Pet-proof screens: pet mesh, security mesh and what claws do

The short answer: pet mesh resists claws, but it isn't security

Pet mesh works for the job it was made for, which is surviving paws and claws better than standard flyscreen. Cyclone, an Australian screening maker, describes its Pet Mesh as a tough, heavy-gauge polyester engineered to be tear resistant against the raking claws of most dogs and cats. Note the words: tear resistant, and most dogs and cats.

Wideline, a window and door maker, calls its PetMesh a heavy duty, flexible fibreglass that is much stronger than a standard flyscreen. So pet mesh isn't one material. Depending on the brand it can be polyester or fibreglass, and the common thread is a thicker strand that flexes instead of splitting.

The pet mesh we fit is a thicker, stronger fibreglass that gives a little rather than tearing, and it goes wherever a standard fibreglass screen goes. What pet mesh doesn't do is stop a person. It's an insect screen, and the frame around it is an insect screen frame.

What cats and dogs actually do to a screen

Cats and dogs damage screens in two different ways, and the fix depends on which one you have. The makers name both: raking claws, and paws pushing against the screen. Claws hook into the weave, which is why a fine strand is the weak point. Pushing is different. A dog that wants in or out leans on the screen with its paws or its whole body, and the load lands on the mesh, the spline holding it and the latch.

Wideline puts it bluntly on its own pet screen page: a cat or dog pressing its paws against a screen door is a guaranteed way to ruin the mesh. Cyclone pitches its Pet Mesh for high-traffic areas where paws or small hands push against the screen.

So a clawing cat is a mesh problem first. A pushing dog can be a mesh problem, a frame problem or a door hardware problem, and changing only the mesh won't fix a latch that never catches. The sections below deal with both.

Fibreglass, pet mesh, perforated and stainless compared

Pet mesh and stainless security mesh are both sold as resisting claws, but of the two, only stainless mesh is a security infill. Standard fibreglass has the lowest tensile figure Cyclone publishes. Cyclone publishes specifications for both its standard fibreglass and its Pet Mesh, which gives a like-for-like comparison from one maker.

Cyclone lists its standard fibreglass at a 0.25 mm strand and a tensile strength of 200 N/20mm. Its Pet Mesh is a 0.66 mm polyester strand at 400 N/20mm, so on Cyclone's own figures the pet mesh is about twice as strong in tension. Wideline claims its PetMesh is three times stronger than standard fibreglass, and more resistant to small pets scratching holes through the screen. The heavier strand costs some openness: Cyclone gives 71 percent for fibreglass and 58 percent for Pet Mesh.

Crimsafe, a stainless security screen maker, says its 0.9 mm stainless mesh resists dogs, cats and birds penetrating or tearing it with claws or beaks. Perforated aluminium, such as our PERFGUARD 2 mm sheet, is a security infill too, but we found no maker data on claws to quote for it.

Pet resistant is not the same as secure

A screen your dog can't tear is not automatically a screen a burglar can't get through. Security comes from the whole tested product, and pet mesh isn't on the list.

The National Security Screen Association (NSSA) lists the infills a security door can use: steel grilles or decorative panels, aluminium grille, aluminium perforated sheet and stainless steel mesh. Fibreglass and polyester pet mesh aren't there. The NSSA also wants a frame with a deep, sturdy receiver channel so the infill can't easily be pushed out, and its rule on labels is short: if it is not labelled, it is not a security door.

That cuts both ways. Pet mesh in a flyscreen frame is a good pet screen and no security at all. A labelled security door with stainless mesh keeps people out, and Crimsafe also sells its stainless mesh as resisting claws. Our guide to fly screens versus security screens covers the testing and labelling in more detail.

Dogs that push: check the latch and closer first

When a dog keeps getting through a screen door, one cause worth checking first is a door that isn't latching, before blaming the mesh. A screen door that swings shut but stops short of the striker is held by nothing, and a dog pushing on it simply opens it.

Lock makers design for this. Whitco lists automatic latching on its Tasman MK2 hinged security door lock, and its Leichhardt sliding security door lock is self latching and can only be key locked or snibbed once it's fully latched with the striker. Lockwood's 404 screen door closer instructions describe pre-loading the door so it self latches, and say the door must close freely before any closer goes on. On that closer, speed is set by rotating the closer's main body.

The frame matters as well. Crimsafe says its Screw Clamp system locks the mesh into the frame so pets can't loosen or push it out, and the NSSA's deep receiver channel exists for the same reason. A mesh that pops out of its spline is a frame and fixing issue.

• Shut the door gently and watch whether the latch catches the striker every time. If it stops short, the door, hinges or closer need attention before the mesh does.
• Check that the door swings freely with the closer unhooked. A door that drags will never latch reliably, whatever the closer is set to.
• Look at the mesh edges. Mesh pulling out of the channel along one side points to the spline or the frame, not the mesh itself.
• On a security door, adjusting or replacing the lock, closer or hinges is work for whoever supplied the screen or a security screen repairer. The NSSA advises against DIY installation of security screens.

Pet mesh or a pet door: two different fixes

Pet mesh stops a screen being wrecked, while a pet door lets the animal come and go on its own. The NSSA position on pet doors is the thing to weigh before choosing. It says once a pet door is installed within a security door, the door is no longer compliant with Australian Standards, because the opening compromises the door's security.

Petway, an Australian pet door maker, says the lock clips on its security screen pet door are designed for light to moderate force on the flap. That makes them a way to manage the pet rather than a security lock.

One middle path keeps the main security door uncut. Petway says its pet door can also fit a standard insect screen door using a support L bracket, so a back flyscreen can take the flap and get pet mesh as well. Our guide to a pet door in a security screen door covers sizing and fitting.

Choosing by pet and opening

Choose the screen for the job the opening does, then for the animal that uses it. A window the cat sits in and a patio door a large dog hits at speed need different answers.

Where the screen only has to keep insects out and the pet is hard on it, pet mesh is the straightforward swap, because it fits any frame that takes standard fibreglass. Our flyscreens use fibreglass as standard, or pet mesh where there are animals. Where the opening also has to keep people out, a labelled security screen is the one that keeps people out. Stainless mesh is one infill for it, which Crimsafe, for one, sells as resisting claws. Our stainless security mesh is SCREENGUARD woven 316 marine grade stainless. If the screen keeps getting through but the mesh is intact, look at the latch and the closer before buying anything new. If the mesh is already torn, our guide to fixing a torn fly screen or security mesh sorts patch from replace.

Use this as a rough sorting guide.

• Cat claws a flyscreen window: pet mesh in the existing frame.
• Dog leans on a back flyscreen door: pet mesh, plus a check that the door latches every time.
• Dog hits the front or patio door, which also needs security: a labelled security door with stainless mesh, left uncut.
• Pet needs to come and go unattended: a pet door in a flyscreen door, keeping the main security door uncut.
• Torn mesh already: work out whether it can be patched or re-meshed before replacing the whole screen.