Retractable Cat Gate Overview
Top Advantages
- Scratch and claw resistant mesh; proven durable for cats
- Great outdoors on decks, porches, RVs
- Washable, UV and mildew-resistant
- Engineered for high traffic areas in many locations
- Two lengths to choose: cover up to 52 or 72 inches
- At 34 inches tall, it is one of the tallest gates available
- Allows you to walk through without completely opening
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How does it work?
Stylish and compact, Retract-A-Gate is a safety gate which winds up automatically into a small roll when you don't need it - no manual winding. Then, to block an area, the gate easily unrolls by pulling the mesh across the opening to cover any width up to its maximum, and locks securely in place.
Two low-profile brackets, which the cat gate hooks into, are attached to both sides of the opening. The reel side of the gate snaps into one pair of brackets. Then the handle side - the side you pull out - hooks into the brackets across the opening. The lock is a simple push-and-turn mechanism; easy for adults to use, but safe for small children. Retract-A-Gate is the only cat gate in its class which offers one hand operation as easy as 1...2...3...
1) Pull the handle across, hooking it into the brackets.
2) Lock the gate to secure it in place.
3) Throw out every other cat gate you own. |
Simple Installation
The Retract-A-Gate retractable cat gate was designed to be easy to install, as well as use. Retract-A-Gate can be installed inside a walk-way, around the corner of a walk-way, at the top of stairs, the bottom of stairs, or even on an angle. No other safety gate in its class offers the same durability, simplicity, and ease of installation.
For installation, there are four identical brackets you will install; two on either side of the opening. The brackets mount at 3 and 31 inches off the floor and need about 2.5 inches of flat surface to attach to. When done, the horizontal distance (across the opening) between upper and lower brackets must be identical. This keeps the cat gate square and properly fit. All that's left is to snap the gate into the brackets and that's it!...the safety gate is ready to use. See below for the full Users Guide.
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Basic Dimensions
• Brackets: 2.5 inches wide; 1.25 inches high
• Gate Retracted: About 3 inches in diameter
• Standard Length: 52 or 72 inches (includes the brackets)
• Mesh: 34 inches tall
• Height to the top of the lock: 38 inches
• Brackets mount at 3 and 31 inches off the floor
Items you may need
(For more information, or to purchase, click here)
• Wall Spacers: Used under brackets to keep them
spaced equally across the opening or to avoid
interference of the gate with a baseboard molding
• Banister Adapter Kit: To attach the gate to a stair
post or spindle without drilling holes
• Additional Wall Bracket Kit: If you want to move
one gate to an additional location
• Drywall Anchor Kit: To install the brackets over drywall
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Some of Our Customer Feedback
We were looking for a screen type gate to keep our cats out of the kitchen at night. We never thought we would find a retractable mesh gate that worked with cats, and were a little skeptical at first. Now that it is installed, we have found that it works great!
We love the fact that we can now keep our cats out of the kitchen and off the stove and countertops. Our three big male cats couldn't damage the Retract-A-Gate fabric with their claws or their teeth. This is tough stuff--and it looks great!
Melissa & Steve M. - Galena, IL
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Thank You! Thank You! For making such a wonderful product! I searched all over
the internet for an easy to use gate for the top of our stairs. Your product is the safest, easiest to use, and installs very quickly! We love our new gate. I tell everyone I know about how great this gate is. Thank you for making such a dependable product!
Jenn W. - Poestenkill, NY
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Some Frequent Questions
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Can you make a custom gate wider than 72 inches?
Presently, we only make retractable gates for openings up to 72 inches. If you would like information about covering wider openings, click here.
Option 1
The best option would be to connect multiple Retract-A-Gates together using zip ties. How this would work is the handle rod of one gate would connect to the rod of the reel section on the next gate (see slideshow below). This can be repeated with as many gates as you would need to cover your opening. The benefit of this solution is that you can still easily use one hand to open or close the gates. If you decide to use this solution, make sure to always lock ALL gates connected together. This solution is only for special situations such as non-critical applications or where only a visual barrier is needed. Hooking multiple gates together with zip ties has not been tested or certified for use with children. It is just a special option for certain non-critical applications. There are 17 inch zip ties (Extra Railing Guard Straps) available for purchase on the "Prices/Buy" page if you decide to use this option.
This use of Retract-A-Gate is for
special circumstances only.
Option 2
Some customers have hooked two Retract-A-Gates together using two S-hooks in order to cover up to 104"/144". Each retractable safety gate mounts to either side of the opening, and then the handle rods hook together in the middle with the S-hooks. One S-hook would be used in the top cutouts and one S-hook would be used in the bottom cutouts (see slideshow). This solution is really for special situations such as low traffic areas, non-critical applications, or where only a visual barrier is all that is needed. Retract-A-Gate is very easy to operate with one hand; however, when using this option, you would need two hands and the process will be a little slower.
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This use of Retract-A-Gate is for
special circumstances only.
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The S-hook solution has not been tested or certified for use with children, it's just a special option for certain non-critical applications. If you decide to use this option to cover an opening wider than 72 inches, a set of S-hooks is available for purchase on the "Prices/Buy" page for only $2.00. |
Option 3
The only other option to allow the safety gate to span a wider distance would be to put up a partition to close the gap and then attach Retract-A-Gate to that. You could then paint or stain the structure to match the surroundings
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Could my cat jump or climb over the gate?
At 34 inches tall, Retract-A-Gate is one of the tallest available. When locked, the mesh is held taut, so it is difficult to push down. Most cats are inclined not to jump up and over things; they want a flat surface to land on first before jumping back down. Since the cat gate doesn’t offer a "ledge" for them to jump up to, most cats will not jump over. If your cat loves to jump and can jump over a three foot obstacle, you will need a taller cat gate.
The tightly woven mesh fabric would be difficult for a cat to climb over. The flexible nature of the material also makes it difficult for them to climb. This is because the material would flex as they went higher, making it even more difficult the higher they went.
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What is the mesh fabric made of; how durable is it?
The fabric is made of a reinforced polymer composite material that is tough, non-toxic, does not contain Lead, Phthalate, Latex, or BPA chemicals and is formaldehyde free. The fabric is UV, mildew, and highly scratch resistant.
In one of the tests to see how tough the fabric really is, we attached a piece of the mesh to a cat scratching post. After several months of use by adult cats, the fabric still had not ripped. In other applications, this same mesh is also used to cover and hold down cargo in the back of semi-trucks.
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Will my cat be able to get under the gate?
Retract-A-Gate has been used with lots of cats and has performed well. When installed properly, there will be some amount of give to the mesh material due to the fact that it needs to be flexible in order to retract. Therefore, it will be rare, but not impossible, for cats to get under. If installed incorrectly, there may be too much flexibility. By following the guidelines at the below, you can minimize any problems you might have.
For guidelines on proper use of Retract-A-Gate as a cat gate,
click here.
1. Make sure to always lock the retractable safety gate.
2. The base of the cat gate must sit on the floor and not be mounted up off the floor at all.
3. If mounted near a step, make sure the mesh is at least six inches back from the edge.
4. If there is slack in the bottom, it probably means the bottom brackets are spaced too close to each
other (compared to the upper brackets). Adjust the brackets accordingly to remove the slack.
5. To apply a small amount of additional tension, tighten the roll no more than 1/8 of a turn before
locking the gate.
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If you would like to read more Frequently Asked Questions
about Retract-A-Gate, click here.
about Shipping or Returns, click here.
To go to the Smart Retract website, click here.
To learn about the retractable door barrier, the Bow Wow Barrier, click here.
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