Warm bedding for cats is about trapping heat, not adding padding. The outer shell is 260gsm flannel and the lining is a two-tone sherpa fleece, which holds body heat far better than cotton or rope. Enclosing the space does the rest: a cat curled inside a covered bed warms the air around it and keeps it there. A bed that is open on all sides loses that heat, which is why open designs fail in winter.

A snuggler bed and a rigid dome do the same job in different amounts. This one folds over rather than holding a rigid dome, so your cat decides how covered it wants to be: tucked right under, or head out watching the room. A snuggler bed like this suits nervous cats and busy households, because there is one way in and one way out and a cat can see both. Of the covered designs, this is the softer sort.

Underneath the fleece it is a cat basket bed. The round shape with raised sides supports the way a cat sleeps curled, nose to tail, with its back against something. Basket bed cat shoppers usually want this shape without realising it, because a flat pad gives a curled cat nothing to lean on. Most shoppers want this shape without realising it, because a flat pad gives a curled cat nothing to lean on. Sizing is about diameter rather than depth, and 50cm suits most adult cats.

A fluffy cat bed gets judged on how it looks in a photograph and used on how it feels at three in the morning. The water-resistant polypropylene base keeps the underside off a cold floor and survives the occasional accident. Light grey and cream two-tone, so it sits in a room without shouting. See the rest of our cat beds if you are setting up more than one sleeping spot.

Because a cat sleeps properly only when it can stop watching. A covered bed removes most directions something can come from, so the cat relaxes faster and sleeps deeper.

Nervous cats and cats in busy houses usually do. Confident cats in quiet homes often prefer an open bed where they can sprawl. Most cats want both at different times of day.

Measure your cat curled up rather than stretched. This one is 50cm across, which suits most adult cats. The commonest mistake is buying too big, because a bed that swamps a cat gives it nothing to lean against.

No. A cat that sleeps stretched out on its side will ignore one. Watch where your cat sleeps now before you choose.

The best enclosed cat bed uk buyers end up keeping is usually the one placed where the cat already slept, not the most expensive one. A cosy bed in the wrong corner stays empty.

Cat cave beds and hooded beds both trap heat, which makes them better in winter than in a warm August bedroom.