Buying guide · Beds & resting
Best washable cat beds
Compare a whole-wash soft bed, flat Vetbed fleece and a cave with a washable cushion. See exactly which parts can be washed and how they differ.
The short answer
Start with the job your cat needs it to do
Choose the small Scruffs Chester when you want a whole soft bed that the maker permits to be machine-washed at 30°C. Petlife Vetbed Original offers a flat washable fleece without raised sides. The Rosewood Teddy Bear cave suits an enclosed-rest preference, but only its inner cushion is machine-washable—the outer bed is wipe-clean.
Compare the options
| Bed | Washable part | Selected size | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scruffs Chester Small | Whole bed at 30°C | 50 × 40 × 14 cm outside | No tumble drying |
| Vetbed Original grey | Whole fleece; follow Original label | 40 × 30 in listing | Original is not Non-Slip backing |
| Rosewood Teddy Bear | Inner cushion at gentle 30°C | 37 × 38 cm listed | Outer cave is wipe-clean only |
Choose the washing routine as well as the bed
A washable cat bed can mean three different things: the whole bed fits in the machine, a cover comes off, or only an inner cushion can be washed. Those differences matter when the part that gets dirty is the outer wall or the filling. Read the instructions for each component before comparing softness or appearance.
The best choice also needs to match how your cat rests. A flat fleece gives a stretching cat a continuous surface; a box bed adds soft edges; a cave encloses the resting area. A technically washable design that your cat cannot comfortably enter or lie in is not a useful improvement.
The three options below have different care arrangements: a whole-bed wash, a flat fleece and a cushion-only wash. Choose the part you need to clean most often, and allow for another dry resting option while the washed item dries fully.
Scruffs Chester Small: the whole-bed wash
Scruffs Chester box bed, small chocolate
Best for: A whole-bed machine wash
A one-piece small pet bed that the maker permits to be machine-washed as a whole at 30°C. It offers a conventional soft-sided resting space without having to remove a separate cover.
What stands out
- Care instructions include the whole bed
- One-piece construction
Keep in mind
- Bolsters reduce the usable sleeping space
- Allow time for the filling to dry fully
- 50 × 40 × 14 cm outer size
- Whole bed: 30°C machine wash
- Do not tumble dry
The Chester's one-piece construction is useful when you want the bolsters and filling cleaned together. Scruffs specifies a 30°C machine wash for the whole bed, subject to it fitting the drum, and says not to bleach or tumble dry. The selected small chocolate version measures 50 × 40 × 14 cm overall.
Although sold as a small dog bed, it can be considered as a small pet bed when its actual sleeping space and entry suit your cat. The bolsters reduce the available floor area, so a 50 × 40 cm outer rectangle is not a 50 × 40 cm flat mattress. A cat that stretches out may need more usable length than the small size offers.
The whole-bed approach has a practical cost: all the filling must dry before the bed returns to use. You cannot simply zip a clean cover around a dry spare insert if the construction is one piece. Check that you have room to dry it thoroughly using the maker's allowed method.
The Scruffs Chester product and washing instructions distinguish the outer size, materials and whole-bed care. Read the selected size label before washing; a larger bed may need a larger drum even though the same family allows machine washing.
Choose it for: cleaning the whole soft-sided bed in one operation. Check first: the usable sleeping area and your realistic drying arrangement.
Petlife Vetbed Original: a flat washable surface
Petlife Vetbed Original, grey 40 × 30 in
Best for: A flat fleece resting surface
A flat washable fleece with the Original green backing. The selected listing is a generous 40 × 30 inch piece, useful when you want a continuous resting surface rather than a bed with raised sides.
What stands out
- No bolster reduces the flat sleeping area
- Can be washed separately from surrounding furniture
Keep in mind
- Original backing is not the Non-Slip range
- Check the supplied care label rather than borrowing another backing’s wash settings
- 40 × 30 in listed size
- Original green backing
- Machine-washable mat
The selected Petlife listing is a 40 × 30 inch piece of grey Original fleece, approximately 102 × 76 cm. It is the spacious flat option here, without a raised bolster taking away resting length. That can be useful for a cat that sprawls or for adding a washable layer to an existing appropriate resting area.
Original uses the green backing. It is not the same product as Vetbed Non-Slip, and you should not transfer the care directions or grip assumptions between ranges. On a smooth surface, check whether the mat stays in position during the cat's normal approach and follow the maker's supported placement advice.
The Amazon listing's high-temperature claim should not become a universal washing instruction for every piece of vet-style fleece. Check the label supplied with the exact Original mat and follow its programme and drying directions. Other backings and unrelated generic fleece products can require a different routine.
Petlife's Original range confirms the flat, machine-washable design and distinguishes its backing from the other ranges. We are not recommending a high-temperature disinfection programme or claiming that the fleece treats discomfort.
Choose it for: a continuous washable resting layer. Main compromise: it is a mat, so it does not supply an enclosed cave or the contained edges of a box bed.
Rosewood Teddy Bear: washable cushion, wipe-clean cave
Rosewood Grey Teddy Bear cat bed
Best for: A soft bed with open or covered arrangements
A soft plush cave that can be pressed down into an oval bed. The care instructions make a useful distinction: the inner cushion can be machine-washed, while the outer bed is wipe-clean.
What stands out
- Can be arranged as a cave or flatter bed
- Removable inner cushion
Keep in mind
- The whole bed is not machine-washable
- Check the entrance and usable space before ordering
- 37 × 38 cm listed size
- Cushion: gentle 30°C wash
- Outer bed: wipe-clean
Rosewood's cave gives an enclosed resting option and can be pressed down into a flatter oval arrangement. Its selected listing states 37 × 38 cm and gives an important care distinction: the removable inner cushion can be machine-washed at 30°C on a gentle cycle, while the outer bed is wipe-clean only.
That makes it a conditional choice in a washable-bed guide. If your main concern is refreshing a removable sleeping cushion, it may fit the routine. If you expect to machine-wash the outer shell after every accident, choose a different construction. Calling the whole cave machine-washable would remove the very detail that should decide the purchase.
Check the opening and usable inside space before relying on the outer dimensions. A covered shape can reduce headroom or the route into the bed, and pressing it flatter does not establish that every cat will like the resulting surface. Place it in a quiet reachable spot and watch the cat's preference.
The listing also rules out bleach, ironing and tumble drying. Keep those directions with the removable cushion so it does not end up in a general hot household wash. An extra compatible cushion would only help if it actually fits this model and its care instructions are clear.
Choose it for: an enclosed shape with a separately washable sleeping cushion. Main compromise: the larger cave body must be maintained by wiping.
Measure the space your cat actually sleeps in
Notice whether the cat curls tightly, lies on its side or stretches out fully. Measure a familiar resting patch while the cat is elsewhere rather than trying to position the cat on a tape measure. Compare that patch with the bed's usable surface after cushions, sides and an entrance are accounted for.
For a cave, check the doorway and inside height. For a box bed, account for the width of the bolsters and the height of the front edge. For a flat mat, plan the floor or furniture surface underneath as part of the bed arrangement, including stability and room to approach.
The cat-bed hub covers open versus enclosed rest and access. A soft edge does not automatically make a raised entrance easy. New difficulty reaching a bed or a change in usual movement is a reason to seek your vet's advice, even if a lower resting option is also useful.
Before the first wash
Check the care label before removing it or discarding packaging. Record the instructions for the outer, cover, cushion, filling and backing separately. If there is no removable cover, confirm that whole-bed washing really is permitted rather than assuming the soft material will tolerate it.
Allow room in the drum for the permitted cycle to work; a bed compressed tightly into the door opening is not necessarily an appropriate fit. Follow the maker's detergent and drying directions. Remove loose hair in a way the fabric instructions permit and inspect for damage before the cycle.
For the two 30°C options above, the temperature belongs to the specified parts and programme, not to every similar-looking pet bed. Do not transfer the Vetbed Original listing's temperature to the Scruffs bolsters or the Rosewood cave. Keep foam out of a machine when its own label does not allow it.
Drying is part of the purchase decision
A thick bed may still feel damp inside after the surface has dried. Follow the manufacturer's allowed drying method and give the filling enough time. If tumble drying is prohibited, choose a size and construction you can accommodate elsewhere in the home rather than assuming low heat is acceptable.
Keep a familiar dry resting alternative in a reachable position. That can be an existing appropriate bed or a separate washable layer; it need not mean buying two expensive matching beds. The useful aim is to avoid returning a damp bed simply because it is the cat's only preferred place.
For more than one cat, several separate resting choices can matter more than one oversized shared bed. Cats Protection's home preparation advice includes comfortable resting places in a quiet safe setting. The position and approach still matter after the bed is clean.
If crossing a raised surround is the main difficulty, compare our low-entry cat-bed guide. It focuses on rimless surfaces, the actual step and floor grip, alongside the cleaning questions here.
For the step-by-step routine, use how to wash a cat bed. For a cat that struggles with the entrance, compare low-entry beds separately from washability.
Sources and care limitations
Scruffs supplies whole-bed washing and size instructions; Petlife identifies Original fleece and its backing; Rosewood's brand listing specifies cushion-only machine washing. Care labels supplied with the actual product remain essential where a revision changes materials or directions.
For a longer or broader sleeper, compare beds for large cats. Our cat-bed placement guide helps when a suitable bed remains unused.
Our cat-bed washing guide separates whole-bed permission, covers, filling and drying before you choose a laundry routine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put the whole cat bed in the washing machine?
Only when the exact maker instructions allow it. The Scruffs Chester permits a whole-bed 30°C wash, while the Rosewood Teddy Bear permits a gentle 30°C wash for its inner cushion only. Its outer cave is wipe-clean. A removable washable cushion does not establish whole-bed care.
Can I tumble-dry a washable cat bed?
Machine-washable does not mean tumble-dryable. Scruffs Chester and the selected Rosewood cushion instructions prohibit tumble drying. Check the label for each component and make sure you have a practical alternative drying arrangement before choosing a thick filled bed.
Is a small dog bed suitable for a cat?
It can be considered if the usable sleeping space, entrance, materials and care instructions fit the cat. The small Chester is an example of a pet bed sold in the dog range. Compare the actual inside area rather than relying on the species label or outside size.
Is Vetbed Original the same as non-slip fleece?
No. Original has the green backing, and Petlife also sells distinct Non-Slip and other ranges. Check grip and washing directions for the selected product. Do not copy a temperature from an Original listing onto a different backing or a generic vet-style fleece.
How many washable beds should I buy?
Start with useful resting choices and a dry alternative during washing, rather than a fixed shopping count. Your cat may already have a suitable second resting place. In a multi-cat home, consider separate positions and access routes instead of assuming a large shared bed meets every cat’s needs.