Older Cat Chilly In This Fall Weather..?
I have 3 indoor kitties, one is older (around 13yrs). Shes in great health and very active although in this cooler weather i find her always curled up looking chilly so ive been leaving a heating pad on medium heat out for her with a blanket over it, she LOVES it and often all 3 of them share it by the fireplace. At night, i leave it on the pillow next to me for bedtime, where she always sleeps. It is electric obviously, and i keep an eye on it (its unplugged whenever i leave). It seems to make a big difference for her, so im sure lots of older cats in this cool weather would enjoy it 
Does anyone know of any problems with doing this? Thanks.
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January 20, 2010 @ 11:26 am
As so many stores sell heated pet beds, and you don’t leave it on when you’re not home, I think it will be okay. I don’t know how old the heating pad is, but make sure that you regularly check the wiring.
Mylar blankets are very good, because they don’t absorb the cat’s body heat like normal blankets. Instead they reflect the heat back at the cat. They’re very cheap too.http://www.healthyharvest.com/search.asp…
You can also make your own (non electrical) wheat filled heat pad. This can then be heated in either a microwave or conventional oven and will retain it’s heat for around 2-3 hours. This article explains how to do this if you are interested.http://www.messybeast.com/heatpad.htm
I’m sure your cats appreciate your efforts to keep them warm. I know when I lived in the UK, my elderly cat enjoyed lying on a foot stool next to the radiator. It would be so hot that I couldn’t touch it with my bare hand and yet she loved it.
January 20, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
I would be scared of the electric pad. I would be afraid she would get burned, although I have used it for kittens (I wasn’t very comfortable with that either!)
There are some pet stores (Drs. Foster and Smith is one) that sell special pet beds for older pets that are warmer. You could check out their web site.
I bought a couple of those fleecy blankets at Walmart when then were on clearance one year. I bought them for me, but they were taken over by the cats! They LOVE those things. You may want to try that.
My cats also love my flannel sheets.