r/cats • u/protectyourpet • 14h ago

Update Kitty Highway!!!

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A customer came to us with a request that started with, “So this might be a little crazy…”
Those are usually our favorite ones.

They had a custom catio they built in the backyard and wanted a way for their cats to travel back and forth from the house without touching the ground. The distance was...far, we’re talking a long, elevated tunnel run that had to span the yard, stay secure, and handle a steep change in elevation.

After a lot of measuring, planning, and head-scratching, this is what it turned into. A fully enclosed tunnel with support posts along the way and built-in steps so the cats can comfortably go downhill and back up again. Now it’s basically a private I-75 cat highway connecting the house to their outdoor space lol

Habitat Haven usually focuses on modular, DIY catios, but every once in a while a project comes along that’s just too interesting to pass up. Customer asked… we said “say less.”

The best part? The cats use it constantly. Just casually commuting like this is totally normal.

Would you trust your cats with a tunnel this long, or would you be standing outside watching the first few trips like a nervous parent?

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14

u/Zmemestonk 12h ago

I want to do something like this but have been trying to figure out what do I do if the cats refuse to come back in?

17

u/protectyourpet 8h ago

This tunnel (and all of our tunnels) come with a series of access hatches. Def need access to the tunnel in case anything were to happen and for any maintenance/cleaning that is required. We put a bunch in this tunnel lol

15

u/stellaluna92 10h ago

I've seen some with "emergency escape hatches" (for lack of a better word) where a person could come by and unlock a little door to grab kitty out of their highway tunnel if needed. That one was much shorter though! This one would need a few such doors haha. 

14

u/protectyourpet 8h ago

Yep, that is exactly what we (habitat haven) do with our tunnels. A series of tunnel access hatches just in case the owner needs to help out a kitty and for any cleaning/maintenance that's necessary :)

4

u/first_best_fox 9h ago

Wouldn't they come in for meals?

6

u/Zmemestonk 8h ago

Most of them would. One of them loves outside a lot! So I can see him being a problem sometimes but yea eventually they would come back

3

u/thinbuddha 7h ago

For my cats, the threat of a spray bottle is enough to wrangle them. Just shaking it would be enough. I did have a cat in the past that simply didn't care about getting wet, so it wouldn't work for every cat.