A lot of cat trees treat the tunnel as an afterthought — a straight tube bolted onto the base, separate from the scratching posts and the perch up top. ZEZE’s animal-shaped cat trees take a different approach: the tunnel is the body. It’s the same barrel a cat curls up inside, peeks out of, and climbs through on the way up to the perch, all built around one footprint. Here’s the thinking behind that design, and what it actually does for a cat day to day.

What’s different about a cat tree with the tunnel built into the body?

On most cat trees, if there’s a tunnel at all, it’s a separate tube attached near the base — one more piece bolted onto a frame that already has posts and a perch. On ZEZE’s giraffe- and sheep-shaped trees, the tunnel is the structure: the same barrel is the hideaway, the base the scratching posts rise from, and the platform the perch sits on top of.

Building it this way means a cat gets a hideaway, a scratching post, and an elevated perch out of one piece of furniture instead of three. The tunnel also has more than one cutout opening rather than just the two open ends, so a cat tucked inside can still see out into the room instead of facing a wall.

Why do cats gravitate toward a spot that’s enclosed and elevated at the same time?

Cats lean on two instincts that don’t usually live in the same spot: tucking into an enclosed space to feel secure, and climbing up high to watch their territory. A 2025 review in Veterinary Evidence found moderate evidence that giving cats a hiding box lowers measurable stress, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ behavior guidelines list climbing structures as core environmental enrichment, especially in multi-cat homes.

Stacking a tunnel body on top of climbing posts, right under a raised perch, means a cat doesn’t have to choose between hiding and watching. The tunnel’s window-style openings let it do a version of both at once — tucked in, but still able to see what’s happening in the room.

Does the scratching actually happen where it’s supposed to?

The legs holding up the tunnel body are wrapped in sisal rope, so the scratching material sits directly on the path a cat already climbs to reach the tunnel and the perch — not off in a corner, which is where a separate, stand-alone scratching post often ends up getting ignored.

Cats scratch to mark territory, shed the outer layer of their claws, and stretch their whole body, and they tend to do it near the spots they already spend time in. Wrapping the structural legs in scratching material instead of adding a post somewhere else means the scratching surface is part of the route a cat takes multiple times a day, not a separate destination it has to be reminded to visit.

Is a tunnel cat tree a practical fit for a small room?

Because the tunnel, the scratching posts, and the perch share one base instead of three separate pieces of furniture, a tunnel cat tree generally takes up less floor space than buying a stand-alone tunnel, a stand-alone scratching post, and a perch shelf separately. ZEZE’s sheep-shaped tree, for example, has a compact 38-inch overall size built with exactly that kind of space in mind.

Building vertically rather than spreading accessories across the floor also fits the AAFP’s broader guidance on vertical space: a cat tree that climbs up instead of out gives a cat the same amount of territory to use while asking for less square footage from the room.

Can more than one cat use a tunnel cat tree?

Often, yes — though it depends on the cats. The elevated perch gives a second spot so two cats don’t have to share the exact same few inches of space, and a tunnel with more than one opening lets one cat watch from outside while another is curled up inside.

The AAFP’s guidelines specifically call out vertical space as useful in multi-cat households, since it lets cats put some distance between themselves without leaving the room entirely. As with any shared resource, it’s worth watching how a new pair of cats negotiate the tree the first few times rather than assuming they’ll divide it up evenly on day one.

FAQ

Will the tunnel fit a bigger cat comfortably?

It’s sized for small to medium cats to curl up or stand up inside comfortably. If your cat is especially large, it’s worth checking the product photos for scale before buying rather than assuming it will fit.

Do I still need a separate scratching post if I get one of these?

Usually not as a starting point — the legs are already wrapped in scratching material — though busy or multi-cat households sometimes like having a second scratcher in another room too.

How do I get my cat to try the tunnel for the first time?

Toss a treat or a favorite toy just inside the opening and let your cat investigate on its own schedule rather than placing them inside. Most cats explore a new tunnel faster when it’s their idea.

Our Pick: The ZEZE Tunnel Cat Tree Collection

ZEZE Giraffe Tree with Tunnel & Scratcher Cat Furniture, Large wraps a giraffe-print tunnel body around sisal-wrapped scratching legs, with a toy fixed to the giraffe’s tail for batting practice from inside the tunnel and a soft head-and-neck perch up top. The tunnel has more than one cutout opening, so a cat can tuck inside and still see the room.

ZEZE Sheep 38-in Polyester Cat Tree with Tunnel & Scratcher uses the same idea in a compact, 38-inch sheep-shaped build: a built-in tunnel for a cozy hideaway, a sisal-wrapped scratcher, and a raised top perch for lounging or keeping an eye on the room, all in one sturdy, pet-safe piece sized to fit most homes.

Sources: American Association of Feline Practitioners, Feline Behavior Guidelines; Foster, L. (2025), “Thinking inside the box: do hiding boxes reduce the fear and stress of hospitalised cats?” Veterinary Evidence, 10(4).