For every pet-loving home, cats are not just pets; they are family. They are affectionate, caring, and love playing with their human friends. According to research, the companionship that cats provide has several health benefits for human beings, including preventing allergies and reducing stress and anxiety.
The best you can do in return is to ensure your pet’s health and happiness. This includes sheltering your cat, feeding it, and ensuring that it sleeps well.
Cats sleep so much. According to Sleep.org, cats sleep between 12 and 16 hours each day.
This makes a comfortable resting and sleeping environment one of the best gifts you can give to your cat. The easiest thing you can do is buy a cat bed and place it in a safe corner of your home. This article looks into some of the health benefits your cat will enjoy from sleeping on a special bed.
Here are some of the top benefits
1. Provides Perfect Temperature Regulation
It would be best if you kept temperature regulation in mind when choosing a cat bed. Different kinds of seasons and weather call for relevant solutions. Meaning, you may need to buy more than one cat bed to ensure that your pet is safe in all seasons.
The summer months are usually hot, pushing us to turn on our air conditioning systems. Cats aren’t exceptional here; they feel the heat like the rest of the family. The best cat bed for such weather needs to be breathable and light to encourage airflow and keep your cat cool.
Winters can get too cold, and our four-legged friends don’t enjoy these months too. You need to provide them with a warm, cozy bed that they’ll feel comfortable in, especially at night. You can research how to make a cat bed that your cat will love. The easiest thing is to use a warm blanket in a carton. If you must buy one, then go for a heated cat bed.
2. Premium Support and Comfort
Your cats and other pets feel calmer when they are comfortable. As a pet owner, you need to create a space that your cat will love to spend most of the day sleeping in comfortably. This calls for you to invest in a cat bed.
A good cat bed should be of superior quality. This makes it vital to look at the materials used in making one before settling on it. As mentioned earlier, an ideal cat bed needs to fit the seasonal needs. You can also read here for tips on apartment hunting for you and your pet. The material also needs to be washable and durable to guarantee your cat good health and longevity.
The most important benefit of a cat bed is that you can reduce anxiety in your cat. This makes it vital to spend most of your valuable time researching different qualities of beds before choosing one.
3. More Room to Stretch
Many people ask the question, why does my cat hide under the bed? Well, cats need as much space and also privacy as their owners enjoy. One way to provide the best space for your cat is by buying them a cat bed cave as it offers more privacy.
You need to find a strategic space to place your cat’s bed. A corner that people do not frequent can be an excellent spot. The cat should own that corner of your home, and you should only be there when cleaning its bedding. Giving your cat such space can ensure good mental health in your cat.
Your cat also becomes healthy when it can stretch freely. Providing enough space for it is one of the best things you can do. This can be helpful to senior cats that can develop health problems when confined to small areas for long, especially spaces with hard surfaces, unlike soft cat beds.
4. Prevents Pressure Sores
Your cat can develop painful pressure sores for different reasons. One of the biggest causes can be lousy weight elevation which affects the body parts in contact with surfaces. Weight bruises are common in older cats with big bodies and uneven weight distribution.
A cat that sleeps on the floor or any other hard surface for long can quickly develop these sores. If they continue over an extensive period, they can affect your cat’s overall shape and affect mobility. Investing in a good cat bed can help you prevent these sores from developing.
A good cat bed should help your cat recover if it has experienced such soars in the past. Your cat can sleep even in the same position for a long time without a problem. Ensure that you have several blankets that you can replace in the bed once you wash used ones.
5. Manages Arthritis
Cat arthritis is a condition that has become far too common in senior cats. According to research, about 90% of cats aged ten years and above experience arthritis. This condition affects at least one joint and makes it difficult for a cat to move from one point to another.
Several factors can initiate the development of this condition in cats. It can result from your cat’s body conformation, an injury, abnormal joint development, etc. But then, what matters is how you help your cat manage this condition and lead a normal life.
Buying a high-quality cat bed is one of the best steps you can take to manage cat arthritis. The bed needs to be warm, soft, and be able to provide good bone support. It is advisable to also go for a raised bed to make your senior cat feel more comfortable and healthier.
6. Provides A Clean Sleeping Environment
Your cat needs a clean environment to sleep more comfortably. Cats, especially before they get used to their litter boxes, can soil beds from time to time. The litter builds up over time and ends up producing an odor that makes the beds uncomfortable to snuggle into when they want to rest.
If you’ve ever asked why does my cat sleep on my bed? Then the odor could be a reason. Ensure that the bed you choose is washable by hand and machine without losing its durability. Besides, it would be best to use friendly washing agents that won’t affect the fabric or impact your cat’s health.
It would be best if you also had a regular washing schedule for your cat’s bedding. You may have to do it less or more often, depending on whether the cat has gotten used to the litterbox or not. A good practice is training your cat on the litterbox before introducing the bed to ensure it doesn’t get soiled a lot.
7. Satisfies Picky Felines
Cats are naturally picky on almost everything they use. They sleep, litter, and play in places that they feel most comfortable in. If your cat wants to sleep and they can’t find a good spot, they end up getting stressed and anxious. This affects their mental health and affects their overall life.
Buying a cat bed helps solve this problem and prevents your cat from feeling stressed. But then, you need to find the right spot for the cat bed to get the best results as a cat owner. Cats are also picky about where to sleep. It can be either on a high or low surface.
Try all types of surfaces and beds to know what your cat prefers. You can try an elevated marshmallow cat bed when looking to understand your cat. The Meowy has a variety of cat beds that you can buy for your fur friend. You can choose different designs and beds for different seasons.
8. Helps with Potential Skin Problems
Skin conditions are relatively common in cats today. According to the Cornell University Vet College, about 6-15% of cats have one skin problem. Many more cats experience two or more skin issues. With the skin being the largest organ in a cat, you always need to keep it healthy.
A damaged cat skin can expose your furred friend to several diseases. It can also affect body temperature regulation leading to further and more severe damage. Aggressive surfaces make it more difficult for your cat to manage a skin condition or recover from it.
Cats spend most of their days sleeping, meaning where they sleep determines how safe their skin will be. Providing a soft and comfortable cat bed will help prevent your cat from rubbing itself on hard surfaces. This will speed up its recovery journey and encourage fur growth.
Conclusion
Those are some of the health benefits that a cat bed brings to the table. There is no doubt that buying your cat a bed is one of the best things you can do to appreciate their companionship. It is also one of the ways that you can make your cat feel more at home and loved.
It would be best if you took your time when choosing a cat bed. It needs to be durable, warm, and comfortable for your cat to enjoy resting and sleeping on it. As mentioned earlier, you can also have your DIY cat bed.
Remember, you also need time to train your cat to sleep on the bed.
