The Cat is very sensitive.
He is sensitive to noise, pressure, smells, and food. When he feels just a little "off" it can translate into a big "off" in terms of behavior. Sometimes seasonal allergies will get him in a moody state, or a typical cold will turn off his impulse-control. Even happiness can become more like a mania, so "too much fun" is just too exhausting. (And yes, Spliggle is on the wired-up with glee train too, as many children are at times.)
The Cat is especially sensitive to sleep. Like most kids, he needs just the right amount. This can be tricky for someone who wants to stay up late and get up early in the morning. He has too much fun to do during the day than to sleep! And then there are those days when it is tough to awaken him. Right then, I can pretty much guarantee we'll have a Cranky Cat on our hands.
It is imperative that the Cat find comfort in his bed so that he can get to sleep quickly, stay asleep, and awake refreshed. Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to receive a Lands' End PureLoft Mattress Topper.
Before we received the Lands' End mattress topper, the Cat was using a topper that was designed to go underneath a fitted sheet, but it simply didn't fit. And so, that topper was literally on top of the whole set-up and usually would end up partially on the floor by the next morning. Typically, the Cat slept diagonally sideways, halfway slid-off his bed. Without the topper, his mattress was way too firm, so we took our chances with the sliding one.
I was glad when I read about the Lands' End PureLoft Mattress Topper that it has elastic to hold it in place. Simple, yes? Well, simple works. Since the Cat has had the topper (several weeks now,) it hasn't slid off. His bed has remained together every night, save the occasional errant blanket. The Cat's sleeping surface is now solid! He reports that his bed is comfortable.
The whole family has had its share of allergies recently, so it is difficult to say with complete certainty that the Cat isn't allergic to the hypoallergenic material used to make the topper, but my guess is that it hasn't been a problem. The Cat seemed to have the sniffles much more frequently when he was using the old topper.
The topper is described on their website as follows: "All the luxurious loft of a down featherbed but filled with PureLoft® — the latest generation of synthetic microfiber treated in an all-natural way to protect against dust mites or bacteria."
Indeed, it is amazingly soft and cushions the Cat's otherwise-not-comfy mattress well. Spliggle got a better mattress (shh, don't tell the Cat!) so his bed is super-comfy without any type of topper. But now that the Cat has the Lands' End one, his bed is more comfortable than Splig's (shh, don't tell Splig!)
My one concern is that the topper is not waterproof or at-home washable. Lands' End does have waterproof mattress covers like the "non-crunchy" one, but my guess is that it is impossible to maintain the "loft" of the PureLoft® if there is no "breathability" (as would be required for a waterproof version!) That said, the Pure Loft Mattress Topper is commercially washable, so I suppose if we had a major accident we could have it professionally cleaned. Although, probably a big disaster would warrant purchasing a new topper. The Cat doesn't have accidents, but I suppose I could cover the whole set-up with a waterproof gizmo just in case. I am not sure if that would de-fluff the Loft, though. For the time being, we're just taking our chances. He has water bottles on his nightstand, not grape juice, so I think we're okay.
Many thanks to Lands' End for giving me a PureLoft Mattress Topper. The Cat really loves it, and he's sleeping well. That pretty much says it all: he's had comfortable nights of sleep since we got the topper, and that is the greatest endorsement.
