What about sun lamps for cats?

persi & alley

persi & alley

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Here is a picture of Alley, taken two minutes ago.

Poor little Alley stays here on the window sill all day waiting for some sun to come along. Persi, having long hair, never wants to be in the sun. But what can I do for Alley? At this time of year there is hardly any sun at all on this window sill. So I thought about buying her a sunlamp. Does anybody else here have a sunlamp for their cat? What are the dangers that I should be aware of? I see them on sale at garage sales cheap all the time. Just look at poor little Alley trying to get some sun! Doesn't she deserve a sunlamp?
 
howtoholdacat

howtoholdacat

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I've never used a sun lamp for my cats but one potential problem is the cord if your cat should chew on it. Also, where/how will you mount it? If it can be pulled or knocked down that could be a fire hazard as well. Just some thoughts to head off possible accidents.
 
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zissou'smom

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Don't they give off UV rays? Unless you just mean like the heating ones for reptiles or something...

Anyway, cats get skin cancer too!

Maybe a heating blanket would help more, usually mine lays in the sun when she's cold!
 
taterbug

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Maybe you could get one of those reflector type clip-on lamps that use a 40-60 watt bulb. I bought one at a hardware store to keep in my well house as a heater (when the temp goes down in the teens). Before it got that cold last fall,I clipped it on my dining table leg and my girls would sprawl under it....just like they were laying on the beach! I don't trust sunlamps,myself.
 
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strange_wings

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Just wanted to add, if anyone is going to be using a lamp that will be on for extended periods, use one that has a ceramic socket. Normal plastic sockets are not meant to be left on and can melt.

A safer alternative is to just get a heated pet bed. I'm not sure if I've seen many at petsmart or petco, but the local feed store has a bunch of them in different sizes and cloth patterns. These would be great for arthritic pets.
 
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persi & alley

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by taterbug

Maybe you could get one of those reflector type clip-on lamps that use a 40-60 watt bulb. I bought one at a hardware store to keep in my well house as a heater (when the temp goes down in the teens). Before it got that cold last fall,I clipped it on my dining table leg and my girls would sprawl under it....just like they were laying on the beach! I don't trust sunlamps,myself.
Click to expand...
I like this idea. It removes the threat of the UV rays mentioned earlier. After all, Alley doesn't want a suntan, she just likes the warmth like any cat (except for Persi).
 
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Are you SERIOUS??????


Don't worry about it - sunlamps are as dangerous to cats as to people. They will survive without sun in a windowsill.
 
katiemae1277

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Lee, I know that Mike (skippymjp) has some sort of lamp that his kitties LOVE to lay under, maybe PM him to see what it is?
 
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strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Sake&Pennys dad

My Penny LOVES her heating pad
Click to expand...
Sho likes mine
Whenever I use it and have to get up, leaving it in a chair or bed for a few minutes unattended, I come back to him laying on it .
Kind of how they always steal your warm seat.
Maybe I should look at those pads, find a smaller one for the cats.
 
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mur

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My cat has an electric blanket and enjoys it, but not as much as when we first got it. She also enjoys lying beside the gas fireplace, but she is now a little senile and has burned her nose a couple times.

She prefers suntanning but we haven't bothered to get a sun lamp for her.

Has anyone had experiences with cats getting skin cancer? In the summer when it's sunny, my cat suntans about 8 hours a day, 7 days a week - she becomes very depressed on rainy days in the summer - she is 21 years old now and has been doing this every year of her life.
 
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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Here is a picture of Alley, taken two minutes ago.

Poor little Alley stays here on the window sill all day waiting for some sun to come along. Persi, having long hair, never wants to be in the sun. But what can I do for Alley? At this time of year there is hardly any sun at all on this window sill. So I thought about buying her a sunlamp. Does anybody else here have a sunlamp for their cat? What are the dangers that I should be aware of? I see them on sale at garage sales cheap all the time. Just look at poor little Alley trying to get some sun! Doesn't she deserve a sunlamp?
Click to expand...
I don't know if they have one for cats but they have them for humans. People who live in climates with a lot of cloud cover (Like Seattle) use them if they suffer from depression. Apparently something about the sunlight helps combat depression. It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder. :p Though I doubt your cat suffers from it.
 
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persi & alley

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Jokieman

I don't know if they have one for cats but they have them for humans. People who live in climates with a lot of cloud cover (Like Seattle) use them if they suffer from depression. Apparently something about the sunlight helps combat depression. It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder. :p Though I doubt your cat suffers from it.
Click to expand...
Hey, come on now. I am just getting ready to go to Seattle next week, my birthplace. I was born and raised there. Never saw a cloud once and never saw any rain!
 
momto3cats

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An ordinary lamp might work. My cats like to take turns sitting under my reading lamp.
 
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