Crochet cat couch done - do you stuff the cushions loose or use an insert?

I went with the removable fabric pillow form approach and I am so glad I did. I have two older Maine Coons, and the amount of cat hair they deposit on things is just ridiculous. If I used loose fiberfill, it would clump up with the hair and become incredibly hard to clean, even with a vacuum. For my own dog bed, which is a similar type of project, I used a fitted cotton casing with a zipper closure. It makes swapping the cushion totally painless.

I decided to use a heavy duty 100% canvas for the covers, something thick like duck cloth. It holds its shape much better than thinner upholstery fabric and it stands up well to paw scuffs. I don't use any stuffing beyond the casing itself, but I do use a light layer of polyester batting inside the casing before stitching it shut. That gives it just enough springiness without making it heavy or difficult to wash.

For the cat couch, I think the simple pillow insert idea is definatly the way to go for longevity. It means if the stuffing starts to compress unevenly after a year, you just pop the insert out and replace it, instead of trying to reshape or re-stuff the whole thing. It makes maintenace so much easier when you have furry roommates!

Hi all, first post here so hopefully this lands okay. I knit rather than crochet, and I made a similar pet mat last year with loose stuffing inside because I didn't know any better. It went lumpy within a couple of months and washing it turned into a whole soggy ordeal. Since then I've been too nervous to try anything with removable covers, though reading this makes it sound less fiddly than I imagined. Is it hard to sew a casing if your sewing skills are basially 'held a needle once'? Also curious how the canvas holds up to claws over time, since my guy kneads everything into oblivion.

My grandmother's trick for anything stuffed was always a muslin inner bag under the pretty cover, and I still do it that way. Sew a plain cotton liner, pack it however full you like, then the crocheted shell slips over it like a sock. When the fur wins, you wash the outer layer and the liner holds everything togather. Back before polyfill was everywhere folks used clean dried moss or fabric scraps torn small, and honestly a bag of cut-up old t-shirts keeps its shape better than fluffy stuffing ever did. Only tip is to make the liner slightly smaller than the cover so the crochet keeps its stretch.