I am looking for something to put in a homemade feral cat container. I have a feral cat that I am trying to keep warm will this work for this purpose
417463
If it gets down into the 30's (Farenheit) or colder, I'd put an electric pet bed heater under this to keep the kitty warm. That's what I've done in both my garage and in a box on my front porch for the two feral kitties who have claimed my property as theirs. I also put half of a micro fleece blanket wrapped in a donut shape around this pad, so the cats have a bit of a "bowl" to snuggle down into.
417464
Kim, I can't say how warm the pads get, but they do seem to retain the cat's body heat very well. We have several of these pads around the house to protect furniture (we'd rather the cats sit on these pads then directly on a chair, etc.). Our cats love them and sleep on them all the time. However, if the feral cat and the container is outside in cool temperatures you might want to consider an electrically heated pad.
417465
A little bit. If it gets quite cold, I put the heat on a little, in addition to the crate pad.
417466
I use mine outside for feral cats and they love it. I had put some catnip on it in the beginning to attract them which worked immediately. The cat lies directly on the pad which picks up the body heat. As long as the cat lays on it it stays warm. Mine love it and also a blue one that's a bit larger from another manufacturer. It's listed on Amazon as well. It works the same way but it's a little bit bigger and plushier.
1212987
The feral I kept warm would not use a blanket- straw worked right away. Under the straw you can add the heated blanket or I used the reflective blanket material that keeps body heat in. I put the reflective material under the straw. I made the straw thick around the sides and the bottom a bit less. I kept extra straw on hand for rainy or snowy days to replace the wet. She loved it while she was with me.
1260963
I used it inside but plugged in all the time cause my little kitty was very old. It does not get very hot, so it was just enough warmth for inside. I would think it might not get hot enough for outside, but if it is in a covered box, maybe it would work. I lost my little cat, 21 years old, this February, but I kept the pad for another day because I liked it so much.
473584
serendipity: Well. We built a kind of cat house for the feral cats that came to us. It is insulated. We live in the mountains, so it snows here. There is a shelf inside the house where the heat pad sits. They seem to use this cat condo when it snows, mostly. Also, covered porch area with a love seat, with blankets and tarp, with heated lap blanket. Cats are creatures of comfort. It is likely the cat will use the heat pad when it gets cold. I know you are worried the cat will suffer the cold, but it seems to me you are doing the best you can to help a fellow creature.
1628558
I am not using it that way,but I saw several reviews by people who apparently were. All you would have to do is make sure the electric wires were properly isolated from water,etc. My cats love the warmth; as they mention,it does take a bit of time to warm up once the cat is on it,so I stitched a fuzzy cat blanket envelope for it so that they would curl up on that and then get the warmth.
65748
I think YardStash II for feral cats would be considered overkill. There is so much room it think you would do better with a small pup tent or even a pet shipping crate. I guess you could keep the bottom and flap partially unzipped for access if you are determined to use it.
1591851
I think 50-degree temp is not cold enough for the cat to feel he needs shelter. I found once it got really cold, the stray outdoor cat used the cat house and even brought along his feral friend. They continued to use it after the winter.
911770
I wouldn't combine a warming pad AND straw...I would be concerned about fire. If you are talking about the Extreme Weather Kitty Pad with fleece cover, I have one and it is not flexible at all. My cats like it but it is made to lay on a flat floor. Since I only have 1 cat using the Kitty Tube, I have stuffed straw in about 3/4 of it. My cat crawls in and makes a nest. Since the tube is so full, it really is quite warm for him. I check the straw every few days and add more (and cat nip too) as needed.
1987823
Yes, I put mine in an insulated house and my small feral cat colony is warm all winter. They have never allowed a mouse in my house or a squirrel to steal a tomato :)
911774
Use one or the other. Straw is recommended for feral cats, as you can easily clean it out. Unless you know that the cats you shelter are free of fleas and other parasites, you want to be able to completely clean out the shelter periodically. Parasites can burrow into the heating pad, and it's very difficult to clean out an infestation in it. Also, as someone said, there is a fire hazard with the electric warming pad being used with the straw. Personally, I got the thin reflective self-heating pad and put it on top of the straw to help my kitties stay warm. I think it's made like a space blanket, with reflective mylar inside a soft cover, to reflect the cats' own body heat back to them. It's thin, no fluffy filling, so not much for parasites to burrow into, and it's relatively inexpensive, so I can throw it away if it gets too dirty to be cleaned.
716274
I have the heated version and it has a heated floor that you blow up so it's somewhat like a heated, air mattress. I have not seen the non-heated version. But if it gets below freezing in your area, I recommend the heated version for your animal. It took a couple days for my feral cat to get in it, but she loves it now.
273382
We use it for stray cats outdoors, under a open patio. We were able to put a heater inside that plugged into an outdoor outlet. 3 strays we feed wintered nights in the igloo as it gets cold in the winter in Colorado. They wouldn't go in if we went out the sliding glass door to the patio and if they were in they would scatter. But after we went back in the house they would return to the igloo to keep warm
1446925
I would not recommend this for outdoor use. I actually have one in a homemade insulated "house" that is under a barn shelter - intended for feral cats. They do not seem to use it that much. Certainly it must not be in a wet environment. They do use a K&H; extreme weather pad (in an old doghouse which is uninsulated).
1951043
Probably would not help insulate it, but a fleece blanket inside would be good and it's washable. Also, I had to screw the top to the bottom because we have high winds in my area but it was easy to do. I really like it for my cat who insists on being outdoors even in colder weather.
422529
That would probably work. The more insulation the better. I would use some kind of reflective like it type material for maximum heat. Good luck.
770465
Depending on the number of dubia ordered and size of the container. A plastic tote with flex watt or some similar under tank heater attached to the side is best. Unless you have a high ambient room temperature. If you are using just for feeders and not growing them to a larger size or breeding them then the container would be fine for temporary housing.
518308
I would say you probably can. It doesn't get hot like a human heating pad because K&H; says on their site that animals have different internal thermostats. Their heating pads are designed to warm the animal and not make them hot. Their site is very informative and they have all kinds of wonderful products for pets. I have 4 heating pads and one of the nylon cat houses that has a heating pad and is beautifully made!!! I highly recommend their products based on my experiences with them. Sturdy materials, heavy duty wire and coils around them, nylon, all of it. And, the fleece covers which have 4 elastic corners to go over the pad so it is soft and fleecy. I think each heating pad offers one. I would say you probably can. It doesn't get hot like a human heating pad because K&H; says on their site that animals have different internal thermostats. Their heating pads are designed to warm the animal and not make them hot. Their site is very informative and they have all kinds of wonderful products for pets. I have 4 heating pads and one of the nylon cat houses that has a heating pad and is beautifully made!!! I highly recommend their products based on my experiences with them. Sturdy materials, heavy duty wire and coils around them, nylon, all of it. And, the fleece covers which have... » Read More I would say you probably can. It doesn't get hot like a human heating pad because K&H; says on their site that animals have different internal thermostats. Their heating pads are designed to warm the animal and not make them hot. Their site is very informative and they have all kinds of wonderful products for pets. I have 4 heating pads and one of the nylon cat houses that has a heating pad and is beautifully made!!! I highly recommend their products based on my experiences with them. Sturdy materials, heavy duty wire and coils around them, nylon, all of it. And, the fleece covers which have 4 elastic corners to go over the pad so it is soft and fleecy. I think each heating pad offers one. « Show Less