Patent ID: 8104432

Claim:
An animal enclosure, comprising: an animal enclosure gate positioned in an animal enclosure barrier, said gate and said barrier defining an inside wherein an animal is confined and an outside wherein a caregiver may access said animal enclosure; a strike plate mounted on said barrier or said gate; a latch coupled to said animal enclosure gate or said barrier, the strike plate further comprising: an internal latch slot located on said inside of said animal enclosure, said internal latch slot adapted to receive said latch on said inside of said animal enclosure; said internal latch slot having a top portion, said top portion comprising a slanted segment slanting downward from the strike plate toward the inside of the animal enclosure, said strike plate being mounted on said barrier or said gate of said enclosure such that no surface is created by said strike plate on said inside of said enclosure on which an animal collar could be caught or snagged; and an external latch catch adapted to receive the latch on the outside of the animal enclosure.