Cat bed: how do I get her to use it?

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We've bought Purr Majesty a lovely domed cat igloo but so far she's ignored! We've tried lining itt with her favourite blanket, spraying it with feeliway and she studiously ignores the thing!

Any tips? She's a tortie so pretty strong willed!

Give the igloo to a charity shop!

If you find a way, let me know! My two boys are 13 and they have only ever slept in the most inappropriate places (like piles of clean washing!) and totally snubbed any type of bed we've bought for them.

Make her think it's not for her. Cats NEVER use anything you've bought for them, it's the law.

The only way is to squeeze in it yourself. If she thinks it's yours she'll claim it as hers soon enough

I've never had a cat who would use a bed that they hadn't chosen themselves so cat beds are not high on my list of priority purchases. (My Siamese always choose the main human sleeping bed and sleep with me of course.)

Agree that you can't force them to choose a bed, but have you tried moving it up high? BiteyCat ignored his bed, carefully placed next to the living room radiator, but when we put it at the top of the stairs be route to the loft (and in prime trip position for us coming out our bedroom) suddenly he loved it and he sleeps there every night now. He likes the view of intruders, and the fact he can remind us to feed him if he wakes up before we do.

You've got no chance. I've bought mine 3 beds of varying sizes, shapes and styles. The bastard turned his nose up at each of them and happily sleeps on the hard cold wooden floor under the armchair .Idiotic creature.

Leroy has a lovely pomfy bed to sleep on - he sleeps on the windowsill. I'm hoping he takes to the bed in winter when it's by the radiator, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm hanging around for tips though!

The only thing I can suggest is to stop trying - leave it lying around somewhere. She might take to it then. 'Might'.

You make a massive fuss of giving the new bed to the dog, you tell him how fabulous he looks on his new bed. The cat will then sleep on the bed to spite the dog.

I bought several beds for mine but they didn't know what they were. Discovered that they will only use fluffy beds. Had wicker transport baskets that were supposed to double up as beds but they never touched them, until I put one behind a chair to throw away. Now she loves it!

Thanks everyone, o thought I was on a looser. I had a pang of guilt that she hadn't got anywhere of her own to sleep, despite knowing how cussed she is and highly unlikely to sleep anywhere other than under or on the bed!

Buy a cardboard box...

My cat all bloody three of them will not go in the very expensive beds I purchased, in fact I have now put them in the cupboard.

One sits in a cat carrier, left it out after a vet visit and old girl cat made a beeline for it and fell fast asleep so that is now in my living room

One likes to sit under a coffee table

And one would murder anybody for a cardboard box that gives him a muffin top :) he eventually squashes down a side and sits on a flat bit of cardboard, a bigger box isn't acceptable.

I even made the darling puss a lined fabric cardboard box to his preferred size and he still prefers the brown version, if I move it out of the living room he gets grumpy so I have an ugly box starting at me when watching telly :) but he looks so happy in it

My tortie loves enclosed snug and enclosed spaces to sleep, we are always finding her trapped in wardrobes, the airing cupboard, the lift up divan bed, you only have to leave these places open for a moment and she's in, then you close up and a few hours later wonder where she's got to . So if it was me I would put it in one of these places and then move it once she'd got used to it.

Put your clean washing in it?

I decided to try to strike a blow for freedom when Twoago arrived and made him a nice big cardboard box with an old fleece in it in the bedroom.

He thought it was a great New Game with His Person (we bonded very quickly) - I put him in, He climbed out, I put him back, He climbed out, I...........etc etc

And then he decided that the time for games was over and that some serious sleeping was required, jumped up on the bed and went under the duvet - talking at us to follow him!

Last time I tried that!

Yep, put clean washing in it, or your favourite pair of navy blue or black trousers...that'll do it.

Buy a much more expensive and fancy one and put it next to it.

Get a dog. Ours ignored his igloo for a year. We got a dog and suddenly it became much more appealing .

Put it next to your door with various other bits to drop at a local animal sanctuary. Both of mine found an igloo and two baskets incredibly attractive when I did this.

Cozie my box loving cat sleeps under the covers....

He will not go in my fabric lined one I've even pleaded with him, he out one paw in it and looked at me with utter disgust

the two cats we have now love cat beds... I love the look of cats in cat baskets and have acquired quite a few over the years, but previous cats have all preferred to ignore them completely.

we have a basket in the porch, top landing and a fleecey igloo in the middle landing which is the most favoured. Generally Faerie will choose a bed to sleep in and then her idiot brother will get in just to spite her.

They do like laundry, towels and the back of the sofa as well though.

My cat likes his bed but it's at the top of a 6ft cat tree!

Igloo was deemed perfectly acceptable when we had our kitten. He wouldn't look at it after a few months. He never used the lovely bed that hangs from a radiator so I took the fleece off and he will occasionally lie on that.
Cats are contrary creatures....