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Ask A Pittsburgh Expert: Tips For Building A Cat Tunnel

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It doesn't take much time to understand that Raylene Hoover loves her job and precious pets. Being the owner at Your Critter Sitters has many responsibilities and Hoover has found ways through experience and training that she can be a viable asset to any pet owner. Hoover didn't stay idle during her work experience and strive to find ways to work with her clients and find new therapies, skills and special care for not only the pets, but also the owners.

Raylene Hoover, Owner
Critter Sitters, LLC
Arnold, PA 15068
(724) 448-7330
www.yourcrittersitters.com

With 20+ years of experience of working with companies in the corporate world, Raylene Hoover followed her love of animals into a passion for her work. In 2004, she opened Your Critter Sitters, a premier sitting and pet massage company. Her company offers midday potty breaks, dog walking, pet transport, pet sitting, poop scooping, and overnight pet sitting. Today, she uses pet massage to bring relief to those senior or injured pets who may benefit from the therapy.

Kitties Are Helpful

Be prepared for your feline to help. This is a great bonding time, so take advantage of it. It will also encourage your kitty's interest in what you are making. Have a few treats ready for some catnip. These fun items will have your kitty ready to inspect and try out every aspect of the tunnel you create.

Think Outside The Box...Or Inside The Box

You can easily create a fun tunnel by taping together, end to end, a few similar sized boxes. Hoover recommends using duct tape for good adhesion. Then, using a knife or scissors, cut occasional peep holes for kitty to spy on the outside world. You can tape strings, with fluffy toys attached, inside the tunnel for extra fun for your fur baby. Another variation of this is using a long piece of sturdy cardboard and folding it into a long, 12" triangle or square tube. You can use duct tape to tape the long end together. Again, modify the tunnel with peep holes and strings with toys for your kitty's playtime pleasure.

Different Kitties Have Different Tastes

Some kitties like to see through tunnels made from netting, while others prefer the solid material of cloth. For tunnels of this nature, you can use two cloth or net pop-up laundry bins. All you need to do is cut off the bottom of both bins, and slide the end of one in the end of the other. Here you can stitch small dangling toys inside for your kitty. When you want to put the tunnel away, just separate the two bins and collapse them for easy storage. If you don't plan to store the tunnel, you can use a few stitches to secure the two laundry bins together.

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Kitty Safety

Guard any sharp tools (knives, scissors, sewing needles) you are using carefully. Kitty won't know that she can get hurt. It is amazing what kitty thinks might be perfect for playtime. Also, if using any metal wiring in the design of the tunnel, make sure no ends are sticking out. You don't want kitty to get hurt. It isn't recommended to use plastic sheeting, like a shower curtain or trash bags for any tunnels. Be careful not to leave any excessively long strings dangling in which your kitty could entangle itself.

Have Fun With The Outdoors

Many kitties like to be outside, and a long, protective tunnel outside can help them enjoy the great outdoors and remain safe at the same time. For a good outside tunnel, Hoover recommends more sturdy items like flexible metal fencing for the tunnel and attaching it to a wooden base with screws or a staple gun. You can run this tunnel on the ground along the perimeter of your yard. Lots of cats like to look down at their world, so, if you are handy, give your cat a bird's eye view by building the tunnel on top of 4" x 4" wood posts. Explore and have fun. You can use the see-through hard plastic sheeting over top of the tunnel to protect your kitty from rain. You can also use opaque hard plastic sheeting to create a shaded sanctuary for your cat.

Related: Best Places To Buy Clothes For Dogs In Pittsburgh

Gerry Cernicky is a retired health and physical education teacher with 36 years of experience. He is a former teacher of the year and a sports writer for the Vandergrift News. He delivers podcasts, and maintains a website and blog. He currently resides in Pittsburgh. His work can be found at Examiner.com.

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