What Are Pet Heat Pads?

Heated pet pads are a great way to provide your cat, dog, or small pet with additional comfort and warmth, particularly during the cold winter months.

They can also be super helpful all year round for pets that are recovering from injury, newborn pups and kittens, pregnant bitches, or senior dogs and cats–especially those with painful joints or suffering from arthritis.

While all pet heat pads essentially do the same job by generating heat to warm your cat or dog bed, they do it in various ways. There are three types:

• Electric heating pads for pets
• Microwavable heating pads for pets
• Self-warming heating mat and beds for pets
• How do I know if my dog or cat is cold?
  It can be hard to tell when your pet is feeling the cold. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as them telling us in words, however, the signs are very similar to what is experienced by humans.

Shivering, trembling, or seeking out warm places such as the couch or near the heater to rest are obvious signs that your cat or dog is feeling cold. If you notice your pet is slow to stand up after waking from a nap, this can also show they are feeling cold, have painful or stiff joints. A sign that is a lot more common in the cooler months, and senior cats and dogs.

Electric pet heat pads

An electric pet heat pad is just like an electric blanket for your cat or dog! They are a good option as they offer continuous gentle heating and they operate at a very low power output, so are economical and safe to run. Functioning like a pet electric blanket, simply place the heating pad on your cat or dog’s bed under their usual blanket and plug it in. Once it is turned on, it will instantly start warming your pet's bed adding extra comfort. You can easily regulate the heat of the pet heat pad by the number of blankets you put underneath the pet bed warmer.

Microwavable pet heat pads

Another great option is a microwavable pet heating pad. Simply warm it in your microwave for 2 to 8 minutes and the pad will provide up to 10 hours of heat. This is an ideal bed warmer for cats, toy breed dogs, and small animals. A microwave heat pad is a perfect option when you need to leave your pet unattended, if your pet’s bed is far away from an outlet, or when you are traveling with your pet, as it will continue to release warmth for hours and make their nap spot cozy. They are a safe option, even for young puppies and kittens, as the gel inside is especially designed to be non-toxic.

Self-warming pet heat mat and beds

A self-warming pet heat mat or self-warming pet bed will help when your cat or dog is feeling the cold by using their own body heat to create additional warmth and comfort. It works by using a layer of reflective foil material that reflects their body heat and retains it with the insulating layer. This is a great option to put into a dog kennel or as an outside bed for your cat to help keep them warm without the need for power.

Are pet heating pads safe?

Pet heat pads are relatively safe, so you won’t have to worry about them causing damage to your pet or catching fire to your home.

Microwaveable & self-warming heating pads are the safest option to help keep your pets warm & toasty, as they don’t have an electrical connection and are made with suitable materials.

Electric heating pads are also reasonably safe. They are made with a durable heating cable and have a low voltage, so you can feel comfortable leaving them on for long periods of time, such as overnight. However, they do run on electricity, so there is some risk and we suggest not leaving them on for excessive amounts of time.

Nobody knows your pet better than you, so if you have a pet that likes to chew cables, then a non-electrical pet heat pad would be your safest option.

Pet heat pads are an effective way to help your cat, dog or small pet stay comfortable throughout the year, and especially useful in the cold winter months. Using a heating pad to warm your pet bed means that you can rest easy knowing that your pet has a cozy place to rest whether it is in their crate, cage, bed, or kennel.