Hide and Seek: Cats Tents For Your Outdoor Or Indoor Explorer

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If your cats are anything like mine, all you need is an empty cardboard box to keep them entertained.

Why do cats love to be inside things like cardboard boxes or bags?

Because they’re hunters and love to stalk!

Check out these quick pick variations below:

Cats, more than dogs, enjoy their own private spaces like:

an empty suitcase
an old wooden box
the inside of a cupboard

They do this to hide, relax, hunt, or even sleep.

They can find a spot anywhere, but why not make that spot a “made for a cat” tent.

While some cats may be stoked to hide in cardboard boxes, they’re pretty unsightly and annoying to keep around in your living room.

Cat Tents For Outdoors And Indoors: An Aesthetic Alternative!

I’ll be honest, I thought there would be more options for this kind of thing.

There are similar types to the few I’ve gone over below, but many don’t have oodles of reviews.

I’m sure its important for you to know how these stand the tests put by other buyers.

Seeing that my cat Bubs tends to hide, scares easily and has strongman abilities, I worry he’ll escape through the mesh if it’s too flimsy.

I don’t know if these are durable, but there are enough that have been used with some high enough rated reviews that I’d feel comfortable trying them out.

I wouldn’t put these in a place that gets a lot of commotion but you can put one in a quiet spot in your yard.

Maybe more durable and higher quality tents would be made if we, as cat lovers, would put more of demand out for these options on current ones.

We just want a safe place for our cats to enjoy the sun and fresh air.

Let’s get into the weeds about a few differences between putting these things outside, inside or both.

For you indoor only peeps:

Indoor cat tents can be the comfy and quiet place your cat goes to hide and sleep (a great way to keep your indoor cat happy!)
Indoor cat tents can also be a nice addition to the decor of your home (some of them are really cute!)
Cozy little cat tents are easy to clean, some even being machine washable or heated!
Made specifically for indoor use (and some specifically for certain areas of your home) – they will look good wherever you place them.

For you outdoor only peeps:

Outdoor cat tents can keep your cat safe on the balcony or as a backyard haven.
An outdoor cat tent is also less expensive than purpose-built enclosures
They can be moved for convenience.

In fact:

I have one in the corner of my garden to provide protection from the cold and wet weather for some of the neighborhood feral cats.

What can I say?

I’m a sucker for kitties!

When I was researching for this piece, I was astounded by the variety of tents available.

Below are some of my favorite, which hopefully will be useful to you when you throw out the cardboard box and upgrade to a tent!

Indoor Cat Tents: Hideaways for Your Seclusive Feline

These will look cute in your living room or tucked away in your cat’s favorite laundry room cubby…

I was so surprised at how nice looking some of them were and how easy to set up most of them are. Not a fan of how some are a bit too thin though.

?‍? ABO Gear Happy Habitat

By far, one of the most popular cat tents is the ABO Gear Happy Habitat for Indoor Cats.

It’s really easy to assemble, it literally pops into play-mode (within seconds).

It’s just as easy to dismantle, taking only seconds to fold back into the travel case.

This makes it ultra-portable and suitable for travel.

This cat tent gets massive bonus points for ease of use – check it out in the clip below!

As a large black mesh dome-style tent, it provides up to 30 square feet of indoor or outdoor fun and safety for your cat.

It’s also large enough for multiple cats if you should be so lucky!

If you want to use it outside, there are stakes that can attach it to the ground.

It is very sturdy, although larger/stronger cats may cause it to wobble.

If your cat has destructive tendencies, be sure to keep an eye on them because they could claw their way out of the mesh if they were determined enough (especially if a squirrel was taunting them!)

If your cats are strictly indoor, this tent can be an ideal way of letting them play safely in the garden while you sunbathe…

It’s large enough to put a couple of cat toys in as well. (I use it indoors when I’m mopping or vacuuming, that way I’m not being attacked by my cat the entire time.)

Something to note…

Using this tent with a tunnel system is a GREAT idea.

Check out the review below and see how your cats can tunnel their way outside into the tent:

?‍? SmartyKat Pet Cat Tent Bed

These are super adorable – the cat teepee from SmartyKat.

This is one of the cutest cat tents I’ve ever seen, and your cat will love it just as much.

Plus, your cat will be trendy those teepees at popular music festivals.

Who needs Coachella, when you can have Cat-chella?

This teepee is much smaller than the ABO tent and is designed more so as a bed for your cat to play in.

It’s easy to assemble like the ABO tent, but it can take some practice to maneuver the poles into the correct position when you first set it up.

It also comes with a carrying case, which makes it portable for outdoor camping trips (as long as you don’t mind having it outside).

There are convenient flaps on the front entrance that tie onto the sides, allowing for your cat to enter and leave the tent.

It’s an easily cleanable tent made out of cotton and it even comes with a pillow.

Purr-fect!

It’s not really suitable for use in your garden, but for people looking for a smaller indoor tent, it’s definitely one of the cutest you’ll ever find.

In fact…

This look is so popular that there are a lot of DIY tents that are styled like it!

Here is one I thought was super cute and looks easy to make (NO sewing involved):

Cat Tents For Outside: Field Trips Within The Boundaries Of A Tent

We’ve talked about portable cat enclosures before, but let’s dive into some of these fantastic outdoor cat tents (there’s even a heated cat tent… but we’ll get to that in a bit!)

That way, cats have an easy time of entering and exiting their play area.

Also, they allow your kitty an escape route in the worst case scenario:

A predator invading in their chill space.

Whether or not you have one or two entrances, you can attach a cat tunnel to make it a larger play area for your cat

It’s great if you have a hard time getting them in or out, so two doors solve that problem!

Let’s break down some options!

?‍? Petego Umbra Portable & Outdoor Use Cat Tent

One cat tent designed for the outdoors (but totally suitable for indoor play too) which features two entrances is the Petego Umbra Portable Pet Tent

Similar to the ABO tent we looked at earlier, this model from Roraima is 30 square feet, which is large enough for several cats and their toys but also features two entrances.

You can easily attach this to a car, window, or door flap in your house.

The black mesh provides ventilation and visibility for your cat while coming with a waterproof rain fly that will provide protection from rain and UV rays.

Although it’s very similar to the ABO tent, many users have found it’s not quite as easy to assemble or fold back into the bag…

The spring in the poles tends to be overly tight.

But if you want the flexibility of another entrance and might leave this tent more permanently fixed this could be the ideal choice.

Okay.

Be warned…

This next tent is luxurious!

?‍? K&H A-Frame Heated Tent Bed

K&H Pet Products Outdoor Tent comes with features that no other tent has, like weather-proofed material and a heated pad.

This is the kind of tent I have outdoors for stray cats because I’m way too soft (so I keep getting told).

You can see an unboxing and set up of this cat tent below:

My pampered cat won’t even consider going outside in the winter months, not when he has a nice warm house.

But if he did venture out, I’d feel a lot better if there was one of these A-frame tents for him to take shelter in.

With waterproofing fabric and an overhang roof design, it helps keep cats both warm and dry.

And there’s room for up to four small cats. There’s even two entrances/exits, so cats can’t be trapped by predators.

The heated style of this tent features a 40-watt soft outdoor heated bed, which doesn’t heat until something lies on it.

I know this was my main concern when I was looking into this (if it’s constantly heated, it could be a hazard).

In the video above, he mentions that when you turn it on, it doesn’t feel like electric heat from a heating pad would, it feels more just like body heat…

And this is the key to making this type of cat tent popular.

We don’t want our cats to be laying on what feels like a heating pad all evening, because that’s not good for them and poses certain risks but we don’t want them to be chilly either!

Something else I love about this tent (that surprised me)?

This tent is easy to assemble!!!

With hook and loop style fasteners, no tools are required for assembly.

The outside of the tent can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth or sponge, and the cover of the mattress can be machine washed for easy care.

If your cat doesn’t love you too much already, they certainly will if you treat them to a heated tent.

The friendly strays in the neighborhood will definitely appreciate this too.

DIY Cat Tents: SO Adorable You Wish You Could Fit In It

Here at Cat Veteran, we encourage using your creativity to create custom spaces for your cats.

Cats will love any tent, and they’re not too expensive to buy, but if you want to create your own tent, it’s very easy. It could even be a project you start to provide some shelter for your neighborhood strays in those cold winter months.

You will be a regular kitty Saint!

Want more ideas for DIY cat tents?

Click here for details on building a cat tent with just coat hangers, an old t-shirt, and cardboard.

For tons more cute cat tents, check out this link!

Click the image below for a “No Sew” cat tent: