We’ve been there – you finally invest in a cozy cat bed and then your cat takes one look at it and walks away.
Here at tuft + paw, we are cat experts. We’re intimately familiar with features that are most important to cats – we also spoke to actual cat and cat furniture experts to do some of the work for you.
We feel strongly that cats can learn to love their beds. Often, they just need some gentle guidance. In fact, we’re so confident in this that we’ve got a feeling you’ll soon be able buy cat items with confidence, and even pull out some of those long-lost cat beds from storage.
Convincing your cat to use their bed all boils down to making the bed as appealing as possible. We know that sounds a bit simplistic, but remember, cats are very particular about their space.
Here are our best tips to help you make your cat’s bed appealing.
1. Pick their favorite spot
Have you noticed that your cat has a favorite spot where they like to lounge? Maybe it’s a sunny corner in your bedroom, a particularly quiet closet, or it could even be a windowsill or on a bookshelf. When possible, the easiest way to get your cat to enjoy their bed is to consider utilizing locations they already frequent.
Keep in mind, if you place a cat bed in a high-traffic area like a living room, while this may work for canine companions, your cat will likely be much happier if you make use of a quiet and safe spot they’re already a fan of. Don’t try to force them into a new area by luring them with the new bed (it won’t work).
For reference, most cats tend to enjoy:
- Quiet spaces
- Low-traffic areas
- Sunny spots
- Elevated locations (furniture, bookshelves, windowsills)
- On their cat tree
2. Treats are never a bad idea
Helping your cat create positive associations with their bed increases the likelihood that they’ll use it.
You can use catnip to entice your kitty to use their bed, or you can feed your cat treats by hand when you catch them using the bed. Either way, both scenarios make the bed much more appealing to your cat.
