Help with heated pet pads in feral cat shelters

[mocrosby]

I am a caretaker for a feral cat colony of about 15 cats. I have TNRed most of them but a few of the extreme ferals only come at night when I can't trap because of the possibility of trapping other animals like skunks and raccoons. All of the cats I care for are unsocialized ferals and I provide them with dry food and water in a heated dish 24/7, warmed wet food in the morning and evening, water and heated shelters on my covered outdoor front porch in Michigan. Currently, our overnight lows are in the low 30s to upper teens. By February, we will have overnight temps/windchill at zero and below.

I have two types of shelters which I will explain below:

FABRIC SHELTERS – These are weather resistant, insulated and have a full-sized covered non-adjustable heated pad to maintain their body temperature. I keep them against the wall of my house so they also get some insulation from it and I put them in the most sheltered spot on my porch to keep them away from wind. I do not put any additional bedding, straw or other insulation in these houses. The cats tend to share these shelters with another cat.

ECOFLEX PLASTIC SHELTERS – I have insulated these with 1" foam on the walls and ceiling, there is straw on the bottom and I have also put temperature adjustable heated pads in them.

My concern is the heated pads in the plastic shelters. There are five levels of heat and I don’t know what level I should set the temperature at. And, it would seem to me that the temperature should be adjusted as the temperature outside gets lower? According to the temperature chart provided by the pad manufacturer, the temperature at level 1 is “about 104”, at level 2 “about 113”, at level 3 “about 122” and it goes up to level 5 at “about 141” and it also says the temp can vary by +/- 30. I currently have most of them set at level 2 with a couple set at level 3 because the temp seemed lower in those most likely because of the variance.

Thoughts? Should I keep the temperature set at the lowest setting or keep them as they are currently set? Should the temperature setting be increased as it gets colder outside or does that not matter? For what it's worth, I have tried using one in the house and put it so I was leaning my back against it. In my 70 degree home, level 2 feels warm, but not too warm.

 

[Antonio65]

First of all, my greatest compliments on how you set up your porch. It's absolutely amazing, really outstanding! A living example of how feral cats should be taken care of outdoors.

I'm my understanding, the temperature of the pads should be adjusted according to the outside temperature. Lower outside temperatures will dissipate the pad quicker, because shelters have openings that leak the heat.
It would be great if this adjustment was automatic, but we can't have it all, can we?

 

[Leroy17]

Wow! That is a really nice kitty motel!

I had one shelter for a stray that I put together with plywood and plexiglass windows. I had to keep it outside next to the house on a wood deck. I put it on top of a styrofoam sheet for better insulation. I also put a heating pad inside under some blankets. Kept it on low and it stayed pretty warm inside. Maybe 65-70 degrees. The entry was open and still kept the shelter warm. Of course the only way to be sure would to put a thermometer inside. We eventually were able to get the cat inside. She gave us some kittens!
I live in Illinois near Chicago. Gets plenty cold here too.

 

[mocrosby]

First of all, my greatest compliments on how you set up your porch. It's absolutely amazing, really outstanding! A living example of how feral cats should be taken care of outdoors.

I'm my understanding, the temperature of the pads should be adjusted according to the outside temperature. Lower outside temperatures will dissipate the pad quicker, because shelters have openings that leak the heat.
It would be great if this adjustment was automatic, but we can't have it all, can we?

Thanks for your kind words. The way I see it, these cats didn't ask for this life and, at some point, they were failed by people. I can't help or save them all, but I do what I can. It's a huge commitment and a labor of love.

Thanks for your advice about the heated pads and confirming my thoughts about adjusting the temperature!

 

[Antonio65]

I can't help or save them all, but I do what I can. It's a huge commitment and a labor of love.

Absolutely it is, and right now it's also a true act of love, given the cost of energy.

I had looked into these pads for my outdoor cats, and found the same you have, I think, with a 5-level temperature setting and protected power cords, for safety against chewing.
What I read, though, was that these models have a timer, up to 12 hours. It seemed to me that they don't work all day long, and that the temperature must be set every time they restart. Can you confirm this for me?

 

[mocrosby]

Absolutely it is, and right now it's also a true act of love, given the cost of energy.

I had looked into these pads for my outdoor cats, and found the same you have, I think, with a 5-level temperature setting and protected power cords, for safety against chewing.
What I read, though, was that these models have a timer, up to 12 hours. It seemed to me that they don't work all day long, and that the temperature must be set every time they restart. Can you confirm this for me?

Mine have a timer option or the option to provide continuous 24/7 power without being restarted. I bought mine on Amazon and many of the reviews said that they needed to be restarted everyday so it was a little confusing. It was a concern for me because I needed something that stayed on continuously. First, because I only use them in the winter and second, because it would be a pain to constantly adjust and move the houses everyday to turn them back on. I am attaching a picture of the pad and the control, and a picture of the shelters with the pads in them. As long as you set it to "on" it never turns off. I hope this helps!
Also, from time to time, they will be half price on Amazon. When I bought my pads, I got them in packs of two for $20, which is a steal!

 

[Antonio65]

Apart from the shape, round vs rectangular, the control looks the same as the ones I had seen on the web, mainly on Amazon.
Some reviews would mention this thing of 12h max, then restart.
Other reviews say these pads do not get warm enough even at level 5.

Do you lay anything on it, like a fleece blanket or else?
Also, when you say that a pack of two sold for $20 is a steal, do you mean it was too expensive for value? I apologize for asking, but English isn't my first language, and sometimes I am kind of tricked

I bought a heating pad in a store a few years ago, with no control, just on/off, and I paid about €30 for it, so $20 for two pads sounds like a good deal.

Thanks for the info about the possibility of leaving them on 24/7

 

[mocrosby]

Apart from the shape, round vs rectangular, the control looks the same as the ones I had seen on the web, mainly on Amazon.
Some reviews would mention this thing of 12h max, then restart.
Other reviews say these pads do not get warm enough even at level 5.

I observed the same thing, that some reviewers mentioned a 12h max and restart. That is not my experience with the pads I purchased. I press the button until the light is next to "ON" and it always stays on and never turns off. As for the level of heat, mine get very warm and I think level 5 would be too warm and possibly burn them.

Do you lay anything on it, like a fleece blanket or else?

I bought some 16x16 water resistant throw pillow covers that zip but I have not put them on yet. Right now, I am only using straw on top of them. I can see that they nestle down through the straw so they can lay directly on the pads. I probably don't need the straw with the heated pads but it does help block some of the wind.

Also, when you say that a pack of two sold for $20 is a steal, do you mean it was too expensive for value? I apologize for asking, but English isn't my first language, and sometimes I am kind of tricked

I am sorry for the confusion! We will say something is "a steal" in English to mean that it was such a good deal that it felt like we stole it. So, it meant that it was a very good deal and inexpensive price.

 

[dwdanby]

Urgent question: I have a 23-yr-old cat not eating. Vet is doing bloodwork. I just got him to eat! by warming the food. You mention a "dry food and water in a heated dish 24/7". Could you share how you do this, what product(s) are you using? Thanks so much!

Here's my other thread.

I need a heated cat food dish for my 23-yr-old cat not eating

 

[Kristin_Happy Texan]

I love this thread because we've been pondering building a shelter for our feral that will protect her in the cold and heat of summer. (With us it's mainly the summer that's incredibly harsh. We do have crazy cold days in the winter - especially the last 3 years - but it's still rare). My mother is really interested in the ones made from pallets or even big plastic bins. They use that reflective insulation in them.

We have a pet heating pad, which we got for one of our dogs, but it hardly heats up. It's really stiff and uncomfortable, too. I'll be looking up those heating pads you posted. Thanks for that. Providing photos of these things helps a lot.