Heated Cat Bed

[sarie]

Hey guys, I'm looking into getting a heated bed for my cat Harvey as he's not feeling very well now with all the medications he's on for his heart. He's always gravitated toward heat (radiators, laptops, underfloor pipes) and when staying in catteries the past he used to stay in the plastic heated bed they had there 24/7.

I've put it off over the last few years as they're quite pricey but as he's so poorly these days I thought I'd get him one to give him somewhere warm and quiet to retreat to.

Have any of you got any experience with heated cat beds? I'm after a thermostatically controlled one preferably that can be left on 24/7. I'm not really interested in self heating beds or any of the none electric ones - I've had a few in the past in an attempt to get a cheaper alternative and he just wasn't interested. It needs to be the real deal Cost isn't a major concern at this point (although obviously I'd rather it wasn't insanely priced hehe); I just want him to have the best so he can get some rest when he has bad days.

Any and all tips/advice greatly appreciated as always

FYI I've got my eye on the K&H Thermo-Kitty beds - You can get them in this country for about £45. Anyone got any experience?
http://www.khpet.com/cat-products/indoo ... y-bed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[meriad]

the first heated bed I bought for my old girl Molly was just a regular heat pad that I put into her bed - and it worked just fine. I then upgraded her to the heated soft bed http://www.petnap.co.uk/acatalog/heated-pet-bed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (4th down in the link - the leopard print one) and she absolutely loved it. The sides are nice and high to make it extra snug and it is very soft

I'd 100% recommend that one.

I also bought an infrared one for her which also was good but I do think she preferred the snugness of the animal print one. And she did look very cosy in it

[MarkB]

I guess all electric beds are thermostatically controlled to stop them overheating. Do you want one where you can choose the temperature? - the only one that I am aware of where you set the temperature is the Thermotex one Ria has. My Alice loved hers and it was switched on 24/7 for about 4 years until we lost her just before Christmas. I am trying to get Kylie to use it at the moment as it is infra-red and should help her hip dysplasia. The beds are very expensive though - around £150.

I googled to see if any other beds have a choice of temperatures. The only ones were the K&H ones that you linked to (and some other styles)

http://www.viovet.co.uk/K_H_Cat_Thermo_ ... wgod_w4AQQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; From experience, that style bed isn't very comfortable for cats - especially older ones that like to use the edge as a pillow.

PS - I just found the small Thermotex for £115 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thermotex-Sma ... 4d1c0ecf6b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; When I bought Alice's one, it was sold as a small, but must have been a medium as the one here does look very small.

[meriad]

The Thermotex one I bought you couldn't chose the temperature Mark - I think they changed the model. Mine you can only select medium or high (from memory - I'd need to have a look)

Same as you with your Alice - when Molly was still alive I had one form of heated bed on 24/7 for a good few years

the 'plain' heat pad (top one in this link) http://www.petnap.co.uk/acatalog/pet-heat-pads.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I used last year when I was trying to make life a bit more comfortable for Lulu the stray cat that I had visiting. She loved it and it kept her super snug in those colder super wet months we had beginning of this year

[sarie]

Thanks guys I've had a rummage for the thermotex ones - it's a shame they're so hard to get hold of. Harv is 14lbs so the small bed would be too little for him, he'd definitely need a medium and I can't find any in the UK

The leopard print one looks super comfy though! I'm not too fussed about being able to set the heat myself if it's got an automatic thermostat that controls the temperature itself; although it would be a nice feature. I know quite a few will heat up when the cat lies on them but will cool down a touch when they're not being used. As long as it's safe to leave plugged in 24/7 I'll be happy and hopefully so will Harvey!

He's pretty big as he's half maine coon - he likes to curl up in a tight ball with his paw over his nose when he sleeps usually Poor little guy is suffering a bit with nausea and general fatigue at the moment so anything to make him feel a little happier will make me happy.

[MarkB]

If you decide on a petnap one, for some odd reason, Petnap sell their beds cheaper on eBay than via their website.

As for Thermotex, this one is described as small, but seems to be the larger one that I bought Alice. http://petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept ... f_id=54584" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You could query it with Steadfast who are the importers http://www.steadfastcorp.com/thermotex_ ... _cats_dogs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I ordered the large by mistake originally and it was HUGE - medium dog size! - The company I got mine from doesn't exist now.

[Shelly and Dora]

Hi there.

My Dora is six now and was diagnosed with anchylosis 18 months ago. It's a form of arthritis in her rear legs. We seem to very much have it under control right now as she's been absolutely fine since last December. I've gradually weaned her off all her medication so that about four months ago we stopped completely. YAY!!

I have several heated beds dotted around for her. It's kind of strange but she seems to know when she needs to use them and leave them alone when she doesn't. I'm of a mind that she's a clever girl and she knows best how she's feeling.

I initially purchased one of the Thermotex beds which as you say are incredibly difficult to get hold of in the UK. It was advertised as a medium however when it arrived it was clearly a small. She does however still get into it and I have it in our lounge beside where I sit. She tends to use it when we are together of an evening. I initially had it on my bed because that's where she sleeps every night however it clearly wasn't big enough for her to be comfortable for 8 hours hence why I moved it downstairs. It's worth mentioning that the one I was able to purchase simply had a low and a high setting.

I have one of the leopard print beds as previously suggested and she loves it. It's on my bed and I put a blanket inside for her as there is no base cushion to make it comfortable. I was unable to purchase one that had any sort of thermostat on it unfortunately.

My OCD stops me from leaving them turned on 24/7 I therefore have them in plug-in timers. I think if I had been able to purchase one that had a thermostat attached I would have been comfortable to leave it on 24/7.

I contacted the manufacturers at the time of purchasing and was told that they no longer supplied them to the UK with a thermostat as it contravened several UK laws??

I hope you are able to find something that helps your furbabe.

Shelly

[MarkB]

It looks as if Steadfast sell them direct now. I wonder if they have changed them. It looks the same as Alice's - I used to set it at 40 degrees in the summer and about 52 in the winter.

http://www.steadfastcorp.com/Thermotex-Small-Pet-Bed" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[meriad]

ouch that's a whopper of a price tag

[MarkB]

It is, but when I think of the comfort Alice got from hers... http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... 3156-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_3153.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I like to think the infra-red gave her some relief. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... 9d2cee.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I checked and I paid £163 for Alice's in July 2010 (so she had it for less time than I thought)




And Kylie (not) modelling the Petnap bed I bought her! http://s305.photobucket.com/user/MarkB_ ... html?o=153" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (now with Kate's Layla)

[sarie]

Hrm I'm sorely tempted... it does look great. I've compared the interior size information to the listing of the one on ebay and it's significantly bigger so it looks like the one on the steadfast site is really equivalent to a medium, while the one on ebay is the traditional small. Confusing!

Thanks so much for all the information guys, who knew heated beds were so popular hehe! I love the photos of Alice soaking up the heat in her thermotex bed, she was a very lucky lady

[MarkB]

I am guessing that originally they were sold for dogs and the new small made the old small become a medium - the large was HUGE - about 4ft!

When I ordered the large, it was £120 and the small (medium) was £99. When I sent the large back, they told me their pricing was wrong and a small would be £200 - so I got a refund and ordered elsewhere.

As for heat-reflecting beds as a back-up, Alice approved of those too! (only the proper Flectabeds, not the cheaper crinkly ones ) - She had hers for 5 or more years and they were passed on to Laz. He is on one now. Until her last year or so, Alice loved rolling on her back http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_3772.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (sorry, my old camera was on its way out when I took this)

[Crewella]

I don't have a heated bed, but I have one of those cheap basic electric heat pads for my old Minnie, which is on 24/7. She gets a bit of arthritis and has no meat on her bones and she absolutely loves it, I wouldn't be without it. She also has long-standing tummy problems and often get the runs or is sick - I do like the fact that I can just take the pad out, wipe it, and put it in a clean bed whilst I wash the dirty one. For that reason, I'll probably stick with the pad rather than upgrade to a proper heated bed.

[sarie]

Hey guys So I went around in circles for a while trying to decide what to get and in the end I went back to square one and opted for the K&H Thermo Kitty as I could get the large 20" bed for £40 on ebay and I was struggling to source the Thermotex. I figured if the K&H was a failure then I'd see if I could source a Thermotex from Steadfast but it would appear I won't need to as Harv loves the K&H bed
I think I'll get one of the cheap electric heat pads suggested too as that'll give him a second option and also give my other cat somewhere to go if he wants heat as Harvey is refusing to give up his new K&H bed to anyone right now.

So the K&H bed is a resounding success! It has high sides, so for cats who like to rest their chins it's probably not the best choice, but because it has high sides I'm finding that Harvey cocoons himself in it and curls into a ball. When he gets a bit warm he stretches out on his back in it as it's a good enough size to comfortably accomodate him with space to spread out.
I'm relieved that he likes it after all the umming and ahhing that went into deciding what to do. If I could've sourced a Thermotex bed easily I may have gone for that but I'm sort of glad I didn't now as the K&H was a quarter of the price and he loves it! It came at just the right time too as Harvey went back into heart failure on Friday night and was very poorly over the weekend so he took a lot of comfort from sleeping off his episode and subsequent unpleasant vet trip in the warmth of his bed, poor little guy.

Clive keeps going over to sniff it but and I think he's tempted to get in but if Harvey's anywhere nearby he gives him a smack.. he's very firmly decided it's his and his alone hehe. Poor Clive Good job Clive has never been that fussed about heat - if I knew he'd use it I'd get him his own bed but he's not a sure thing like Harvey is so I think a heated pad would be a good option for Clive as a second bed could be just a waste of money. I'll just tuck it under some blankets downstairs for him I think Thanks again for all the input guys!

[Crewella]

Glad you settled on one, and really glad Harvey is enjoying it.

[meriad]

fantastic news re the bed; I'm glad he loves it. Not so good news re the Friday night heart failure though ; poor boy

Give them a fuss from me

[sarie]

Thanks Meriad Harv is having a really hard time of it lately and he doesn't really know what's going on but clearly feels really rubbish all the time so I feel really bad for the little guy. I wish he didn't have a death sentence hanging over him, it's really awful At least the bed will give him some pleasure during the time he has left.

I'll be sure to give them both plenty of fuss from you

[pawresearcher]

Make sure if you are using a self-warming bed then that will worth it. It will be much better than the electric heated pad bcz electric heated pad feel like artificial medication. I have found some self-warming here:
https://calmingpetsbed.com/best-heated-cat-bed/