Pet gear has a reputation for being loud, bulky and impossible to clean. It does not have to be. A well-chosen bed can blend into your decor and still be the most comfortable spot in the house for your dog or cat.
Match the bed to how your pet sleeps
Watch your pet for a few days. Curlers do best with a bolstered, donut-style bed they can nestle into. Sprawlers want a flat mattress-style pad with room to stretch. Buying the wrong shape is the most common reason a pet ignores a new bed.
Removable, washable covers are non-negotiable
Whatever you buy, the cover should zip off and go in the machine. This single feature is the difference between a bed that stays fresh for years and one you replace every few months.
Choose colors that work with your room
Skip the bright primary colors marketed at pets and pick a neutral — oatmeal, charcoal, sage — that sits quietly in your space. A pet bed in your existing palette reads as a piece of furniture, not an eyesore.
Right-size it
Measure your pet nose-to-tail while they sleep stretched out, then add a few inches. Too small and they will not use it; too large and a nervous pet may not feel secure.
Think about where it lives
Pets want to be near you. A bed tucked into the corner of the room you spend evenings in will get used far more than one banished to a back hallway. A raised or covered bed can give a shy pet a sense of their own space within a shared room.
We gather the beds and accessories we think strike the best balance of comfort and looks on our Pet Home board — the ones that keep both the pet and the living room happy.