Heated Pad Beds for Cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies they all have natural fur coats to keep them warm and comfy. However, like us, they may need extra warmth during cold, harsh winters. This is where heated pad beds come in handy.
They can keep your pet warm, cozy, and comfy in their beds, especially during those long, cold winter nights. While cats and dogs can go about seeking warm spots, or curl up right next to you for body heat, kittens and puppies may not take the same initiative.
So it makes sense to place them in a warm heated pad bed for the night, where they can get comfy.
But is it safe for kittens and puppies?
To find out, let’s start by understanding how heated pad beds, or heated pet beds work.
Heated pad beds for pets use an electric heating pad, typically made from metal, underneath the soft fabric of the bed. You plug in the pad and heat up the bed. Typically, there is a wide range of temperature, which you can regulate with a remote control.
Some modern beds have an automatic turn-off, to ensure safety from overheating, while some are also wireless and self-heating to ensure that your pet does not end up gnawing the electric cords.
Most pets are biologically drawn to warm spots in your home. The normal internal body temperature of cats and dogs is higher than humans. Their bodies have to work harder to compensate for the greater heat loss than humans during winters.
Their fur coats provide extra insulation to help, but a heated pad bed can provide extra comfort, especially to kittens, puppies, old pets, sick pets, injured pets, or pets suffering from hip dysplasia or arthritis.
Orphaned kittens and puppies, in particular, need a heat source to replace the warmth of their mothers’ body heat.
This is not to say that these pet pads cannot provide comfort to healthy pets and help them combat the cold weather. Smaller dog breeds and pets with shorter fur coats can especially benefit from a heated pad bed.
All of these things highlight the importance of a heated pad bed, but pet safety is always the number one priority.
So…
Yes! Used correctly, heated pad beds are completely safe for kittens and puppies. There are potential risks, but you can minimize and even eliminate them by following correct usage and safety precautions.
Here’s how:
The first thing to ensure when using a heated pad bed for pets like kittens and puppies is to supervise the situation. These beds are generally pretty safe, but you must supervise to make sure of things like gnawing on electric cords, even if they have chew-proof coverings.
For kittens and puppies, the temperature setting should be kept at a low or medium warm setting and never more. Typically, indoor use is best set at low heat, while outdoor use (especially during cold weather) is best set at medium heat for kittens and puppies.
You should feel the bed surface with your hand. If it’s too hot for you, it’s definitely too hot for your kitten or puppy.
What feels like comfortably hot and relaxing heat to us, is likely too warm for pets, especially new-born pets. If the surface feels too warm for young pets at low settings, consider covering the surface of the heated pad bed with an extra layer of thick fabric before you place your kitten or puppy in it.
Never place kittens or puppies directly on the heating pad. While most heated pad beds for pets come with ample, comfy cushioning, make sure there is enough fabric between the pad and the pet.
Start your young pets with 20 to 30 minutes of active heating exposure, before turning off the heat. You can increase the time as your kitten or puppy gets comfortable with the warm bed.
Check the bed for excess heat at regular intervals, especially during longer sessions, because the heat tends to build up. You may not realize that the bed has reached an uncomfortably higher temperature than when you first placed your kitten or puppy in it.
New-born kittens and pups may not be able to remove themselves from the bed if it gets uncomfortably warm, they may start to make noises though. So make sure you are always present, supervising, and checking the heat regularly, so long as the heat is active.
There is nothing wrong with keeping kittens and puppies close to you for body heat or under the covers next to you at night. However, you will have to be extra careful not to turn over on the wrong side during the night, especially if you are a deep sleeper.
Heated pad beds provide a completely safe alternative, especially when you opt for high-quality products from a trusted provider like Petnap in the UK. These products can be critically important for kittens and puppies, especially orphaned ones, and particularly during cold weather.
Always avoid home-made or low-quality alternatives as they come with great risk. Whether indoors or outdoors, you should ensure your pets are comfortable and warm enough to combat the cold.
If you are interested in buying a heated pad bed in the UK, Petnap provides an excellent range, including pet beds that come with a base compartment to insert a heating pad. You can use these in every season, simply by inserting the heating pad when it gets cold.
Visit our website now to discover our extensive range of safe heated pad beds, pet beds, heating pads, and more.
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