Can you place the pad on wheat straw or polystyrene? I am going to use it in an insulated outdoor cat house for a feral cat.
150401
I would think so. We use it for our outdoor cats in a plywood cat house filled with old towels.
150402
Hi, I placed straw over the top of it. Works great. Keeps straw dry & warm....Ethan
150403
I'm unsure. I placed mine in a cedar cat house for a feral cat. I put some fleece around it, as it says to not put anything on top of the pad except it's own fleece cover. It works nicely directly placed on the wooden floor of the cat house. Doesn't get too hot. Good luck!
150404
I haven't noticed it getting that hot, so I would think it would be fine. I would keep an eye on it and make sure it stays dry, though.
150405
We have ours in an insulated cat house on a bed of blankets, it does not get so hot to be a problem in straw. Our outdoor cat Uses it daily.
150406
Hi,I placed straw over the top of it. Works great. Keeps straw dry & warm....Ethan
150407
We placed ours in an upside down plastic sterilyte container. We cut a hole in the side for a door and the pad lies on the plastic lid. All is well. The barn cat was toasty and safe in there this morning. It was zero degrees last night.
150408
We placed the pad on a plastic container lid. The sterilyte storage container is upside down with a hole cut in the side for a door.The barn cat was toasty this morning in his little hut and it was zero degrees last night. The pad seems safe on the plastic. We have had no problems. Don't know about straw.
150409
Yes, we have one on polystyrene with a wool sweater and it's great. It's in a little shelter outside (like a dog house) and the half-feral cat who lives there loves it! No problems at all. It doesn't get too hot. It's on a timer to go on in the evening and off in the a.m., unless it's really cold. A very good and very helpful product.
503889
The heading pad is a solid thin mat but is covered with a soft foam and cloth cover. I have it on my cats perch indoors. He loves it. Another review says it is barely warm. If the cat is not on it is feels barely warm. If your cat is laying on it and you put your hand between the cat and the pad it is very warm this is for safety. The inside mat is solid so it is water resistand and kitty nails won't damage it, all safety measures to prevent fires. Also a heating pad can get to warm and actually burn your cat, or electrocute them.
191261
Yes, it is pretty much just a blanket that holds heat and acts like the insulation in your house. If you have an old army blanket (wool) that would probably work as well. The pet crate pad is just less bulky.
150091
I had made a small cat house from Rubbermaid containers (instructions on line) and the instructions called for hay as a base and I put the self warming pad on top. The cats like it so I am sure it should work for dogs as well. Obviously the cats can't tell me. My sister's cat is indoor and she uses it all the time. So far 2 of my sisters have the outdoor cat houses for feral cats with the pads. It has to be better than just a towel or whatever. I would get the largest size for a dog house. Good luck
2197297
The Heated K&H Outdoor Kitty House would be the more sturdy of the two and provide sufficient heat. It has an excellent thick heating pad you put inside which is very cushionyyy. I took off the plastic on both sides since the movement of the plastic seemed to scare the feral cats away. Heating pad is warm for them and works with the heat of their own bodies. Keep this out of the rain and wind. Garage would be perfect if for a feral cat, otherwise place it where it wont get wet and battered by wind and where dogs cant get to the cats. I bought this for our feral cat we have had since a kitten when her mother put her up on our wall and left her there. We took her in and kept her in our garage and she has always remained very warm, and that was 2 years ago. She roams the neighborhood but always comes back at night for food and her house.
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.
473585
We have 3 of the K&H; outdoor houses (with the heating pads) and we started by putting their cat treats in them. Once they figured it was warmer in the house they have used them every night. We think you might want to put the blanket on the heating pad since they are used to that. You might also try the cat treat thing since they could feel the warmth on their feet they decided that was a good thing. We hope that helps!
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.
1867667
The cord on our Kitty pad gets wet. It actually is buried in snow right now. We do not have problems. Ours is inside a house but it is partially outside going to the outlet. Our outlet is made for outside use. Our feral cats love it!
1175185
I have used the size small pad for a cat. Not sure how long it lasts. I purchased one last year and another one this year for the strays outside. So far so good. We don't use them in the summer time though.
1569593
I think a nice little expandable awning with posts would be cute. LOL. It took 2 days for my feral to love this and we had a foot of snow this weekend and it did not go into the opening from the top. There's actually a lip when they step into the opening because it has thick insulation throughout the tube. My tube is on my porch which has a roof covering it so just the heavy sideways stuff gets on the porch. I think just change the straw cause they give you enough for like 4 changes and as long as you don't put too much in they get into the house away from the opening and stay pretty dry and warm. It's a huge hit at my house and I feel better cause she obviously had no place else to go.
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
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.
1867665
The cord is specifically made with a strong wire coil to make it "abrasion proof" and we have ours plugged in outdoors, but it's shielded by a roof overhang. It says "for any outdoor shelter" so it seems that they would expect to plug in into an outside outlet. The pad is very strong and water resistant. Ours has kept feral cats alive through several winters. I would try it OR ask an electrician. Hope this helps!
1654957
Yes, I would recommend taking out the straw and using nothing on the floor or some carpet or small blanket for extra insulation on the areas the pad does not cover. The pad comes with a soft cover so nothing more is really needed.
985637
The other answer is not correct. The heater pad is inflated with a little bit of air which provides some insulation between the heating element and the environment. When the cat puts it's weight on it, the cushion of air is squeezed to the side and they get more direct heat from it. So while the cat is not on it, it doesn't have to use as much electricity to maintain its temperature. These Lectro-Soft heating pads are low wattage and depending on the size, would use less energy than a 60 watt bulb. It would add only $2 to $4 per month if outside and plugged in the whole time. On a side note, it is a good idea to put a light blanket over it that is not folded up. The wrinkles from the blanket help hold the heat around the cats. Like you wouldn't just lay on top of a flat electric blanket yourself. You would be warmer if it was bunched up on the sides of you too. Plus the blanket keeps the things under it cleaner. It is easier to throw a small blanket in the washer than clean the rest of the shelter and heating pad. Straw is generally better if you expect moisture. Straw doesn't absorb water and the cats can be kept warm by it. If in a really cold environment and you have the money for it, I would recommend the Kitty Tube. Superior insulation, much more durable, small opening so less draft. Comes with choice of straw cozy pillow and optional heating pad.
2113626
I used it all last winter on top of a bunch of wheat straw in a cat shelter. The cats loved to sit directly on top of it, despite having plenty of room in the shelter to snuggle down in the straw behind the heating pad. I think the animals get more heat from the pad if they can sit directly on it; so, it might be better to put the bedding around or under the heating pad. (Just my guess.)