myKotty A cat’s biggest talent? The ability to fall asleep in every, EVERY spot they go to. A couch, a chair? Easy. A comfy cat bed? Of course! And how about a shower? The tightest gap under the bed? A cardboard box? A narrow window sill? Cats will happily take the challenge as long as naps are at stake. Today, fabCat, we’re checking why it’s worth getting your cat their own cat bed, how to choose the right one and where to put it to make it your cat’s favorite relaxing space 🙂
Types of cat beds
Let’s start with the basics and the types of cat beds you can find while looking through the internet for cat accessories. Contrary to appearances, the variety of shapes, sizes, and functions of cat beds is quite wide, and, knowing cats, not every fur will like all of them. And that’s ok! Understanding your cat’s unique preferences and matching the cat bed type to their needs is the first step towards success – we’ll touch on the rest of them a little bit later 🙂
Cat bed categories according to their function
- cat beds for a brave cat
A brave cat is one who isn’t shy to expose themselves to everyone around. When a brave cat naps, they choose the spot in the middle of the room, sleep with their belly up on the couch or, just to spite you, takes over your chair as soon as you get up to go to the kitchen.
What cat beds will be great for a brave cat? First of all, choose a big pillow where the feline can lay around in any pose of their choice and show everyone that fur rules in this house. While looking through the myKotty cat beds collection, a brave cat would definitely pick the EMI – a big, comfy pillow with the potential to become a more comfy spot if the cat wishes to snuggle up. A great choice would also be the PADI pillow which, though being a little more compact (which makes it perfect to put on a couch, a chair, or on top of a chest of drawers), still gives the cat a lot of space to stretch out.
- cat beds for a vacationist
A vacationist will do anything to lounge around in the sunshine or by the radiator, just to keep warm and have a good view of the surroundings. Window sills, shelves with a view of the outside, hammocks – a vacationist appreciates any soft, comfy spot by the window and if they don’t find one, a hard window sill doesn’t sound that bad either 🙂
When choosing a cat bed, make sure your cat will be comfortable with it – speaking from experience, not all cats love a hammock that doesn’t give them a sturdy base to lay on. For cat vacationists shopping at myKotty, we recommend the OTI bed – it’s spacious, with pillows hung up 30 cm above the ground like a hammock, but on a base sturdy enough to give your feline a sense of stability for the best napping experience.
- cat beds for cuddly cats
This group of furs includes cats whose napping pose of choice is either a doughnut or a shrimp, and for whom any attempt to take a nap ends with them curling up on a blanket, a duvet, or in a warm basket. Cuddly cats love when the cat bed snuggles them with all its warmth and invites them over for an extended, royal nap.
Which cat beds will be chosen by a cuddly cat? Anything round, filled with pillows or blankets, including baskets, or even a cardboard box with the top opened up. If we were to choose a cat bed from myKotty’s collection, we’d definitely recommend the OTI cat bed and EMI pillow which, once folded up, resembles a Chinese fortune cookie – perfect to snuggle into.
- cat beds/hideouts for cats who love peace and quiet
The last category of cat beds are ones that provide a cat with a spot far from anything going on at home. Those include all types of cat houses, sleeping bags, and tunnels that provide the cat with a perfect hideout for the entire evening, away from the rest of the world. Cat houses make cats feel safe, which is why cat beds like that are perfect for scaredy cats but don’t be fooled – those types of hideouts are also the ideal playground for cats and kittens. The MIA cat house was designed with two entrances and a lot of space inside, just for the cats to enjoy the space solo or with a cat buddy and always find their way out once they’re bored of being away from the action 🙂
Does your cat need a cat bed?
Okay, fabCat – you know which cat beds are available for your feline friends, but you may wonder: do my cats actually need them? Some say that it’s absolutely necessary to include a cat bed in a cat starter kit, while others claim it’s one of the first things you can drop from the starter kit if you don’t have the budget for it at first. And where’s the truth? From where we stand, it’s somewhere in the middle – we do believe a well-fit cat bed is a true haven for a cat, we understand that some kitties don’t give two floofs about any beds and even if they have 10 of those, they’ll always nap on the pile of laundry in the bedroom. That’s the cat logic for you.
So how do you decide if your cat needs a cat bed? For starters, look at their habits. Where does your cat usually nap during the day? On your lap, in the middle of the room on the floor, or maybe hidden in the bedroom and not happy if you disrupt their peace? Observing your cat will help you decide which category of cat beds will suit your cats best, but if you go a step further, it’s going to be easy to decide if they need a cat bed at all!
Our tips:
- Leave out your cat’s carrier in an easily accessible place – it’s important to get the cat used to it and associate the carrier with positive experiences, but when it comes to choosing a cat bed, it could help you to decide if your cat is interested in having a safe hideout.
Chances of success: most cats appreciate having a safe hideout so setting up at least one at home, in a quiet and calm space is our minimum.
- Test out blankets and pillows. Maybe you already have a pillow or a blanket you can gift to your cat. Use them and set them up on the balcony, under the radiator, on the couch, or anywhere where you’d normally put a cat bed.
Chances of success: if your cat is clearly interested in napping on the “bed” you set up rather than on the floor or the chair, there’s a big chance they will accept an actual cat bed enthusiastically.
- Bring some boxes home. They’re standard at most cat homes but think about getting a few crate-type boxes, with an open top, just to test them out with your kitties.
Chances of success: if your cat immediately gets into the box and sleeps the entire evening there, a basket-type cat bed will definitely get their attention (and will be far more aesthetic than a plain box) 🙂
Creating a place for your cat to call their own, where they feel safe, comfy, and can sleep all day is definitely worth giving a try, even if not all cat beds you test out turn out to be a hit. Don’t be afraid to experiment with their placement and remember that at myKotty, we give you 100 days to return the product if your cat turns their whiskers up to it (though we are sure they won’t 🙂
Where to put the cat bed to make it a hit with the cats?
Before we lose your attention, we have one more thing to touch on. It is, of course, the placement of the cat bed – similarly to the placement of scratchers, it does actually matter for cat beds as well. A cat bed is supposed to give your furs a comfy space to sleep, which is why the beds should always live in a spot where your cat feels comfortable and safe. It’s a good idea to create at least one space at home where your cat can go to get away from the family life (e.g. in the bedroom), but also one where they could nap and watch everything that’s going on around them at the same time. Cats may like napping and spend most of their lives doing it, but sometimes the best naps are the ones where you can keep one eye open in case something tasty comes around.
P.S. You can find an article on how to get your cat to use their new cat bed if they’re not yet convinced on our blog → https://blog.mykotty.pl/en/2020/11/09/how-to-get-a-cat-to-love-their-bed/
How to choose a cat bed?
Now, to sum things up, here are a few tips that may make it easier for you to shop for cat beds:
- observe your cat and what they like – choose a cat bed that suits their personality and fits the spaces they choose to sleep in most often;
- go for variety – cats, depending on the time of day, their mood, and circumstances might pick between a few different napping spots. Think about buying cat beds that have different functions depending on what your cat needs at a certain time;
- don’t be afraid to experiment – if your cat turns their whiskers up to a cat bed, you don’t have to immediately throw it out. Think about finding a new space for the cat bed around your house – sometimes moving it even slightly to one side or the other makes a huge difference;
- don’t hurry – a cat bed is not an absolutely necessary piece of cat furniture and though it’s good to give our feline friends their own space at home, the more attention you give to the first three tips here, the better chance that any cat bed you choose will have your cat’s approval 🙂
How did your adventures with cat beds go, fabCats? Did your cats immediately accept all beds you gave them or did it require a lot of experimentation and catnip or snack bribes? Let us know in the comments!
