Catio tunnel
A tunnel turns a window into a door to the garden: a narrow mesh run from the house to a freestanding catio, or simply along a fence for a stroll. Small cross-section, long length — and every joint is a potential gap.
Sizing
Wide and tall enough for your largest cat to walk and turn comfortably, with resting spots on long runs. Too narrow and a nervous cat will not use it; two cats meeting head-on need somewhere to pass or turn back.
What to get right
- Joints between sections and the connection to the window or catio
- Support at regular intervals, especially where a tunnel is raised
- Drainage and shade along the run
- Access hatches so you can reach a cat that stops halfway
In the planner: Tunnel run
| Starts at | 1 ft 6 in × 10 ft × 1 ft 6 in high |
|---|---|
| Height | 1 ft – 2 ft 11 in |
| Length | 2 ft – 98 ft 5 in |
| Width | 1 ft – 2 ft 11 in |
Sizes outside these limits fall back to concept-only.
In the beta
- Tunnel template with cross-section and length
- Mesh and framing quantities
Questions
How wide should a cat tunnel be?
Most builders use roughly 12–24 in wide and tall. Size it to your largest cat, and include wider spots where two cats can pass.
Related
Design your catio in your browser
Free to design and check. Fit a catio to your wall, window and yard, run the safety checks, and see the materials list before you buy a single board.