Kirklees Council's new doors mean no cat flaps for pets

PETS are being frozen out by council bosses – after their owners were told they couldn’t have cat flaps installed in new doors.

Kirklees Council’s ruling means that dozens of cats and dogs face being left out in freezing temperatures as the cold snap continues to bite.

The problem came to light when Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing offered tenants new safer UPVC doors as part of a rolling programme across the district.

Clr Christine Stanfield said many residents in her ward took the housing service provider up on its offer of a new door, believing they would be able to have cat flaps fitted to them.

But the doors have now been replaced without the hinged flaps and residents have been told they can’t be fitted as they would weaken the new door.

Pet owners have also been told that it has always been the council’s policy to refuse cat flaps.

But they have since been told that they can’t be fitted as they weaken new doors.

Now the animal lovers are fuming that their beloved pets will be forced to remain outside all day in freezing weather.

Clr Stanfield said: “The residents were told that they could have the cat flaps and many have said they would have taken the risk and rejected the new doors had they known they weren’t permitted.

“Now the doors have been fitted and it’s out with the poor cats at a time when it’s freezing cold outside.

“This is going to upset many residents who love their pets dearly and have little else for company.

“It will also mean much more hardship for the cats who will be shut out for hours in the cold while their owners are at work or elsewhere.

“I wonder what the Cats Protection League will think of a council forcing residents to treat their pets in this way.”

Clr Stanfield said she and residents are now wondering whether this is a new back-door policy being introduced to discourage residents from keeping animals in council houses.

But a KNH spokesman insisted that the council’s policy has always been to refuse permission for cat flaps.

He said: “The main reason behind this is that if that if the tenant moved out, it is our experience that any new tenant would expect the cat flap to be removed if they don’t have a cat.

“Over recent years there has been the move from fitting timber doors to UPVC doors on our estates.

Whereas an effective repair could often be carried out on a timber door where a cat flap had been fitted, this is rarely possible with a UPVC door.

We understand that some tenants have fitted cat flaps without asking permission from KNH, but these are generally removed when properties become empty and the outgoing tenant charged for the cost of the work.

We fully appreciate how important pets can be to our tenants and the companionship they can bring, however we need to balance this with the broader need to manage our stock effectively.”