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When you have an indoor cat you have probably bought a bunch of cat toys. And not all of them proved to be successful.
So after a while, before you buy another cat toy you ask yourself: will my cat like this toy?
So I wanted to provide a little help with a cat toy that I have bought and that has proven to be one of the most successful cat toys for (small) apartments. You have already guessed it by the title and my image here: it’s a cat tunnel.
Do Cats Play With Cat Tunnel?
This is my experience:
I have passed by this cat tunnel several times in my near shop where I go to buy things, and I could not decide whether my cat will actually like it or will I be just throwing away money.
After one payday I finally made the decision and got it. Let me tell you: this cat tunnel was worth all the money I paid for it.
Check below all the reasons why:
First of all, a cat tunnel is a very good cat toy for a small apartment. This is because it is collapsible and if you need to you can easily fold it and store it while taking minimal space.
Some cat tunnels even come with a cat tunnel bag so they are easily portable as well.
Here is what my cat tunnel looked like when I bought it:
Cat Funnels Usually Come With A Tunnel Ball
For some reason my cat doesn’t really like hanging toys, which is weird but every cat has its own “specialties”.
For other cats, especially young ones, a hanging cat ball toy probably works really well, but my cat was finally playing with this ball when I cut it off from the tunnel.
These cat tunnel toy balls are specially designed for a cat so they have the right size, the right softness for cats to love them. To this day I still haven’t found separately sold cat ball toys that are as good as these cat tunnel balls are. They are so good that I was buying cat tunnels (5 or 6 of them before I found my winner tunnel) just for the balls coming with them.
So if you cut off the ball separately, as I did, you will get two cat toys for the price of one 🙂
Cat Tunnels Have a Pick-A-Boo Hole
This adds to the fun of the whole thing, the cat can play hide and seek inside the tunnel, have a feeling of being “hidden” while still being able to observe the environment.
The Secret Ingredient: Get A Crinkle Cat Tunnel
This is the thing that has made my cat tunnel so successful. I am not saying that other – plainer – cat tunnels won’t work, they just didn’t work for my cat.
Purely by accident, I have bought a crinkle tunnel and this really adds to the magic of the tunnel.
My cat loves rolling on her back inside the tunnel and I really think she enjoys the crinkle sound.
Crinkle cat tunnels are usually thicker and this adds a sense of protection for the cat. Mine loves sleeping inside of it. Which brings me to the next question:
Why Do Cats Like Tunnels?
When a cat is playing it is actually sharpening its instincts and hunting skills. All those cat toys, like balls and mice, are just imitation of a cat’s prey. As cats hunt by hiding and stalking their prey, they naturally love to play with toys that enable them to hide.
A cat tunnel provides a hiding place for a cat and it is also dark inside of it which resembles a night hunt of a cat. That is why cats like tunnels and why they are one of the most successful toys for cats (also inexpensive cat toys which all of us, cat owners, love).
A cat tunnel is also a safe toy for a cat, the holding structure is surrounded by soft material and is of high quality, so even if it somehow breaks it will be surrounded by the soft material and you will notice it soon enough to throw this one and get a new cat tunnel. So there is nothing sharp that could hurt your cat and nothing a cat could chew and potentially choke on it. No dangers here, just a perfect play zone.
I guess the iron frame wire is similar to a bra wire and we wear them every day.
Cas feel protected and warm inside a cat tunnel so you may want to choose a thicker tunnel to add to this feeling of safety. That is why you will often find a cat sleeping inside the tunnel (like mine does).
Can You Wash a Cat Tunnel?
Machine washing is not recommended because of the iron frame, but I have read that it is best practice to do a surface wash with warm water and mild soap (or use a wet towel). You should not put the whole thing in water. After the washing, you should air dry it.
So yes, you can wash a cat tunnel manually.
With an indoor cat, there is really no need to wash the cat tunnel (except maybe when initially brought home from the store).
Knowing myself I think I would rather buy a new one than bother with washing a cat tunnel :), they are really not very expensive cat toys. My cat tunnel doesn’t show any signs of being dirty after a year of usage.
A Few Recommendations For A Great Cat Tunnel Toy
Based on my experience with my awesome cat tunnel – which my cat absolutely loves and not a day goes by without her using it, I have found similar cat tunnels to mine that your cat will absolutely enjoy:
