What is it?

The Thermo-Kitty Mat is a 2 foot long mat manufactured by Colorado based K and H Pet Products. It has two pieces of foam with a heating pad insert. The heating pad sits between the two pieces of foam. This is then protected by a machine washable, zippered cover. The cover has one suede side and the other side is furry. Your pet is never laying directly on the heating element there is always the foam and the zippered covered between them and the heat. The mat is about one inch thick and is much longer than wide – 2 feet long but only 1 foot wide. The mat uses 6 watts of power and plugs into a standard two pronged electrical socket. It is designed for indoor use only. The mat can be folded up for storage in the summer.

The heated mat is marketed for cats but is also good for small dogs. I have one cat and one small dog who take turns using the mat. The size is large enough that two average sized cats or small dogs could lay side by side if they liked to close. Unfortunately, my pets do not like to lay that close to each other.

How it works

The mat is supposed to be touch activated. When a pet lays the mat it heats to 102 degrees. When the pet gets off the mat it theoretically turns off. The idea is that you leave the mat plugged in 24/7 but it is only drawing power when the pet uses it. In my experience the mat is always warm on the underside because it is always touching the floor or the couch which activates the heating mechanism. That said I have not noticed a significant pull on my electricity leaving it plugged in all the time. The mat has not failed and always gets comfortably warm in the spot where the pet is laying.

Complaints

My only complaint about the product is that the electrical cord is not covered in a thicker plastic. Almost immediately one of my pets chewed on the cord and exposed the wires. I wrapped it up with electrical tape and everything is working okay.

Conclusion

Overall I think this bed was a good purchase. I like that the cover is removable so you can put it, and the foam inserts, in the wash in case of accidents. The heating element is vinyl and could be washed with a cloth. It only cost $35 so I can overlook some of the small annoyances because this is on the inexpensive side for a heated bed. Both my cat and dog love laying on the mat so it must be warm. In fact I have to admit that sometimes I sit on the mat on cold nights in front of the television.

Teagan demonstrating the bed

Epinions Review