🏡 Indoor cat essentials

Cat Beds

Eight cat beds, chosen because cats will actually sleep in them rather than beside them. Cats sleep between twelve and sixteen hours a day and they are fussy about where, so the shape matters more than the price. A bed that is too large leaves a cat feeling exposed; most prefer something they can fill. Sizing up “to give them room” is the commonest mistake. Our range runs from the £9.99 Dream Paws Hero through to the Danish Design Arctic at £34.99.

Cat Cave Beds and Hooded Beds

Cave and hooded beds enclose your cat on three or four sides, which taps the same instinct that sends them into cardboard boxes. They suit nervous cats, cats in busy households, and any cat that sleeps somewhere odd because the sofa feels too exposed. Warmth is the second draw: an enclosed bed traps body heat, which older cats appreciate in winter.

Donut Cat Beds

A donut bed is the open-topped version: a raised bolster rim your cat can rest their chin or paws on, with a soft centre to curl into. It suits cats that want contact on their sides but still want to see the room. The bolster is doing real work, not decoration, which is why a flat cushion rarely gets used the same way.

Cat Bowls and Saucers

Wide, shallow saucers rather than deep bowls, and that is deliberate. Cats dislike their whiskers brushing the sides while they eat, which is why food gets pawed onto the floor or left at the edges. A saucer solves it. Our range is ceramic, stoneware and melamine from Tarhong and Mason Cash, priced from £3.99, plus a Petkit stainless steel stand if you want the raised option. All of them are dishwasher-friendly and none of them look like something you would hide when guests arrive.

Lick Mats and Slow Feeders

A lick mat is a textured silicone mat you spread wet food or a treat across, so eating takes minutes instead of seconds. Two things happen: fast eaters slow down, and the repetitive licking is genuinely calming, which is why lick mats get used before vet trips and during fireworks. Our three LickiMats start at £5.89. Pair one with cat treats or a wet food topper and you have turned a thirty-second meal into a ten-minute activity.

Automatic Cat Feeders

One feeder, and it is the good one. The Petkit Fresh Element is wi-fi connected with a weight sensor, so it dispenses by portion rather than by rough scoop and tells you whether your cat has actually eaten. That matters more than convenience: appetite change is often the first visible sign a cat is unwell, and an automatic feeder that logs intake catches it earlier than you would. Useful for long days out, and for anyone rationing a cat that would eat continuously if allowed.

Cat Feeding Mats and Litter Mats

The unglamorous half of the collection. A feeding mat catches spills and stops bowls sliding across the floor, which matters more with saucers than deep bowls. A litter mat traps the litter your cat carries out on their paws before it reaches the carpet. Neither is exciting and both save you a daily job.

Why Choose Cat Universe

We stock for one animal only, so nothing here is a dog product with a cat photo on the box. Gwen and Cosmo test what we sell before it goes live, which is how a bed gets rejected for being the wrong shape rather than the wrong colour. If your cat is bored rather than uncomfortable, interactive cat toys are the other half of the answer, and cat mystery boxes combine both. Read our story, or see what has just landed.

Frequently asked questions

What cat accessories does an indoor cat actually need?

Four things, and most homes over-buy on one and under-buy on the rest. Somewhere enclosed to sleep, a wide shallow bowl, something that slows eating down, and a mat under both. Everything beyond that is preference. An indoor cat spends its whole life in one building, so the things it uses daily matter more than the things it uses occasionally.

What size cat bed should I buy?

Smaller than instinct suggests. Measure your cat curled up rather than stretched out, and add a few centimetres. Cats seek enclosure, so a bed that leaves space around them often goes unused while the cat sleeps in a cardboard box instead. If you are between sizes, choose the smaller one.

Why do cats prefer cave and hooded beds?

Two reasons, both practical. Enclosure means fewer directions to watch, which lets a cat sleep deeply rather than dozing. And a covered bed holds body heat, so a cat maintains temperature with less effort. Nervous cats and older cats benefit most, but plenty of

Are ceramic or stainless steel cat bowls better?

Both work; plastic is the one to avoid, since it scratches and holds bacteria. The bigger question is shape, not material. A wide shallow saucer stops whiskers touching the sides, which is why cats paw food out of deep bowls or leave the last of it round the edge. If your cat does either, the bowl is the problem.

What is a lick mat for?

Spreading food across a textured surface so it takes minutes to finish. It slows fast eaters, and the repetitive licking is self-soothing, so lick mats are widely used before car journeys, vet visits and fireworks. Wet food, a spoonful of plain yoghurt or a squeezy treat all work. Rinse it straight after use and it comes clean in seconds.

Do automatic cat feeders actually work?

For dry food, yes, provided the feeder portions by weight rather than by time alone. The failure mode with cheap feeders is inconsistent portions, which defeats the point if you are managing a cat's weight. Introduce it gradually alongside the old bowl for a few days, since some cats are wary of a machine that makes noise at mealtimes.