Heated pet beds outdoors?

I'm looking into heated pet beds for outdoors, specifically for the enclosure. This is one I've been looking at.

My concern lies with fire safety - the beds will be inside the shed. I will also have at least 1 doghouse in there packed with straw.

I'm concerned about the straw getting near the pet bed & increasing fire hazard - is that a valid concern?

Many of these outdoor heated pet beds do not come with a cover, you must buy them separately. Knowing how fast my kitties get their blankets dirty as is, I'd have to buy quite a few covers to keep swapping them out & washing them. Is it safe to cover it with a blanket or something?

I'm also wondering, as normally they don't sleep too much in a "kitty pile", if maybe I shouldn't buy a large dog one instead of several smaller kitty ones? It's also far cheaper to buy one large one than 3-4 small ones.

Just looking for feedback before I make any investments.

I would be worried about the straw, too. I wonder if there would be any way to hook up a smoke detector that would sound an alarm in the house? (that or use baby monitors )

As for the covers, what are they typically made from? If cloth, why buy them? Get the right fabric and use velcro or snaps to hold them shut.

I would get the plastic outdoor ones... I doubt you can wash the soft ones - it would mess with the heating element. We have the plastic ones, tried putting blankets on them, but it doesn't heat neary as good with blankets over it, even thin blankets didn't transfer the heart through well. Since the heat was practically gone when I put blankets on mine, the cats refused to lay on it.... I took the blanket off and the cats loved it again. They do not mind that it's not soft and cuddly, just like cats will lay on a hard floor for hours just to lay in a sun beam.

I doubt straw would be more of a fire hazard than blankets... a few pieces here and there shouldn't make a heated bed catch on fire. The beds get warm, not hot. If they were old, worn, and not working properly then I would worry about fire.

If you have the money I would definatly get several small ones instead of one big one, the cats are not going to always want to sleep together. They may not always get along too.

It's an expensive investment, but well worth it!

Good luck fiding the right heated pet bed!

Hi, we have both the soft & hard outdoor lectrasoft pads with the covers. We use them with straw around the sides of the houses for extra insulation. We used them all last winter and didn't have any type of fire issues. We bought ours on ebay a few years ago. Back then you could buy them with the covers for the same price.

Forgot to mention:

if you decide to get the plastic outdoor mats, buy from www.kvvet.com I got free covers with both mats, it is not on their website or catalog though... I bought 2 beds & 2 covers.... I recieved 2 beds and 4 covers, I returned the 2 I bought lol. A family member recently bought one for her dog and got a free cover too.

invested in those pads that reflect the cats heat back at them. My husband built insulated cat houses for our barn and loaded them with straw and the pads. They are up off the floor for added warmth. But I found an excellent site. Just google winter cat shelters. Lots of good ideas on these sites. I'd tell you the site, but we just changed to Time Warner for our computer and I lost all my sites!! Now I have to find them again. UGH! But try those sites. Lots of neat ways to keep the cats warm in the winter! Good luck! Never too early to start here in the cold north!