Warm cat beds?

Trewsers

Trewsers

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Oct 13, 2004
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I've never really needed to consider the temperature in the garage and utility room but this winter has been so cold and I have an oldie with Husky (not sure how old he actually is but he ain't a spring chicken that's for sure!). I'd like to buy some kind of warming pad for all of them - but him in particular as he sleeps in overnight. The rest of the gang mainly wander out and about (like cats do) on the yard and fields. Just wondered if anyone has any recommendations? Something reasonably priced too as I'll probably need to purchase eight of them in the end - it's no good just having one as the others might nab it! So beds / pad recommends please.
Thanks in advance.😻
 
Could you use a well wrapped hot water bottle or wheat bag in the bed, with some old carpet or other insulating material under the bed? Will cats use the cave type beds that I've seen for dogs, or is that too enclosed for their liking? Or would it be easier to buy an oil filled radiator and leave it on a low setting to take the chill off the garage and utility room? You may have guessed by now I'm not a cat person and am probably giving silly ideas!
 
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I have just attempted to make an insulated bed for mine by sawing up some pieces of thick insulation that we got for the dog kennel and gaffa taping it round the sides of a mindful chef box. The box has a piece of cosy vet bed in the bottom and I've put it in their favourite place on top of the hay bales. So far they have completely ignored it, they prefer to climb through into the tack room and sleep on the dog beds, or any pile of soft stuff (towels, rugs) they can find.

It is a worry with an oldie though isn't it? My old YO swore by straw for her dogs but I don't know if cats would use it, although I suppose you could maybe make a bed and insulate it with straw.

Mmmm, I'll be interested in any replies you get.
 
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Someone i work for had one for there elderly arthritic cat. No idea on make. It was round and grey. Cat seemed to like it. Do your cats snuggle up together maybe look at a dog one which would be larger.
Scratchy was a ferral and he used the hay barn. When he moved down the road to the sheep sheds he used the straw barn. If they use it regularly you get a defined indent where they lay.
Any old blankets or towels are great for them to lay on.
 
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The bed we got for Alfie is absolutely wonderful - he loves it more than anything he's had before. He actually finds it too warm sometimes, and it retains his body heat when he gets out. It's called a pet calming bed. Can't praise it enough.Screenshot_20221216_210731_eBay.jpg20221216_210622.jpg
 
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Snuggle safe pods are microwavable and stay warm for around 10 hours so could use those and an igloo style bed.

Another vote for the one @Huggy mentioned too, we have a dog at work that refuses to get out of hers. I've not used them with cats though.
 
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All the yard cats I’ve ever known just love to hunker down in the hay barn in the very coldest weather.
I do like the sound of the microwaveable beds and I’m going to look for them for my two old ladies.
 
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The yard next door have seduced our Chester- I made him a bed in a box, but they've gone one better and put a hot water bottle in their cat's - too tempting!
 
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carthorse said:
Could you use a well wrapped hot water bottle or wheat bag in the bed, with some old carpet or other insulating material under the bed? Will cats use the cave type beds that I've seen for dogs, or is that too enclosed for their liking? Or would it be easier to buy an oil filled radiator and leave it on a low setting to take the chill off the garage and utility room? You may have guessed by now I'm not a cat person and am probably giving silly ideas!
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That's actually a good idea about the hot water bottles. I did wonder about the wheat bags too - though I have a bad track record with those. I managed to incinerate one and omg the smell:eek:(it was for human use). Oh dear. But I do like the idea of the hot water bottle, I have quite a few of those.
 
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chunky monkey said:
Someone i work for had one for there elderly arthritic cat. No idea on make. It was round and grey. Cat seemed to like it. Do your cats snuggle up together maybe look at a dog one which would be larger.
Scratchy was a ferral and he used the hay barn. When he moved down the road to the sheep sheds he used the straw barn. If they use it regularly you get a defined indent where they lay.
Any old blankets or towels are great for them to lay on.
Click to expand...
Sometimes Husky sleeps snuggled up with Rosy but more often than not he's on his own all night as the others like a wander. I have known the brothers and sisters who know each other really well to share boxes for warmth. I've put a fleece blanket in a deep sided box for Husky and he seems to like that. I was just wondering if there was anything that would stay warm or that I could warm up too.
 
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Bodshi said:
I have just attempted to make an insulated bed for mine by sawing up some pieces of thick insulation that we got for the dog kennel and gaffa taping it round the sides of a mindful chef box. The box has a piece of cosy vet bed in the bottom and I've put it in their favourite place on top of the hay bales. So far they have completely ignored it, they prefer to climb through into the tack room and sleep on the dog beds, or any pile of soft stuff (towels, rugs) they can find.

It is a worry with an oldie though isn't it? My old YO swore by straw for her dogs but I don't know if cats would use it, although I suppose you could maybe make a bed and insulate it with straw.

Mmmm, I'll be interested in any replies you get.
Click to expand...
That's typical after you went to all that trouble! Our gang like to wander at night - apart from Husky (who is ancient) and occasionally Amber or Rosy. I know the rest of the gang hunker down in the cat barn amongst the hayledge piles.
 
Ale said:
Snuggle safe pods are microwavable and stay warm for around 10 hours so could use those and an igloo style bed.

Another vote for the one @Huggy mentioned too, we have a dog at work that refuses to get out of hers. I've not used them with cats though.
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I have seen the igloo things - I saw one and it was £17 which was a good price, but I might have to buy 8 of them lol:cool:as it would be a shame if the others came in and nicked his cave (Husky I mean).
 
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Trewsers said:
I have seen the igloo things - I saw one and it was £17 which was a good price, but I might have to buy 8 of them lol:cool:as it would be a shame if the others came in and nicked his cave (Husky I mean).
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None of our cats have ever bothered with this.
If you have feral cats they like to get warm but not necessarily trap themselves in.

There was a product on the market that was like an solid triangle. It tipped over suffocating two cats.
I wouldn't use a hot bottle, I would be too worried of it leaking and causing burns.
I don't like anything that plugs in either.
 
newforest said:
None of our cats have ever bothered with this.
If you have feral cats they like to get warm but not necessarily trap themselves in.

There was a product on the market that was like an solid triangle. It tipped over suffocating two cats.
I wouldn't use a hot bottle, I would be too worried of it leaking and causing burns.
I don't like anything that plugs in either.
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Heck that sounds tragic about the cats getting suffocated. Hmm.

I think a hot water bottle would be okay because it would only be background warmth and not next to their fur - ie, I'd have it with a cover and then lay a fleece over the top of that.

I'm with you on the plug in heaters though, shame we don't have a central heating rad in the garage. There's one in the utility room which I keep putting on during the day (but we don't leave the heating on all night anyway).

Husky is semi feral - he was someone's pet, I can tell. He was tame more or less from the start. He showed up very hungry but very tame, clambered up onto my knee without a thought. He loves to follow me just about everywhere and is much less inclined to go birding or mousing with the others. He's enormous lol reminds me of Bagpuss.

Okay here he is (any excuse for a photo lol)

IMG_20220802_171344.jpg
 
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newforest said:
They look warm enough to be fair.
As long as they have access to something out of the wind and rain, like horses. They should be fine.
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Yeah you are probably right. When Monster was alive we had to build them an outdoor shelter - at the far end of Storm's field as it was the only place they were safe from his marauding ways!!!

Its cold in the garage at night more than ever lately though - I go in to say goodnight to Husky and I wear my coat over my night attire!
 
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