wider than that measurement. Where two sizes would both work, take the larger. A dog that has to compress itself to get through will use the door for a fortnight and then go back to standing at the glass waiting for you.

Think about where the dog lands. A dog coming through at speed needs somewhere sensible to arrive — not the top of a step, not a garden bed. The single most common installation regret is siting a dog door somewhere that made sense on paper and not in the yard.

Three glass fitting sizes cover the range, from small dogs up to medium to semi-large dogs, plus a timber model with the tallest flap of all.

Cat door installation

Cats are simpler to size and fussier about position. A cat door works best when it is somewhere the cat already goes, at a height it can step through rather than jump to.

The commonest cat installation in Australia is a round opening cut into a glass slider or a glazed back door, which is a routine hour of glazing work. The second commonest is a rectangular opening in a timber laundry door, which most people do themselves.

One thing worth deciding before you order: whether you need to control who comes in. Every flap in the range has a four-way lock — fully open, in only, out only, or locked shut — and in-only is what stops your cat going out at night while still letting it home.

What actually happens on the day

1. The surface is checked and measured For glass, the installer confirms thickness and whether the pane is toughened. For timber, the panel thickness is measured. This decides which model can be used at all.
2. The opening is formed In glass, a circular aperture. Where the pane is toughened or double glazed it is not cut at all — a replacement pane or unit is manufactured with the opening already in it. In timber, a rectangular cut-out marked from the supplied template.
3. The two halves are fitted The door body goes through from one side and the trim from the other, and they clamp together on the surface. Glass models seal around the pane; panel models screw through.
4. The flap is checked to swing and seal It should hang closed under its own weight and sit flush against the seal all the way round with no gap.
5. The pet is introduced Prop the flap open, get on the other side, and call them through. Most animals have it within a few days.

What pet door installation costs

There are two costs and they come from two different places.

The door. Priced on this site, the same anywhere in Australia. Delivery is a flat $10 for up to ten doors including GST, dispatched within one to two business days and delivered in two to ten.

The installation. Quoted by whoever does the work. We are the manufacturer, not an installation company — we do not set installation prices and we take no share of them, so any figure we published would be a guess. What we can tell you is what moves the number:

• Toughened glass — the pane is replaced rather than cut, so there is new glass to pay for. This is the single biggest factor.
• Double glazing — a whole sealed unit is remade. Bigger again.
• Single glazing — cut in place, and the cheapest glass option.
• Timber — free, if you do it yourself.

Ring two or three installers and give each of them exactly the same details, because that is what makes quotes comparable: which door, what it is made of, the thickness, whether the glass is toughened, and the cut-out diameter of the model you have chosen.

Should you do it yourself?

	Do it yourself	Use a trade
Timber door	Yes — template supplied, needs a jigsaw and a drill	Only if you would rather not
Glass	No	Always — a glazier
Security screen	No, if it is certified	A screen installer
Wall	Only if you are confident	Usually — the opening must be lined

The line is simple. Anything involving glass goes to a glazier, because a mis-cut pane is destroyed and cannot be recovered. Timber is genuinely a home job and always has been.

Sizes and cut-outs

Every model is sized by its flap opening. Measure the animal across the shoulders at the widest point, choose a flap comfortably wider, and go up rather than down when you are between two.

Glass fitting — the cut-out figure is what your glazier needs

Model	Suits glass	Cut-out	Flap opening (W × H)
Original Cat Door	3–10 mm	245 mm	165 × 193 mm
Slimline Pet Door	3–21 mm	267 mm	187 × 203 mm
Small Dog Door	3–28 mm	267 mm	187 × 203 mm
Intermediate Dog Door	4–32 mm	320 mm	216 × 250 mm
Dog Door — medium to semi-large dogs	3–32 mm	385 mm	270 × 313 mm

Wood fitting — for timber, screens and lined wall openings

Model	Fits panels	Flap opening (W × H)
Slim line cat door	11–30 mm	155 × 170 mm
Cat door tunnel	11–52 mm	155 × 170 mm
Small dog door	11–30 mm	180 × 240 mm
Dog door	5–36 mm	270 × 320 mm

Answer a few questions and we will name one model →

Installation in your area

We deliver to every state and territory. Six independent installers are listed in our network, and where there is no listing, any qualified local glazier can fit a glass model.

Guides by city

Installers by state

Other areas we deliver to

Orders go anywhere in Australia at the same flat rate, including Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland; Newcastle, Central Coast and Wollongong in New South Wales; Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria; Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania; Darwin and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory; and Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Bunbury in Western Australia. Regional and remote deliveries should allow the longer end of the delivery window.

Pet door installation questions

How much does pet door installation cost in Australia?

There is no single figure, because the installer sets it and we do not. What determines it is the surface: cutting a single-glazed pane in place is the cheapest glass option, a toughened pane means buying a replacement pane, and a double glazed unit means remaking the whole sealed unit. A timber door costs nothing at all if you fit it yourself. Ring two or three installers with identical details and compare — that is the only reliable way to get a real number for your job.

How long does a pet door take to install?

A straightforward glass installation is usually an hour or two on site. A timber door is about an hour if you are doing it yourself. What stretches the timeline is not the fitting but the glass: if your pane is toughened or double glazed it has to be manufactured with the opening already in it, so there is a lead time before anyone can attend.

Can any glazier install a pet door?

Yes. Cutting a circular aperture in a pane is standard domestic glazing work and does not require a pet door specialist. Look for a glazier who does on-site domestic work rather than a shopfront or windscreen business, and give them the cut-out diameter of the model you have chosen — 245 mm, 267 mm, 320 mm or 385 mm depending on the door. That figure is the one they cannot quote without.

Can a pet door be installed in a sliding glass door?

Yes, and it is the most common installation in the country. The consideration is that slider panes are often toughened, which means the existing pane is not cut — a new one is made with the opening already formed and swapped in. Look for a small etched stamp in a bottom corner of the pane to find out, and tell the glazier what you find when you ask for a quote.

Can I install a pet door myself?

Into timber, yes — the wood fitting range is designed for exactly that and ships with a cutting template and instructions. You need a jigsaw and a drill. Into glass, no. A pane that is cut incorrectly is destroyed and cannot be repaired, so glass is always a job for a glazier.

What size pet door do I need?

Choose by flap opening, never by breed name. Measure your animal across the widest part of the shoulders and pick a flap comfortably wider than that figure. Flap openings across the range run from 155 × 170 mm up to 270 × 320 mm. When two sizes would both technically work, take the larger — a pet that has to squeeze will stop using the door.

Do you install pet doors yourselves?

No. Pet-Tek is the manufacturer — we have made Catwalk® and Dogwalk® doors since 1999 and we supply them across Australia — but installation is carried out by independent tradespeople. Six installers are listed on this page by state, and in states without one, any qualified local glazier can do the work.

Does installing it myself void the warranty?

No. The 3-year product warranty covers the door regardless of who fits it, including if you fit it yourself. What it does not cover is the installation work — that responsibility sits with whoever carried it out, which is a reason to use a licensed glazier for anything involving glass. Read the warranty →

Can a pet door go through a wall?

Yes, with the tunnel models, which are built for thicker sections and take panels from 11 mm up to 52 mm. Anything deeper needs the opening lined by the installer so the door body has a solid panel to clamp to. Discuss the wall thickness before you order, because a standard body cannot be extended to reach.

Do you deliver everywhere in Australia?

Yes, every state and territory at the same flat rate — $10 for up to ten doors, GST included. Orders are dispatched within one to two business days and delivery takes two to ten business days from there. Capital cities usually sit at the faster end; regional, remote, WA and NT deliveries should allow the full window. Shipping details →