Can a heated cat bed make a difference?

I read this article telling me a heated cat bed will make my cats healthier and happier. Is this true? I mean, are they worth it?

That's amazing, that heated-cat-beds.org, a product website, would have an article on its website saying how awesome heated cat beds are.

I don't know if it increases their quality of life or makes them healthier, but I do know that my arthritic cat benefits from a heated bed in the colder months of the year.

Picking a few off petsmart.com Going to need them in THIS house. I used to have a heated throw that the cats got over time. We are going to be getting throws for the winter for ourselves!

I've purchased two K&H pet bed heaters, one with a memory foam pad and one by itself. My mom's 18 year old cat loves the pad, and the other heater is in pet bed that my old (15+ year old) cat loves. Both kitties have arthritis and some degree of renal insufficiency. My younger cat never goes near the heated bed (he prefers my bed ), but in my experience, the older cats really appreciate the warmth.

I am not familiar with the heated cat beds. As a gardener I do know about seed starting mats. They're somewhat flexible plastic mats, come in various sizes, plug into a wall socket with a cord like any other appliance. Use very little electricity, and heat to about 10 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient room temperature. Unlike a heating pad it won't turn itself off after 60 minutes. Since damp soil is not an issue moisture is not of great concern. Wouldn't submerge one though. Put one in a suitable size box and cover with a towel or piece of fleece.

Just another option.

Interesting insights! Thank you : D

I didn't read the article but I would say Yes! based on my experience. Very true for my cat and probably her whole breed. She has heated beds plugged in year round and will lose significant weight and have to be fed a lot more and more often still way too lean without the heat source (we found this out accidently one time when one quit working and the other came unplugged and we didn't know it). She sleeps with us in our bedroom but unless bodies are in the bed warming her up that she can get beside she is rarely found in the bed.
She really LOVES her heated beds and will almost always choose them over the non heated beds even in the heat of summer. In the winter months I would say they are mandatory for her. I couldn't imagine her going without them as much as she loves them and how they keep her healthier.

I wouldn't classify heated beds as a necessity, but I know a lot of cats enjoy them. Do you have radiators? If so, a bed that can be hung over a radiator, or attached to a windowsill above it, is a good alternative.

I had a heated pad for my oldest cat and she enjoyed it every minute, it is worth definetely. She had some issues, she was 19 when she died and her last 4 years she had the heat pad.

My cats all like to nap in winter in front of the hot-air registers. When I lived with radiators, they liked them. I also use heated throws, for me and them.

All my current cats are quite young. But when they get older, I think I'll be getting some heated cat beds. They sound great.


Robin

Originally Posted by stephanietx

I don't know if it increases their quality of life or makes them healthier, but I do know that my arthritic cat benefits from a heated bed in the colder months of the year.

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Same here... you can get or make a heat reflecting mat/bed...

the inside is a item you can get at any hardware store for under a $1 a foot

We heat in part with wood. Use about 3 cords of wood each winter, burned in a Vermont Castings Vigilant stove. Under a nearby table is a shallow cardboard box with a bath towel folded up. It's warm and cozy (but no fire risk) and Mist loves to snooze there when the stove is in operation.

Originally Posted by Catapault

I am not familiar with the heated cat beds. As a gardener I do know about seed starting mats. They're somewhat flexible plastic mats, come in various sizes, plug into a wall socket with a cord like any other appliance. Use very little electricity, and heat to about 10 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient room temperature. Unlike a heating pad it won't turn itself off after 60 minutes. Since damp soil is not an issue moisture is not of great concern. Wouldn't submerge one though. Put one in a suitable size box and cover with a towel or piece of fleece.

Just another option.

Click to expand...

The thing with heated beds compared to using a seed mat or even a heating pad for humans is that some cat beds will maintain the cat's normal body temp (approx. 100º) when the cat is in the bed. When the cat isn't in the bed, the temp goes down. I'm not sure exactly how a seed mat works (I either winter sow or use lights.), but the fact that most cat beds adjust to a cat's body temp is ideal so you don't have to worry about burning.

Roots don't want to be scorched either. A seed mat heats to 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient temperature. It is providing gentle warmth - tepid rather than toasty. Ambient temperature would have to be 80 degrees F. to even approach 100 degrees F. - and would you be using a heating mat then?

I don't want to shower with water at 98.6 degrees F. Just providing gentle warmth above air temperature would seem adequate for a house cat.

If you really want something to ponder - a chickadee weighs half an ounce. That's right, you need 32 chickadees to have a pound of them. Body temperature is 104 degrees F. In winter, when air temp can drop to single digits or below these tiny birds have to maintain a differential of 100 degrees. That's why evergreen trees that provide shelter from the wind, especially at night, are so important for their survival.

As you can see, cozy cat.

Originally Posted by Catapault

As you can see, cozy cat.

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Mist does look very very comfy

I almost missed Mist! What a cute picture!

I know that I always have cats on the bed when we use the electric blanket or when I'm on the couch and have the electric throw plugged in. It's been down in the 40s at night the past couple of nights and the warming mats are plugged in at night for the kitties in their beds. The beds have been occupied so I know they love it.

Mist is adorable in that pic! Clever kitty!
We just bought two pet beds yesterday. When we lived in Houston, we didn't ever really have to worry about it getting too cold... we had carpets and we ran the central heat all day. Now, in Tokyo, it gets bitter! We have all wood flooring and only two window units to heat/cool with. It is already bitterly cold in the apartment at night. The cats sleep on the bed with us, and we use an electric blanket. I have been leaving that blanket on all day on the lowest setting, but I don't want to use any more electricity than I have to. So, at the pet store yesterday, we found these great pet mats that use no electricity - just some sort of thermal material. We'll see if the cats like them. My cats seem to hate anything that is bought for them - only use things that were bought for human use!

They might be more apt to use their new beds if you put them on your own bed during the day. You never know with cats. Jamie has an igloo bed that I got for winter, and he only uses it in hot weather.