New (first) cat - what sort of bed?

[HelloCheekyCat]

I read somewhere it is better to buy a plastic bed with a cushion & cover which can be washed, rather than trying to wash a whole bed, but how often does the bed need washing?
If we went that route I've found a bed which seems a good size but I can't find a cushion which fits.

Shallow cardboard box with pillow or blankets in it. Then she will ignore it and sleep everywhere else. Above all do not spend money on a bed!

Our boy flits between two identical donut beds from Amazon, one by the living room radiator, and one by the kitchen radiator - and an Amazon box on top of the fridge/freezer. (He does also like our bed and one particular bit of a sofa.) Our previous cat always slept in her beds too.

These beds get stuck in the washing machine, then either on the line or in the boiler cupboard. They dry quickly.

Mine sleep on the top of the covered heated airer all winter.

Sofas and their favourite person's bed in summer. Last week they slept in the suitcase I was packing and also at the bottom of the wardrobe and on the dining chair, but never ever used any cat beds I have bought for them.

Breadcat used to like a pillow stuffed in a bin liner as she like the crackle.
Now pretty much anywhere unsuitable where I do not want fur shed

So true.

A double.

My cats like to sleep on my side of the bed during the day so that when I go to bed I have to shake the duvet or end up with a mouth full of cat hair. We also have a spiral staircase in the bedroom leading to the loft - whenever we have visitors our very antisocial cats love to run up them and hide in an old wooden box lined with some once lovely scarves I put up there one summer. When they do decide to come downstairs for a little bit of family time, they sleep on the cushions in the garden if it’s a blazing hot day, or with their noses practically touching the wood burner when it’s lit. As for the matching beds we bought them when they decided to come and live with us - forget it!

My cat liked those beds that you can hook over a radiator. Took about six months for her to go near it but once she realised how cosy it was, she loved it!

You need a big box of lego, a pair of slippers and a child's armchair from Dunelm.

Loving all these comments & photos 😻
So many cheeky cats!

Mine love sleeping on tables (luckily we don't eat off them much) and windowsills

My cats have always ignored anything I paid for ... now I'm 50, got 2 kittens and they're into their 2nd cat tree, spend most of their time on it, and an old squashy cat bed ... however nighttime they're in my Ikea under bed blanket box - sleeping on the clean sheets 🙄😝

A lot of our windowsills have hand towels folded lengthways on them where our little nightmare likes to sunbathe (an offcut of 'rug stop' underneath keeps them stable). I just got a load of cheap supermarket ones/use scraggy old ones for that purpose. Towels are better than fleeces because you can bung them in a hot wash.

You will need a scratching post though and high places for them to climb so I would try and incorporate them together. We have this the top bit can go in the washing machine and they can climb between the ground floor and first level inside, height wise the one we have is hip height to me (5ft6) BTW Zooplus is your best friend for general supplies and VioVet is pretty good for medication.

Mine would only sleep in his very fancy, very expensive cat bed if you put a cardboard box inside it first.

Don't bother.

BTW congratulations on the Blessings of Cat that are about to be bestowed upon thee, lucky hoomin! May you ever strive to be worthy of them! And pay the Cat Picture Tax in due course...

They only tend to sleep in a bed when it's a place they like, I have a big windowsill that is purely for cats 1m x 70cm ISH so they will sleep there, currently there's a hammock which is older boy cats preference, the younger one sleeps under it, nobody sleeps in the cat bed next to it 🙄

I think @Minesril deserves commendation for providing three perfect, carefully chosen cat beds 🤣.

Luna in her amazon box

Mine slept in his Cat bed a couple of times and then either the settee, foot stool or end of the bed. When I moved out and he came and lived with me his preferred place to sleep was right next to me on my pillow with his arse shoved right in my face

My cat sleeps on an old cushion in a wicker food hamper next to the radiator.

But only in the winter. In the summer she sleeps in the greenhouse, on a warm step, garden chairs. Anywhere which is not her bed.

I wash the cushion very occasionally.

Posted this on another thread yesterday - but this is Sybil asleep in the bottom of a clothes basket.

I spent a fortune on kitty hammocks, beautiful plush comfy beds, and stilt beds. The cats sleep everywhere BUT the beds. Branston sleeps in an Amazon box my husband left in the hall once which is now a permanent fixture, and Pickle sleeps in the ratty old basket that I took off my bike, or the fruit bowl.

Cats will sleep wherever they please, so don't spend too much whatever kind of bed you choose as it will most likely end up just being a decoration 😁

There are always cat beds being given away on my village facebook group, you could try to get a couple of different ones to see if the cat likes any then give them away again if not

(my cat has never had a bed, she sleeps on my DD's bed during the day then on the sofa or in the dog's bed at night)

Morning,
We have a small scratching post & last night ordered a cat tower, we requested Amazon packaging in the hopes it comes in a big box 😻
She's 9 and a bit on the chubby side so we're not sure how much of a climber she'll be but hopefully she'll like the tower.

@Compash I will post (many probably) photos as soon as possible!