Yes, we had our cat try it once and then he played in it one day and thought he would get use to it but he flipped it on himself and was trying to get out. It scared him and he hasn't used it since.
As I posted on another comment, our car Seth played in it when we first got it, until he trapped himself in it and then didn't go near it. So I think they will like it.
I haven't washed it, but only used a wash cloth and detergent to wipe off dust. We like to keep things dust free as much as possible. The instructions however, after I did that did say to hand wash and air dry.