How To Update Your Cat's Furniture (Successfully)

Truffles received product from Smiling Paws Pets for her consideration in the aiding of this article; regardless, all content, opinions, and photos contained below remain genuine to that of the cat and writer.

Anyone who's ever been owned by a cat knows that sharing a space with a feline can be a real challenge.

As humans we're limited to the space we can claim, and therefor out furnishings are generally limited to floor space. Cats, however, understand the only limit to where they can lounge, is where they will fit. (And, even then, there are some times where this rule goes out the window.)

If your brand new laptop is warm and smooth, it's the perfect napping spot- even better if the hard drive is humming with gentle vibrations and the keyboard is exposed offering a memory-foam like experience. If that cake carrier you just pulled out for your baking project is open and in jumping height, score- brand new cat bed. And when you've just spend several hours carefully organizing your holiday figurines for seasonal display on the mantle- it's suddenly the best view in the house.

You can't blame indoor cats, really- your home is the extent of their universe and it's only natural to want to scale and explore it as much as possible over time. And, it's not like you bothered learning to speak cat, so don't expect them to understand the finer points of English instructions such as "I just spend $2k on this new computer, please don't sit on it," or "It's hard to sleep when you're giving yourself an oral bath 4 inches from my face at night."

Yes, living in a cat's world can seem complicated at times but there are ways you can slowly begin to regain some of their space as your own again. Start by selectively integrating a few key pieces of pet furniture into inconspicuous places around their home. Since most felines are quite picky convertible furniture such as the 2-In-1 Cat Cube and Bed from Smiling Paws Pets is the perfect secret weapon to lure your cat away from their favorite hiding spot in your laundry basket/suitcase/kitchen cupboard.

When I first saw the 2-In-1 Cat Cube and Bed I thought, 'Genius! A soft warm, box! May cat is going to love this!' and promptly unpacked it and presented it to Truffles.

As a special thanks Truffles promptly returned the gesture by ignoring it entirely for several days. Well, not quite ignore it- she actually spent a fair amount of time lounging in the sun, on the floor and couch around the Cat Cube, perhaps purely to taunt me.

Whatever the reason, I decided the bed had been in 'her' territory long enough to be unassuming and have gathered some of her environment's natural scent. Taking advantage of the smart '2-In'1' feature of this unique bed I pulled the plush inner pillow out, smashed the top into the bottom and 'Viola!' instant open air car bed. I quickly tossed the pillow in the middle of the bed, and scurried away before the cat was any wiser.

Jackpot!  

The very next time I walked past my living room the 2-In-1 Cat Cube from Smiling Paws Pets had been definitely claimed by my feline housemate. In fact, Truffles seemed so content with her new property discovery that she refused to move for any of the traditional 'cat calls' such as rustling bags, the refrigerator opening, or a window being opened.

Needless to say I was ecstatic the stylish denim pet bed was at last fulfilling it's intended purpose as cat furniture rather than simply decor. Thanks to it's sturdy material this bed is entirely machine washable, and the luxury sherpa pillow offers a warm and comfortable napping experience that surely is steps above my laptop keyboard.

I wanted to convert the bed back into a cube, because I was certain Truffles would enjoy 'cube mode' even more than traditional bed mode- but left the bed as it was for several days to accumulate more of that 'cat ownership scent' that would help it seem less foreign once converted. I did, however, decide once I flipped the bed back into a cube again I would pull the sherpa pillow out to allow our 9lb cat more room to comfortably stretch and 'nest' inside.

Acclimating a cat to new furniture is a process that should be done over several days, if not weeks- remember that a cat's world is relatively small and any change can seem quite big. Cats, by nature, are curious but not necessarily quick to trust. And the less fuss you express over a change the quicker they will be able to accept it on their own, as something that is normal.

While you wait for your cat to acclimate to their new bed you might want to upgrade your home decor with a stylish DIY such as our Cat Scratcher Vase tutorial. Integrating cat friendly features into existing home decor is a great way to compromise a pro-feline environment with human design flair.

I wish I could say the exact moment things turned in Truffles mind- but in all honesty how I discovered she'd 'claimed' the cube as her own was on accident. In fact I spent a good portion of time tearing up the house looking for her before thinking to look in the pet bed I'd actually bought FOR her. As they say, the rest is history, folks.

Truffles loves her 2-In-1 Cat Cube And Bed from Smiling Paws Pets so much she wakes up every morning and migrates from the foot of my bed directly to the cube. Aside from a few hours of sun bathing in the afternoon, and some loud conversations with the local birds at sunset, she spends the majority of her day curled up content in the cube.

More recently I managed to sneak the sherpa 'pillow' into the bottom, and she seems to have found the upgrade quite agreeable.

Balancing style while sharing a home with a cat can seem tricky.

No matter how awesome the furniture is you buy for your cat there will always be those days where your arm, while typing- or the empty fruit bowl on the dining table just seems more logical. Shop stylish and smart multi-purpose pet innovations online with Smiling Paws Pets (they have stuff for dogs, too!) and give your cat plenty of time to decide they brought their new favorite bed/toy/accessory into the home, not you. For more smart pet innovations for your home follow Smiling Paws Pets on Instagram and Facebook- look for their new Litter Trapper Mat to be back in stock soon!