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Here was my dilemma-the dog eats the cat's food, so I needed a way that she could eat in peace. I thought that setting up the litter box and her food in the laundry room would be a great idea, but how would she get into the room? The only solution would be to install a pet door. I went to Home Depot to take a look at the selection of these doors. They are plastic, cheesy looking flip doors and not something I wanted to have in my hallway.
My solution was to build my own pet door. I first located a space between two studs and cut a hole big enough for the cat to get through and small enough so the dog couldn't. I used a key-hole saw and cut the square out. That part was very easy. I used a stud-finder to locate the studs (an asset to any homeowner/decorator). 
The door itself I built using all scrap wood I already had. You'll notice I added some wood embellishments like the one directly above the door, decorative trim around the opening, a wood flower with a glass bead at the peak and wood biscuits on the roof. The biscuits are commonly used to fasten wood together, but many times, I use them for more decorative things.
This pet door has sides on it too (you probably can't tell by the photograph). I used plywood to make it, small screws and wood glue to put it together and L brackets to hang it. When it was all finished I painted it and added some decorative touches. Acrylic paints worked well for this project. Finally I sprayed it with a clear coat of polyurethane to protect it.
This house really beats the plastic ones they sell at the home improvement centers. I doubt the cat appreciates it, but I certainly like the way it looks.
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