Three Simple Ways to Play Around a Cat Tunnel
A tunnel can be part of a small, shared play routine. Try a few easy invitations, keep the exits clear, and follow your cat’s interest.
· By ITNaps
You do not need an elaborate setup to spend a little time playing with your cat. A familiar toy, clear floor space, and a tunnel can give you a few different places to start.
The ideas below are invitations, not a routine your cat needs to complete. Keep interactions brief enough to follow their interest, supervise throughout, and stop whenever they disengage.
Before you start: check the space
Place the tunnel on a stable, level surface with both entrances accessible. Move loose cords, fragile objects, and anything people could trip over away from the play area. Check the tunnel, cushion, and toy for damage.
The ITNaps Cat Tunnel Bed has a square passage around a removable center cushion, with two entrances on opposite sides and mesh on the other two sides. The mesh is for visibility and airflow, not somewhere to thread a wand or pull a toy through.
Make sure the entrance suits your cat before involving the enclosed passage. Our size guide explains why body shape matters alongside weight.
1. Begin on the open floor
Move a familiar cat toy slowly across the open floor near an entrance. Pause, then wait to see whether your cat follows. You can keep the whole interaction outside the tunnel.
If your cat chooses to investigate the opening, let them do so without pushing the toy deep inside or reaching in after them. Keep your hands out of the chase and avoid making a game of tapping at your cat through the fabric.
This simple setup helps you learn where your cat wants to engage. They may prefer the open floor, the edge of the cushion, or a view from inside. Adapt the game to that choice.
2. Change the approach
After a pause, offer the toy from the other side of the tunnel. Move yourself around the outside while leaving both entrances clear; do not lift or rotate the tunnel with your cat inside.
The aim is to offer a different view, not to make your cat complete a circuit. Wait for their response before moving the toy again. If they stay still or leave, let that be the end of the activity.
In a home with several cats, watch whether one is blocking another’s access. Give them separate opportunities if the shared setup is not working. Do not use the tunnel to contain one cat while encouraging another to approach.
3. Try a short toy roll nearby
If your cat already enjoys a ball or rolling cat toy, roll it a short distance across the clear floor beside the tunnel. Choose a toy suitable for their size that they cannot swallow, and keep the movement away from stairs or inaccessible gaps.
Let your cat decide whether to follow, watch, or return to the bed. You do not have to send the toy through the passage to make the tunnel part of the space.
If a toy becomes lodged inside, wait for your cat to leave before retrieving it. Avoid reaching into an occupied tunnel in the middle of an excited game.
Know when to put the toy away
Walking away, turning attention elsewhere, or settling down are all reasons to pause. Avoid repeatedly restarting the game because you hoped for a longer session or a particular video moment.
Put wand and string toys away after supervised use. Remove damaged toys and stop using tunnel parts with loose material or exposed components. The plush and mesh construction is not chew-proof or scratch-proof.
Leave the space ready for its next use
Clear away toys that need supervision and leave the entrances open. Remove accumulated fur when needed; follow our ITNaps cleaning guide for the different care methods used for the cushion and panels.
The ITNaps Cat Tunnel Bed combines an enclosed passage with an open center cushion. Whether your cat uses one part or both, let their interest set the pace of the time you spend there together.