Bean Bags for Cats – Cat Owner’s Guide
Cats need comfort, and bean bags are a great way to provide that for them. But are bean bags safe for my cat? This question is a commonly asked question that always confuses most cat owners. If you’re curious about the safety of bean bag chairs for cats, read on!
Most Bean Bags are safe for cats. Cat owners who are new to bean bags say they’re not safe because they spill beans. But you need to select bean bags made for cats. Those bean bags have protection for the outer cover so that the cat won’t reach the inner filling anyway.
Further, there are several features specially considered when manufacturing bean bags for cats for their safety. We will discuss those facts in the below section of this article.
Table of Contents
- Why Special Bean Bags for Cats?
- Are Bean Bag Beans Toxic to Cats
- Features of Bean Bags made for Cats
- Best Bean Bag Beds for Cats
- Conclusion
Why Special Bean Bags for Cats?
First of all, you need to understand that your personal bean bag is not the best bed for your pet. You can always put your pets on your own bean bag and watch how they will fall in love with it.
You will soon find out that you won’t be able to get your cat out of your bean bag where he or she will have a restful and long sleep without the usual aches of their body. And it might pee on your bean bag as well.
Believe me when I say that they won’t care about the type or cost of bean bags you put on them. You will be able to see them resting on your cheap bean bag filled with polyester beans and your expensive bean bag filled with high-quality memory foam in the same manner.
Because they both provide everything, your lovely companion wants and needs with only a few alterations. “So, what’s this talk about bean bags made for cats.” you might think as watching your adorable, fluffy companion gets all the rest it needs on your bean bag.
It will be the best experience for your cat the day you put it on your bean bag, but I can’t say the same about your bean bag which you put them on.
Cats have sharper teeth and claws than humans, and they tend to scratch their beds and chew on their bed covers a lot more than we do. So, you might understand why the bean bags made explicitly for humans won’t be a perfect match for our lovely cats.
Bean bags are among the most durable furniture out there that are so hard to break because they can handle pressure in a most effective way than any other of their kind. But that won’t stop our curious and fluffy members as they will puncture your bean bag, which you put them on, and have it torn into tiny shreds the moment you left them with it by themselves.
Now you might understand why you need bean bags made specifically for cats because these bean bags have covers made of fabric that can outstand such attacks and few more added advantages.
Such as being washable and having non-slip safety bottoms to help you give the cleanest and safe bed, which also brings the maximum comfort level to your cat.
Are Bean Bag Beans Toxic to Cats
There are mainly two types of beans used in bean bags. Those are artificial beans and natural beans. The natural beans are 100% safe for any living bean, while some artificial bean bag beans can be toxic to cats. Your cat or any other pet should not be directly in contact with EPS beans for a longer time.
Especially you should not give a chance to eat EPS beads at all.
But as long as you use a properly made bean bag for your cat with a proper outer cover, bean bags are safe for your cats.
Features of Bean Bags made for Cats
Cover
Bean bags are a combination of two things. The cover and the filling. The first thing you have to consider when buying a bean bag for your cat is the cover. You should keep in mind that these fabrics will also come with materials coated to enhance their ability to stand up in harmful conditions.
Many fabrics are used to create bean bags, but the most effective, durable, safe types of fabric that are also well suited for your lovely pet would be nylon and polyester.
400D polyester Is the most common material we can find in bean bags for cats as they are economical, lightweight, and can be used outdoors. However, a cover made of 400D polyester is not the best choice for your cat as it is too thin and not so comfortable to sit on. 420D nylon is much stronger than 400D polyester and well suited for outdoors but relatively as economical as it.
600D nylon would be among the best choices for your cat’s bean bag bed as it is lightweight and resistant to water and stains. My personal choice for my cat is 1680D polyester which has all the above qualities while being much more comfortable.
Coating
As said before, coatings are used to enchase the abilities of bean bag coves and give them new abilities. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) gives the bean bag bed of your cat much-enhanced durability and additional weather resistance to with strand the rain and moist outdoors as well as minor accidents of your cat.
PVC breaks with time if it is exposed to direct sunlight, and the result is not breathable, and thus it is not a much safer option for your lovely pet. PU coating of bean bags has properties much similar to rubber, and they are capable of holding themselves together in higher temperatures, and they are also safe to breathe in.
UV protection is another type of coating you must-have if you wish to use your cat’s bean bag bed outdoors. This UV protection protects the fabric from Ultraviolet radiation and thus keeps the colors of the bean bag from breaking and fading.
You can also get bean bags given Antimicrobial and antifungal treatments to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and algae. Having a coating of this type is helpful to improve your cat’s health and your health.
Filling
Selecting the filling of a bean bag is as important as selecting the cover of the bean bag bed or perhaps even more important than the cover as you can’t see its condition until it is too late to fix. Natural fillers may sound healthier than artificial fillers, but believe me when I say that you should avoid natural materials when selecting fillers to put in your cat’s bean bag at any cost.
Because natural materials put in bean bags like dry rice or husks tend to be lumpy and sharp. But the biggest reason to avoid them is that they absorb water and other things with liquid properties instead of being resistant to them. The most common artificial feelings you can find in bean bags are memory foam and EPS beads.
From them, the best you should go to is virgin EPS beads. Virgin EPS beads are made of polystyrene or Styrofoam, and they are specially manufactured to use in bean bags.
They are also resilient, comfortable, and cheap when in comparison with other fillings. It is always better to replace the beans in your cat’s bean bag bed to keep it healthy and fresh.
Design
Even the best fabrics and filling in the world can’t create the best Bean bag bed for your cat if it lacks the necessary design to make it both practical and comfortable. So, let’s see what makes a bean bag bed safe for your cat in the senses of shape, size, and more.
Shape
Most popular bean bags sold to humans are either square, rectangular, or have a spherical shape. But cats are not humans. So, after experimenting with various designs, manufacturers have come forward with oval or circular shapes that are the most comfortable and practical design specific for four-legged friends like cats and dogs.
The biggest reason for the choice of this shape is that it has fewer seams compared to square or rectangular shapes. More seams mean a higher number of edges and corners with distinct layers of fabric. Such a design makes it easier for our curious friends to scratch and breaks into the fabric with their sharp claws and pointed teeth.
Round Bean bag beds also can keep their shape much longer than square or rectangular do too. This durability in shape is also helpful as your cat can’t fluff its bean bag once every couple of days like you do with yours.
Size
With a bean bag, all you have to worry about the size is to make sure it is not smaller than your cat or the exact size of your cat. Just make sure it is at least slightly bigger than your cat, and both you and your cat will be okay with it.
You get this flexibility with a bean bag, thanks to the literal flexibility it has. We all love bean bags because they can transform their shape according to the shape of our body, and you are the maximum comfort. This transformation ability makes even a bean bag slightly larger than your cat a comfortable one for your cat to sleep.
What about Big bean bags? You might think. Well, the bigger the bean bag, is better the comfort it brings. So, in other words, you can even use bean bags three or four times larger than your cat if you can afford them and you have the room for it in your house.
Stitching
Bean bag beds might be the best thing you could buy for your cat as they will give nothing but comfort and will keep your cat healthier than ever. We can say nothing but good about bean bags, but we can’t speak in the same confidence level about the EPS beads inside the bag.
You don’t want to face an incident with EPS beads on the living room floor or inside the stomach of your cat. So, it is always better to check whether your bean bags are double stitched with heavy nylon or polyester threads to avoid such incidents and make sure the EPS beads are entirely inside the bean bag.
It is essential to see whether the bean bag you are about to buy is double stitched as that helps you find and repair any damages before they open up the bag.
Extras
Coatings such as Fleece, Faux fur, or microfiber are used on the covers of some bean bag beds, and I believe this is a better decision as they bring our cats warmth and fuzziness they seem to like much. Another such feature I like is the non-slip safety bottoms found on most quality bean bag beds for pets.
These non-slippery bottoms help the bean bag stay in place no matter how smooth the tiles or the wooden floor of your house is.
Best Bean Bag Beds for Cats
Here are some examples of bean bag beds you can buy for your cat from the market today.
Best Friends by Sheri OrthoComfort
This bean bag is perfect for pets such as cats and small dogs. It provides them with warmth and a sense of security thanks to the high walls around the pet who sleep in it. They also promise your cat a deep and restful sleep thanks to the flexibility it has to accommodate any sleeping position of your cat.
This bean bag is also easy to clean and has a waterproof bottom. They are also washing machine and dryer safe.
These self-warming cat and dog bean bag beds are made with premium quality pet-safe materials that are completely non-toxic for your cat. The high 12″ rear bolster wall is designed to support and ease the joint pains of your cat, whereas the 9″ front of this bean bag bed gives the head and neck the extra orthopedic support it needs.
BinetGo Cat Bed
This BinetGo bean bag is a cost-effective but comfortable bean bag for your cat. This bean bag is lightweight and very portable; even you can take this bed with your cat on a trip. Having a washing machine washable bean bag is an added advantage for a cat bed. This bean bag fulfills that requirement.
Soft EPS beads make sure that your cat will get the maximum comfort it can have. This bean bag has a non-slip bottom that makes it perfect for most of the floors.
NOYAL Donut Cat Bed
This high-quality bean bag cat bed, similar to a sweet doughnut, will bring you and your cat a loving memory you can cherish forever. Thanks to the circular structure of this bean bag bed, your cat who loves to curl up will get a comfortable resting area from which it will soon refuse to get up.
The outer layer of this doughnut shape bean bag is also with non-shedding and non-balling characteristics to ensure your beloved pet’s safety. This bean bag bed is also machine washable and dryer safe. Or in other words, it is easy to taken care of.
This bean bag bed comes in various colors that are guaranteed to match with the decorations of any room or outside where you wish to keep it.
Conclusion
Our cats are a part of our family, and it’s our responsibility to keep them safe and comfortable. Almost any kind of bean bag will bring your cat the comfort it looks for but not every bean bag is made for our animal companions.
So, keep that in mind when you are going to buy a bean bag for your beloved cat. You no longer have to worry about finding the perfect bean bag as you already know what you need to know to find one suitable for it through what we talk about so far. Our cats always keep us happy and warm, and it’s our duty to do the same for them.
