Picking a bed size your pet will actually use

A bed that is too small leaves legs hanging over the edge, and your pet quietly goes back to the floor. One that is too big gives them no rim to tuck against. Both end the same way: an expensive cushion nobody sleeps on.

How to measure so the number is useful

The easiest measurement is taken while your pet is stretched out — nose to the base of the tail, tail itself not included — then add 15 to 20 centimetres for turning room.

The NongNorn size table

The NongNorn sizes, in centimetres: S 60×40 for small and toy breeds of 1–4 kg · M 80×50 for small to medium pets at 4–8 kg · L 100×60 for medium breeds and long-bodied, long-legged dogs at 7–20 kg · XL 120×70 for medium to large at 20–35 kg · XXL 150×90 for large and giant breeds at 30–70 kg, or three to four small pets who like to pile in together.

When the weight falls between two sizes, take the larger one every time. No pet has ever complained that a bed was slightly too roomy; slightly too tight they notice immediately.

Watch how they sleep

Watch how they sleep, too. A pet that curls into a ball is happy in a snug size. One that stretches out flat, or sleeps on its back with its legs in the air, should go up a size.

For a puppy still growing, size for the adult weight of the breed rather than today's. Otherwise you are buying again in a few months.

And for the very small — puppies, kittens, rabbits, sugar gliders, meerkats, rats — there is a mini bed made for them, so nobody has to rattle around inside an S.