Bedding Advice ?

I need to get a new comforter for my bed. It's 15 years old so it's time get something new!! Also, Izzie is fascinated with the stitching and has helped "unstitch" it over the past 11 months. Anyway, now that I have cats, I was wondering which type (comforter, quilt, bed spread, etc.) would hold up well with cats. My current comforter has no dangling fringes and I know that would be a major cat "attraction" in my house. And of course, the ultimate comforter would NOT attract cat hair!! I know. I'm dreaming.

I need to replace mine to. I have wool quilts for the beds in the fall and winter and cotton blankets for the spring and summer. And a light quilt for the top. But I've made mine and one of the fabrics I've used was a cat hair magnet so be mindful of that!!

All I can tell you is whatever you do don't get one that is dry clean only. Yes, I learned the hard way. I have a quilt right now which seems to be holding up pretty good but it's less than a year old so who knows what it will look like this time next year.

I avoid anything that needs to be dry cleaned!!

i got a duvet (artificial...i'm allergic to down) and then i just change the duvet cover when it gets frazzled (and it comes off easily and washes really well).

Originally Posted by MissCharlotte

I avoid anything that needs to be dry cleaned!!

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Heck, I try to avoid anything that's "Cold water wash with like colors Tumble dry low"! If it's not "Warm Water wash, tumble dry high" I don't want it !

How did you manage to get 15 years out of a comforter? I've never been able to get over 2-3 years out of one.

Originally Posted by Renny

i got a duvet (artificial...i'm allergic to down) and then i just change the duvet cover when it gets frazzled (and it comes off easily and washes really well).

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We've got duvets/comforters (polyester-fill for the summer, down for the winter, all of them machine washable), and I just dump the covers in the washer every week (flat sheets aren't normally used here). We have acrylic blankets folded at the foot of the bed for Jamie to snuggle on/in/under.

Originally Posted by RoseHawke

How did you manage to get 15 years out of a comforter? I've never been able to get over 2-3 years out of one.

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OK, I was at college for 5 years so it was not really used during that time!! I'm also cheap, but this one held up pretty good. I haven't had indoor pets until 2 years ago and it was only after I got Izzie last October that the comforter met it's little "chew" and "claw" helper (I trim nails too)!!

I forgot to mention that sometimes I sit on the bed to use the computer and there is a nice, defined area that has been worn from my butt!!! I have flipped it over so you cannot see it!!

We got a down comforter with a beautiful pattern on it. When I want to change the look, I use a duvet. I cannot believe I waited so long to get a down comforter, because I love it!

My DB grandmother made us a really neat quilt that we use and it's perfect!

I have an old comforter too (will hopefully be getting a real duvet one for Christmas). Since I hated the color and I was tired of washing the whole thing, I just bought a duvet cover. Makes it a lot easier to clean. And I love the funky IKEA pattern on it
Once I get a real good comforter, I'll just keep using the same duvet cover (real duvet is so hard to clean anyways!)

And has anyone noticed that new duvet (or recently washed duvet) smells funny? Or is it just me?
Must be some sort of "wet goose" smell.

i have an extreamly pretty bed spead on my bed right now, well i did until someone peed on my bed last night(thats another story) but with having 2 dogs sleeping with me and shadow i have a blanket on top of it to protect the bed spread. That way when i have company over i take the top blanket off. i would get something that you think looks nice and then get something to protect it from your cats.

So, basically....... it sounds like buy a new comforter but also invest in a duvet to protect it? That might be a good idea because washing my comforter has always been a royal pain.

I buy all of my bedding from overstock.com. I have two comforters and duvets from there and they have held up amazingly. One is real down, the other artificial down. I also bought some amazing egyptian cotten 400 thread count sheets from there. The nice thing is you don't pay nearly as much as you would at a department store. I paid 60 for my sheets- but only 40$ for the comforters. You might want to check that website out.

I have a duvet as well.

For a cover, I generally just sew two flat sheets together, and put buttons and holes on one end. It's a lot cheaper than duvet covers, and I can make exactly the one I want.

I have a duvet as well. I really really want a satin and velvet comforter but with a cat that is not a good idea.

I had a down feather bed that shrunk. If you are considering one, you can PM me so you don't make the same mistake I did.

My cats love to sleep on the bed too and I have found that the easiest thing to keep clean is a quilt. I also have a chenille bedspread that I put on the bed with the quilt and they both really wash well. All cotton. I wash mine all the time and its the easiest to put in the washer and dryer. I had a comforter and it was so bulky and hard to wash I dont use it anymore.

I got one of these when I found out Cupid was allergic to down. It's incredibly soft, comfortable, and warm/cool though! (and was also a lot cheaper than my down comforter) I don't know if cat hair would stick to silk much or not. For sheets, I use Vellux blankets. They're incredibly soft to roll around on, and I use one for a top sheet too, if needed. They're softer and cheaper than normal sheets, and they get better with washings! So even if cat hair stuck to them (although I think it'd be easy to get off), washing them would actually make them even better!

I do have a blanket similar to the Velux one. I got it from LL Bean and they are exceptionally warm blankets. They also are a cat hair magnet!! I don't plan to get a down filled comforter. I've never really liked down.

Thanks for everyone's input so far!!