Kittywalk Pet Gazebo

I have had this Kittywalk gazebo and the Kittywalk lawn enclosure for several years. Today I went to work and when I came home, one of my outdoor cats had gotten into the Kittywalk and somehow got her claws stuck in the netting. She was hanging there, dead, when I came home. I don't know what happened, but I do know that it was my fault for leaving the zip enclosure open so she could get in. Why she did, I do not know. She apparently got her claws wrapped in the netting and I don't know if she had a heart attack or what, but she was gone by the time I go home. I only used it for my declawed indoor-only kitty, and he was fine with it. Now I would never use it for *any* cat again, unless you are sitting and monitoring them. I should have closed the opening, but I never dreamed she would jump in and get stuck like that. Just too many ways a cat can get tangled in the webbing, and this time not even the cat that we confined to it. Maybe something chased her in there....I don't know, but it isn't safe enough unless you are standing right there, and even then, her toes were so wrapped in the netting, I would think that it would not be long before you might find your cat in serious distress if this happened to you. Not worth it.I decided to update this after speaking with my vet. Apparently she has seen another case where a cat became entangled in the netting by getting its head wedged in the opening, and this poor cat strangled to death in a few short minutes, in front of the horrified owner who could not rescue the cat in time. She feels that it is not a reasonable assumption (as the manufacturer recommends) that users will clip their cats' claws prior to placing them in a Kittywalk enclosure, and doubts that even clipping the claws could prevent the kind of entanglement I witnessed and certainly could not prevent strangulation. I don't think any cat should be placed in one of these enclosures even if you are sitting there and watching them....and I would wager most people are not monitoring their cats that closely.**Update May 31 2012** I received an email today from Jeff and Lise King of Kittywalk asking that I remove my review of the Kittywalk Gazebo from Amazon. What I find most interesting is that neither Jeff nor Lise responded to my email of May 2009 in which I described what happened to my cat. They didn't seem to care very much at the time, but now it appears that my review may be adversely affecting sales and so three years later I receive an email requesting that I remove my review and pointing me to new "precautions" listed for their product. All I can say is that their concern appears based solely upon their bottom line, not upon the real danger posed to any animal placed in this enclosure. I stand by my original review, and mourn the loss of my beautiful Zoe every day. I also thank all of the people who took the time to so kindly comment on my review, which was written in the moment of my pain, and though not very eloquent, was perhaps the more effective for that.

We bought the gazebo a little over three years ago and it's been used by our one declawed cat and several others with their claws. During the second season one of the cats managed to scratch a hole in one of the canvas roof panels and got out. We replaced that panel with netting, and eventually had to replace the other two as well, including the one with the zipper access.The parachute cord that holds the netting to the steel frame starts to rot during the second season outdoors. We have experienced this with all our kittywalk units. Buy some at your local hobby store to do repairs - you'll be doing them often, especially around the edges of netted doors.Eventually the netting begins to rot as well. That's when your cats will find they can push through a weak spot and escape. Check for weak spots often and buy enough spare netting to do repairs.

I've purchased a number of Kittywalk products, and this is my favorite. Set up is quick and easy -- no clasps or fasteners; just unfold it, insert a couple of metal bars, and you're done. You put pets in / take them out through a large tent flap at knee level, secured with a heavy-duty zipper (as opposed to their other products, where the entrance is at ground level and involves several clasps). Canvass flaps provide much-needed shade. It's large enough to put in toys, bowls, towels for sitting, or just leave open for freedom of movement. (Other products are tunnels -- toys block them, and pets may fight over right-of-way.) It's compatible with most other Kittywalk products -- I use it as the center of my backyard system, with the old "tunnel" pieces as arms radiating out for the cats to explore the garden. The only thing to watch for: the canvass flaps can catch the wind -- be sure to weigh it down or secure it with stakes.

The gazebo is perfect! My cat really enjoys the space and the quality of it! I would give it 5 stars, but I was hoping that this gazebo would have came with a kitty bag carrier, instead of needing to purchase one as this product was $300 include taxes,etc.Overall, I am very pleased and happy with this purchase! Love the structure and the little flag w/bell attached! Easy to set up and store away.

Kittywalk Pet Gazebo After living in a large ranch-style home, we downsized and our indoor kitties (2) had less room to run around for play and exercise. The condo has a nice back yard deck with sun and shade trees, so we purchased the Kittywalk Pet Gazebo and also a Kittywalk 6' enclosed mesh tunnel (not shown) which attached conveniently between the cat door in our back door screen and the gazebo. The gazebo is sturdy, easy to set up, and roomy. The shade flaps are movable to block the sun at any angle. There is plenty of space for you to add their favorite toys, furniture, or cat tree. Now, the kitties come out on the deck through their tunnel to the gazebo, we all enjoy our time outside, and the kitties have expanded play and exercise space.

I bought several, for my cats and my daughter's cat (it's my little son with fur :-)). Fantastic ! They love it ! I also bought the tube to access and walk, of course. It's very good quality, really. And very easy to use. Lovely in the litle garden of my daughter's appartment in flat. It looks very nice.Despite of the price because I'm french (travel, import fees) I bought this morning a big tower and tube for my daughter's cat to keep him better.Really a very good product. I'll will talk about it around me in France. Thank you for the cats USA !

Really cool but check out the “omelet” cat enclosures before you buy. They are better in my opinion. More fun for fuzz balls and we can visit in the enclosures too! Put a nice white or camo hunting tarp on top for shade and you got a great ‘catio” that you can even expand more each year. I returned this for that one after discovering it.