Tunnel Hill Cat Motel is a pet boarding service for cats at 23 Waitakere Road, Waitākere, a semi-rural corner of Auckland's north-western fringe, with a website listed for further information. Cats are territorial, so choosing a cattery is largely about spotting a calm set-up: solid separation between units, somewhere to hide, a perch up high and a quiet position away from dog noise. In New Zealand, boarding catteries routinely ask for up-to-date vaccinations covering cat flu and panleukopenia, so dig out the vaccination card well before drop-off rather than on the day. Regulars tend to visit before booking — the noise, the smell and how settled the cats look tell you more than any brochure — and to book early for the summer school holidays, when good catteries fill fast. For cat owners around Waitākere village, with the ranges just up the road, having Tunnel Hill Cat Motel on the doorstep takes some of the logistics out of getting away.