How to Choose the Perfect Cat Bed for Your Cat

Most cats spend more of the day asleep than awake. A Sleep Foundation survey of cat owners found that more than half of cats sleep 12 to 18 hours a day, and nearly 4 in 10 sleep even more. That is a lot of hours to spend on the wrong bed, and cats are famous for ignoring a bed they don’t like in favor of a laundry basket or your pillow. The good news: cats are picky in predictable ways. Get the shape, size, warmth and location right, and most cats move in on their own.

Find the Right Cat Bed in 30 Seconds

Not sure where to start? Answer a few quick questions about your cat and we’ll match them to one of our American-made beds and suggest a size.

Why Cats Are So Picky About Beds

Three instincts drive almost every cat’s choice of sleeping spot:

• Warmth. Cats are comfortable at much warmer temperatures than we are. A review in the Veterinary Ireland Journal puts the feline thermoneutral zone, the range where a cat doesn’t have to spend energy keeping warm, at roughly 86–100°F (30–38°C). That is why cats chase sunbeams, laptops and warm laundry. A bed with raised sides and a plush top traps their own body heat around them.
• Security. A sleeping cat wants to feel hidden and protected. Research from Utrecht University found that shelter cats adapted to a stressful new place faster when they had somewhere to hide. At home, walls around the bed give the same tucked-in feeling.
• Familiar scent and routine. Cats like spots that smell like them and that they chose. A brand-new bed that smells like a warehouse, in a spot they never use, is easy for a cat to ignore.

Shape: Match the Bed to How Your Cat Sleeps

• The curler (most cats): nose tucked into tail, body in a tight circle. A round bolster bed is the natural fit. The raised rim gives them something to lean into and rest their chin on.
• The sprawler: some cats, especially on warm days, stretch out flat on their side. They still like a soft surface, but walls matter less. A roomier round bed or a flat plush pad works.
• The den sleeper: cats who nap in carriers, crates or cubbies want padding sized to that floor. A crate pad with corner ties stays put instead of bunching into a corner.

Size: Snug Beats Roomy

With dogs, the most common mistake is buying too small. With cats, it is often the opposite: a bed that is too big loses the snug, heat-holding feel that drew the cat to it in the first place. Measure your cat across while they are curled up asleep. The sleeping area inside the bolster should be a little wider than that.

• Small (25″ across, 16″ inside): fits most house cats, which typically weigh 8–12 lb.
• Medium (31–32″ across, 21″ inside): for big cats of 13 lb or more, such as Maine Coons, Ragdolls and Norwegian Forest Cats, and for two cats who like to share.

Location Matters as Much as the Bed

The best bed in the wrong place goes unused. Put it somewhere warm and draft-free, out of the main foot traffic, and near a spot your cat already naps. A patch of afternoon sun is ideal; a cold window pane or a spot by an exterior door is not. Many cats also like a little height, so a bed on a sturdy shelf, window seat or the top of a cat tree is worth a try for a young, agile cat.

For older cats, easy access comes first. The RSPCA advises giving arthritic cats a soft, well-padded bed that is easy to reach, in a quiet, draft-free spot, and keeping essentials on one level so they don’t have to climb. If your cat seems stiff, hesitates to jump or is sleeping somewhere new, talk with your veterinarian.

Fabric, Care and Durability

• Plush Furvana™: soft minky fleece most cats love to knead. The cover zips off and machine-washes, which matters with a pet that sheds on it every day. Regular brushing helps too; our cat grooming tools catch loose hair before it ends up in the bed.
• Armor™: ballistic nylon built for the heaviest scratchers, diggers and chewers. The cover is waterproof, so it suits a catio, sunroom or a cat who is hard on fabric.
• Non-slip base: grip strips on the bottom keep the bed from sliding when your cat leaps in.
• Made in the USA: every bed we carry is made by American Dog, a small American manufacturer, so you know who built it and where.

How to Get Your Cat to Use a New Bed

1. Put it where they already sleep. Don’t try to move their nap spot and introduce a bed at the same time.
2. Make it smell like home. Lay a T-shirt you’ve worn or a blanket they already use inside it for the first few days.
3. Add warmth. Placing it in a sunny spot is the easiest way to make a new bed the best seat in the house.
4. Be patient. Never place your cat in it and hold them there. Give it a few days and let them choose it.

Our American-Made Cat Beds at a Glance

Every bed below is made in the USA by American Dog. Tap a bed to see its sizes and colors.

Round Bolster Furvana™ Our everyday cat bed. Plush minky fleece, raised bolsters, six colors. Round Bolster Furvana™ ‘Hope’ The same plush round bolster, in pink with HOPE on the front. Round Bolster Armor™ ‘F#ck Cancer’ Ballistic-nylon Armor™ build with a waterproof cover, for kneaders and the catio. Crate Pad Furvana™ For carriers, crates and cat condos. Corner ties, sizes from 22″.

Final Thoughts

The right cat bed is warm, snug and in a spot your cat already likes. For most cats that means a round bolster bed in the Small size, placed somewhere sunny and quiet, with something that smells like you inside it for the first few days. Big cats and pairs need the Medium, and cats who shred fabric or nap outdoors do better on Armor™.