Choosing a cat bed that actually gets slept in
Cats want containment, not a flat cushion. How to measure, which shape suits which sleeper, and why bigger is usually wrong.
Most rejected cat beds are too big and too flat. A cat wants a wall against its back and something over its head — which is why a cave that looks too small gets used and the giant round cushion doesn't.
Measure like this
- While your cat is asleep and curled, measure the curled diameter and add 5cm. That's the sleeping area you need — not their stretched-out length.
- For hooded and cave beds, height matters: the opening needs to clear the cat's shoulders when they walk in.
- For heated pads, the pad should cover most of the sleeping area but leave a cool edge to move onto.
Match the shape to the sleeper
- Curled sleeper, likes privacy: hooded cave or a deep nest with high walls.
- Stretched out on the bed all day: a flat mat on the doona, ideally with a bolster at one end.
- Sleeps on radiators, laptops, or you: a self-heating or electric pad — they're following heat, so give them a warm spot of their own.
- Anxious or new to the house: semi-enclosed with a low front so there's always a clear exit.
Washability
A bed you can't machine wash will be a bed you throw out. Check the cover comes off and the filling survives a 30°C cycle before buying, especially for hooded beds where the shell is the whole point.
What we sell in this corner
Caves, hooded nests and heated pads for cats who sleep like it's a profession.
Round plush bed — six sizes
A deep, bolster-sided nest in six sizes from kitten to Maine Coon. Machine washable cover, non-slip base.
Hooded cat cave bed
A cave with a raised lip so the cat is enclosed but never trapped — and a high-loft fill that doesn't collapse after a month.
Winter cave nest
A deep, semi-enclosed nest for cold rooms — thick filling, high walls, and a front lip the cat can rest its chin on.