Bedside Pet Bed for Small Apartments: 2026 Buying Guide
A bedside pet bed keeps your dog or cat close enough to touch at 2 a.m. without turning your one-bedroom into a shared mattress. Here's what actually works for small apartments in 2026, and which Furmates picks are worth buying.
- Close To Me Nest Bedside Pet Bed attaches to your bed frame, ideal for studios with no floor space to spare — Buy.
- Close2Me Pet Bed adds an adjustable mount for $159.95, the pick for platform or mismatched bed frames — Buy.
- Close To Me Oval Nest Bedside Pet Bed trims the footprint further for cats and small dogs — Consider.
- Skip loose floor pillows sold as bedside beds; without a frame attachment they slide and eat walkway space.
Why This Matters
In a small apartment, the space beside your bed is usually the only spot left for a pet bed once the dresser, nightstand, and laundry basket claim their corners. A dog or cat sleeping loose on the floor there gets kicked at 3 a.m. or drags a blanket into the hallway by morning.
A bedside pet bed solves a specific problem: your pet stays close enough to hear you breathing, but off your mattress and out of the walking path. Furmates builds its bedside pet bed lineup around exactly that trade-off, and in 2026 the category has enough real options that you don't have to settle for a floor pillow with a marketing name. See the full Furmates lineup for the beds and stairs that pair with the picks below.
Who This Is For
This guide is for renters and small-space owners with a dog under roughly 40 pounds or any cat, sleeping in a studio or one-bedroom, who want the pet within arm's reach at night without giving up mattress space or apartment square footage. If you've got a house with a spare room and don't care about floor space, a standalone floor bed will serve you just as well and cost less.
What to Look For in a Bedside Pet Bed
How It Attaches to Your Bed Frame
A true bedside pet bed straps or hooks to your bed frame so it can't slide away from the mattress during the night. That attachment is what separates the category from a regular dog bed pushed up against the nightstand — without it, you're just buying a floor bed at a markup.
Floor Footprint You Can Actually Spare
Measure the strip of floor beside your bed before you buy anything. A narrower, oval-shaped bed clears a dresser or a low radiator that a rectangular bed won't, and in a studio apartment those extra few inches decide whether the bed fits at all.
Machine-Washable Materials
A bed that sits inches from your mattress needs a cover you can pull off and wash without fighting zippers or foam inserts that don't fit back in cleanly. Shedding, drool, and the occasional accident happen closer to your bedding than with a floor bed across the room, so washability matters more here.
Getting On and Off Safely
If your bed frame sits high or your dog is a senior with stiff joints, the bedside bed itself doesn't solve the climb — you still need a way up. Pairing the bed with proper pet stairs sized for a small apartment keeps a small dog or older cat from jumping down onto hardwood every night.
Weight and Size Match for Your Pet
A bed built for a 10-pound cat won't hold a 35-pound dog without sagging or shifting off the mount within weeks. Check the product's stated size guidance against your pet's actual weight rather than guessing from breed.
Style That Doesn't Fight Your Decor
You'll see this bed every time you walk into your bedroom, so a design that matches your space matters more than it would for a bed tucked in a laundry room. It's a small thing, but it's the difference between a bed you like having there and one you keep meaning to hide.
Top Picks for Small Apartments
The safe pick: Close To Me Nest Bedside Pet Bed This bed attaches directly to your bed frame instead of sitting loose on the floor, which is the one feature that actually earns the "bedside" name. At $99.95, it's built for studios and one-bedrooms where you can't spare a full floor bed's worth of space. Verdict: Buy — it's the most straightforward fit for the apartment profile this guide covers, and you can shop the Close To Me Nest bedside pet bed directly.
The space saver: Close To Me Oval Nest Bedside Pet Bed The oval shape shaves off the corners a rectangular bed wastes, which matters when your walkway to the closet is already narrow. Also priced at $99.95, it suits cats and small dogs that curl up rather than sprawl. Verdict: Consider — pick this over the standard Nest specifically when your floor gap beside the bed is tight, and check the Close To Me Oval Nest bedside pet bed dimensions against your space first.
The adjustable upgrade: Close2Me Pet Bed At $159.95, this bed's adjustable attachment is built to work across a range of frame heights, which solves the problem of platform beds or frames that don't match a fixed-mount design. Verdict: Buy — spend the extra $60 over the Nest if your bed frame is unusually low, high, or footboard-heavy, and see the Close2Me Pet Bed for the full attachment details.
The add-on: Pet Comfy Pad This $39.95 pad is designed to work with or without the Close To Me Nest, giving you a washable liner you can swap out on wash day without stripping the whole bed. Verdict: Consider — buy it alongside any of the three beds above rather than on its own; it's not a bedside pet bed by itself.
What to Avoid
- Floor pillows marketed as "bedside" beds — if it doesn't strap or mount to your frame, it's a regular dog bed that will migrate toward the doorway within a week.
- Non-washable stuffed nests — a bed this close to your mattress needs a cover you can strip and wash, not one you have to spot-clean in place.
- Skipping the climb-up problem — a gorgeous bedside pet bed does nothing for a senior dog that still has to leap off a platform frame each morning; pair it with proper stairs instead.
Verdict Comparison
| Product | Attachment | Best For | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close To Me Nest Bedside Pet Bed | Bed frame mount | Studios & one-bedrooms | $99.95 | Buy |
| Close To Me Oval Nest Bedside Pet Bed | Bed frame mount, oval | Cats & small dogs | $99.95 | Consider |
| Close2Me Pet Bed | Adjustable mount | Platform or mismatched frames | $159.95 | Buy |
| Pet Comfy Pad | Add-on liner | Layering with any bed above | $39.95 | Consider |
FAQ
What is a bedside pet bed?
A bedside pet bed is a mounted or strapped bed that attaches to your bed frame so your dog or cat sleeps right next to you without being on the mattress. It stays fixed in place overnight, unlike a floor bed that can slide away.
Is a bedside pet bed better than letting my dog sleep in the bed?
For small apartments, yes, because it keeps the pet close without the mattress space, hair, and nighttime movement a co-sleeping dog brings. It's a middle ground between the floor and your sheets.
How much does a bedside pet bed cost in 2026?
Furmates bedside pet beds range from $99.95 for the Close To Me Nest and Oval Nest to $159.95 for the adjustable Close2Me Pet Bed in 2026. Add-on liners like the Pet Comfy Pad run $39.95.
Do bedside pet beds work with platform beds that sit low to the floor?
The Close2Me Pet Bed's adjustable mount is built to work across a range of frame heights, including many platform and low-profile frames. Check the bed's mount range against your frame height before buying.
Can cats use a bedside pet bed?
Yes, the Close To Me Oval Nest's rounder shape suits cats that curl up tightly rather than sprawl out. Its trimmed footprint also fits narrow floor gaps common in apartment bedrooms.
How do I clean a bedside pet bed?
Pull the cover or liner off and machine wash it separately from the mounting frame. A Pet Comfy Pad liner makes this faster since you're not stripping the entire bed structure each time.
What size bedside pet bed fits a small apartment?
Measure the floor strip beside your bed before ordering; an oval-shaped bed like the Close To Me Oval Nest clears tight gaps a rectangular bed can't. Match the bed's stated size to that measurement, not to your pet's breed alone.
Do I need pet stairs with a bedside pet bed?
If your bed frame is raised or your pet is a senior with stiff joints, yes — a bedside bed doesn't solve the climb up or down. Pairing it with stairs sized for the frame height prevents jumping onto hardwood floors.
One Last Thing
The detail that trips people up isn't the bed, it's the mount: a bedside pet bed only earns its name if it actually locks to your frame, so check the attachment method before you check the color. Between the two Nest shapes, the oval version is the one worth defaulting to in a true studio — the rectangular Nest needs a few more inches of clearance that most small bedrooms don't have to give.