Bought a nice fluffy bed and he doesn't use it!!

I know cats will be cats and they have a tendency to not use the stuff you buy them buts its fustrating when you by them a nice little bed and they don't use it!

I bought Chacho a nice bed for him they day we got him and he wants nothing to do with it. I thought well maybe he doesn't like it because it smells like a store so I've been sitting on it and using it as a pillow to try to get my scent on it but he still doesn't want anything thing to do with it. If he was into cat nip, I'd put catnip on it but that stuff doesn't do anything for him...yet. I've heard that they sometimes grow into it.

Anyways, even though its really not a huge deal, I still would like to see him use it. So if anyone has an idea on how to perhaps encourage him to use it, please let me know!

No worries. Just wait and see. Chacho will decide when to use it.

As Yayi said do not worry about it and just wait. Most cats will eventually use the bed you provide them. If you want to speed the process up you could put a towel on on the bed. For whatever reason my cats love towels on there bed .

Cats can so ungrateful for the things we try to buy them

My babies didn't like catnip at all probably for the first 3 years of their life. A lot of cats who do not like catnip, like valerian.

In Member's Market Place here on TCS, Pat with Plain Brown Tabby sells it.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...31#post3116731

Maggie wont use cat beds :/ Now monty has a little blue bed and he loves it. Cats are such funny creatures

My solution - get another cat Every cat bed I've purchased for a given set of cats was ignored until a new cat was brought into the household. We bought 2 cat beds for Lucy and Much, but until we got Carly, Kiefer and Aoibhe, they were unused. Bought a heated pad for Carly which was ignored until Aoibhe.

You could try putting treats into the bed or try the valerian as suggested.

I had the same problem when I bought Holland a new bed several months ago. She insisted on using her ratty old one until I put her favorite fleece blanket in the new bed. Now she loves it (I only take the blanket off now to wash it ):

Is the bed on the floor, or up high? I've found putting an untouched bed on a cabinet, bookcase, fridge or unused bed makes it a lot more attractive.

I once bought a little "igloo" that I thought Jamie would love in the winter. He didn't touch it until I put it "away" in the spare bedroom. Now he uses it a lot - in the summer! My in-laws got him a beautiful wicker bed, and it wasn't interesting until I stored it away on top of some cabinets in the cellar.

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

I had the same problem when I bought Holland a new bed several months ago. She insisted on using her ratty old one until I put her favorite fleece blanket in the new bed. Now she loves it (I only take the blanket off now to wash it

):

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Awwwww!!!!! Maggie LOVES her blankies!

Thats a great idea about putting the bed up in a higher location.

LOL about Jamie.

Monty has his little blue bed but he wont sleep in it unless clifford is in there

They refused to use their two new beds for at least a month. Then all of a sudden Wesley laid down in it and was like... hey, this is pretty comfy. Now he snoozes in em regularly... sometimes with a Buttercup blanket smooshing him.


Woohoo... double-success! I think its all about location and of course "the stank". If it has his fur all over it, Wesley loves it, and if it smells like Wesley then Buttercup likes it, heh.

Originally Posted by jcat

Is the bed on the floor, or up high? I've found putting an untouched bed on a cabinet, bookcase, fridge or unused bed makes it a lot more attractive.

I once bought a little "igloo" that I thought Jamie would love in the winter. He didn't touch it until I put it "away" in the spare bedroom. Now he uses it a lot - in the summer! My in-laws got him a beautiful wicker bed, and it wasn't interesting until I stored it away on top of some cabinets in the cellar.

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It's all about location in our experience. Either put it someplace new but "up," or try on your bed, on your couch, a table, etc.

And make sure to tell him you DEFINITELY do NOT want him to use it. You've changed your mind, and he shouldn't bother, you want it untouched to give to the shelter. That should do it.

In my experience Cats dont like beds that are like pillows, they do not like the sensation of falling or stepping into softness, like humans do.

Favorite beds in my house 1. Cardboard scratcher, 4 of them! Taped together. They are the type that have two high rounded edges, like tufts. 2. A fluffy polyester blanket I washed by mistake and it became flat and coarse, both love that one.

Is this your first cat? You'll learn what will work, don't worry.

Want the cat to get in the bed? Put a sheet of copy paper in it!

And just for fun, lay a sheet of copy paper on the floor somewhere. Watch how long it takes your cat to lie down on it.

We bought a nice wicker hut with a top bed and a bed inside it. We put it next to the fireplace, on the hearth and waited. And waited. For over a year, they wouldn't even sniff the damn thing, then, poof, all of a sudden one of them discovered the inside bed and they were all constantly trying to get in it. But still none of them would use the bed on top. Another year goes by and one of them discovered the top bed. He is still the only cat out of 6 that uses the top bed.

We have the most luck with flat beds. Not puffy pillow like ones. And those that have bolsters on the side. Petsmart sells these basic little round beds that are flat with a small bolster running all around the bed. We have like 6 of them now. They all fight over the pink one.

I've also noticed the kitties don't get in the beds much during the summer, too hot.

Give it a little time, and like LDG said, tell him he can't use it and that you are getting rid of it....that works too.

Originally Posted by RarePuss

Is this your first cat? You'll learn what will work, don't worry.

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This is my first cat on my own. I recently moved out of the parents, who had 3 cats and a dog. I was having some loneliness issues and so my boyfriend and I got a cat. At my parents we really had one cat bed that was used constantly by our oldest cat and then the rest of our cats didn't really ever really get into cat bed. They would lay in them on occasion but they preferred to lay on their cat tree, on of our beds or to find a laundry basket with clean clothes in it. They used the cat beds but just on occasion, mainly when they wanted to be left alone because due to the lack of use, they were usually hidden in corners.


To the other responses (sorry I momentarily forgot about this thread) I've tried some on locations for it but just doesn't seem to matter. High, low, under things, on things, covered with a blanket. None seem to do much.
But like everyone says, he might not ever use it or when he gets older he may randomly start to use it.

I move them around until I find their sweet spot. A favorite is always a chair set next to a sunny window.

None of mine really like the ones on the ground, except for the big dog bed that we keep next to a sliding patio door. I've seen 4 cats on that one at a time. It does help if you get them to think that the bed is not actually theirs. Then they REALLY want to get on it.

Yes, I figure that when I totally forget about even having the cat bed, that's when he'll decide he wants to use it.

Same here. Got my 5 month Burmese cat a nice bed from PetSmart and he's never used it, but I might try the towel trick—something with a more familiar scent on it. I might try different locations too. At least he uses his cat condo which cost a lot more.