"Cats sleep. A lot! The perfect place to sleep is a thoughtfully placed, comfortable cat bed. Preferably in a beam of sunlight!"
How to Choose the Right One
Beds for your cat come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Your cat won’t care about the color, so go ahead and choose a color that suits your taste.
With all the styles on the market today, you should be able to find a
comfortable one to match the décor of your home.
Factors to consider in choosing a bed to keep your cat healthy and
happy:
Choose the right size for your cat. Make sure your cat can stretch
out comfortably, but don’t get one that is too big. Cats feel more secure and comfortable in smaller places. You may want to measure your cat from his head to the base of his tale and add a few inches. Measuring is especially important when buying a cat bed online.
Choose one that is easy for your cat to get in and out of. If you have
a kitten or older cat, you’ll want to make extra sure that the walls of the bed are
low enough so that your kitten or senior cat can get in and out easily. The
classic cat bedhas a shorter entrance area with high walls to keep your cat feeling cozy.
Natural fabrics for the lining and stuffing are best. This provides extra comfort for your cat and helps with
some allergies. Natural fabrics include cottons, wool, feathers, and kapok. Synthetic fibers that are hypoallergenic are also good.
Choose one that is machine-washable. This will allow you to keep your cat’s sleeping area clean and free from potential fleas and also from allergens.
The Best Place to Put Your Cat's Bed
Your cat needs a clean, quiet, and private place to sleep and rest. This place
should be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And even if your cat sleeps with you some of the time, she should still have a suitable place or two (at
least) of her own. If you have a multi-level home, you may want to consider
having a place for your cat on all levels.
Experiment by placing the cat furniture in different areas of your home. This will show you where your cat likes best. Or take your cat's lead by placing a bed or bedding
in the locations he has already chosen as favorite spots.
Traveling With Your Cat
If you travel with your cat, take along her bed. This will help her feel more comfortable and secure. If space is an issue, take along something like a fleece blanket or smaller bed.
Be sure that your cat has used this cat bed in your home so that it will have her familiar scent on it.
How to Get Your Cat to Use a Cat Furniture
It's not unusual for you to bring home a wonderful new cat bed and find that your cat will have nothing to do with it. If this is the case, you need to try to make the bed as appealing to your cat as possible.
The following steps will help make your new cat bed more appealing to your feline companion:
Put the bed in your cat's favorite place or where she already sleeps.
Use a small amount of catnip spray or put
organic catnip
leaves around the bed. (While this will make most cats "high" for a while, they will come to associate the bed with a good feeling. Use sparingly and stop if it doesn't seem to work.)
Praise your cat with special petting when he uses the bed.
Put one of your cat's items in the bed, like a favorite pillow.
Making a Bed for Your Cat Saves You Money!
Although there are a ton of cat beds you could buy, you don't really have to buy a
special bed to keep your cat healthy and happy. You can make a cat bed on your own.
Your cat's bed can be as simple
as placing a clean, folded towel or small blanket on her favorite chair or even her
favorite corner. A covered pillow will also do just fine.
Keeping Your Cat's Bed Clean Keeps Your Cat Healthy
Whatever type of bed you choose, be sure to regularly clean it. Many cat
beds are machine washable. This is the best option. Be sure to dry the bed (or
towel or blanket) thoroughly before setting it out for your cat to use.
Keeping your cat's bed clean helps keep your cat healthy by eliminating any potential health hazards, like fleas.
A flea-free environment is essential to keep your cat healthy and happy.
Related Topics:
Beds for Cats A selection of My Healthy Cat favorites
