It's starting to cool off here, so I thought I'd plug in one of the five heated cat beds I have here to see if the cats agreed that it was time to plug in the heaters. The heaters only heat up when pressure is applied to the heating pad so they're not heated all the time I plugged one in that I haven't seen either of our cats lying in for the past few months and found Cutie lying in it when I got up this morning. I don't even know how she figured out that it was heated since she'd have at least stand in it in order for it to heat up. She'll be twenty-eight in a few months so, at her age, she really appreciates the heated beds. Ella likes them when she comes in from outdoors in January and February, but she usually opts for one of the other, non-heated, beds, and there are more than a dozen of them. I have four of these beds, and one other type of heated cat bed. One of them is older than Cutie. The zipper that holds the two pads and the heating element in has long broken but that isn't necessary in order to use it. To wash them, it's just a matter of removing the heating element and the pads so that they can be washed too, and then wash them (pads and bed) in the washing machine. These don't look particularly comfortable but I have tried a few other kinds of beds, including some that looked like they'd be a lot more comfortable, but these are the ones they prefer, and these are the easiest for me to maintain too. They've doubled in price since I bought the first one but since I have five beds, and only two cats, I don't think I'll ever have to buy another one unless I decide I want to treat them with a new one.
When my first cat got old, I fixed up a heated bed for her in the winter, using a box lid, an old heating pad, and some towels. She really like it. In fact maybe she like it too much. She hardly left it. I will do the same for this cat one day. She is only 10 now. It took a long time to get the temperature adjusted, because it wasn't sensitive to weight. As I recall it required almost the lowest setting possible. Probably safer to just buy a cat bed.
The other heated bed that I have, different from the one pictured, has a thermostat setting but, to me, it seems too hot at anything other than the lowest setting. They lie on that once in a while, but prefer the others.
@Ken Anderson, I have heated pet beds, but I havem't heard of ones that only turn on when the pet is in the bed. Amazon?
I am thinking about getting my Poodle a heated bed or mat to put on the bottom of the bed where he sleeps at night, and maybe bring it out to the living room during the day. He likes to lay in the front room by the window so he can watch for burglars and other marauders, and a warm mat is probably something he would enjoy. I know that @Ken Anderson has heated beds for his kitty cats, and @Shirley Martin has posted a picture of her little dog on her heated mat; so I am wondering who else has tried these and whether your dog/cat liked it or not ? Poodle sometimes likes something and then just stops using it, like he did with the little covered dog bed that I got him before. (I am going to try bringing that back out and see if he likes it again) What does everyone else do to keep their pet-people warm in the cold weather ?
The two young dogs are outside with dog houses. Molly is indoors but has her own bed that keeps her warm and comfortable. I think a heated bed would be nice if they will use it. We had 5 beds in March, now down to 2 chewed up but still work. We bring in the outside dogs if temp drops too much, usually 25 they come in. Short haired Foxy maybe sooner.
When cats (and I imagine dogs) get older, in particular, they like the heated beds. When Ella was younger, she shunned the heated ones but now she claims every one of them.
there are a number of feral cats around here...we take them a hot meal in the early morning..they're all waiting even before dawn...at a big oak tree.. i can't do those beds for them...but...i am going to appeal to my husband's love of these little animals for a cat condo...not our property...maybe it'll be okay..if we keep it small...not invasive
We have had lots of animals, both inside and outside. Our old barn cat who moved into the heated garage at about 18 always shunned any kind of bed, but would sleep on the heating duct at the base of the furnace. The bed we bought for her went to the thrift store almost unused. I had one old dog who used a heated bed as she grew older and her joints stiffened, but our sled dogs couldn't bear to be inside for any significant time even in the coldest of weather. They would have simply destroyed any kind of bed. Several didn't tolerate a dog house well and would sleep outside on the ground while they spent days destroying any shelter we provided.
My 2 outdoor cats think they are deities, and expect to get treated that way. They have heated beds in the garage, and if they get too warm on the heated beds they have soft cozy beds to curl up in. Spoiled cats! One of the cats was a stray and had kittens in my garage. I found homes for all the kittens except one, which my husband wanted to keep. He was supposed to take care of it. I trapped the momma cat and got her spaded, and took the other kitten in to get neutered when he was old enough. They are living the good life!
Miki still loves her heated pad. I just put it back on her ramp/bed this morning. She is curled up there now, snoozing. She has two pillows on the floor that she can sleep on, one in the den and one in my office. She is so small that she can't get on the furniture. I also got her a cooling pad for summer. That worked like a charm, too.
She's a dog but she doesn't know it. She has never been around other dogs except at the vet, She looks at them like, "What on Earth are those strange looking creatures."