We have two types. For the window we use the one linked below titled 'Heated cat bed'. Here's the pad that we use both outdoors (covered porch) and inside. We place a typical cat bed on top of it then remove the thick pillow that comes with the bed and replace it with some thin blankets our cat likes. Otherwise, the thickness of the cat bed pillow will prevent any heat reaching the pet.

The window unit is essentially a low wattage heating pad and will feel warmer wherever the pet is lying on it. Both designs are thermostatically controlled so they won't go above a certain temp.
Our cat loves both and often uses the window unit in the summer.......... mainly due to the AC in the house.
Here's another one that is similar to the one I use.

Definitely price shop to find the best price and consider buying the medium sized outdoor heater since it had better coverage under the cat bed.

As far as safety, just check the cords now and then and also check to make sure the pads are producing heat. We've had no issues and highly recommend them. Your cat will love you for buying her one!

PS.......we placed the outdoor unit on top of a cabinet in DH's studio since our cat likes the safety of height! : )

Here is a link that might be useful: Heated cat bed

This post was edited by annz on Sun, Nov 9, 14 at 12:38

i can't remember where i ordered it but i got my son and his wife one last x-mas. it's on a bracket sort of thing that fits on the window sill. their cats LOVE it.

We've used one for years for our kitty, and we live in a warm part of the country. It sits on top of a high dresser. I think we got it at Doctors Foster and Smith, but maybe pet stores sell them as well. It's plugged in all winter, unplugged all summer.

What are you worried about, fire? Too hot for kitty? I don't think you have to worry at all. Kitty will love it. Let DH get one.

If for some reason you really don't want the electric ones, I found a dog crate liner for which you could purchase an additional heat reflective insert. You know, that shiny silvery stuff.

Bought one for my older arthritic cat. Put it down and the younger one claimed it and after two days of fighting over it, had to go buy a second set.

These would not be as warm as the electric ones, but clearly the cats are warmer with these than without them.

I have one electrically heated bed for the cats and the two crate liners and they seem to use them interchangably.

I have an electric heating pad, covered in a waterproof section cut from a plastic tablecloth, with a soft disposable cloth over that. My very old cat loves it, as she is thin and the heated bed helps keep her core temperature from dropping.

I'm not sure how safe it is, as the previous heating pad shorted out a few years ago. I placed a battery powered smoke detector on the wall right beside the heated bed, and when we go away for a day I unplug it the heating pad and turn up the central heat.

There are pads one can buy that you warm in the microwave and these are supposed to retain heat for some hours. I haven't tried these, but they might be a safer option.

Also if you have a home with old fashioned radiators, you can make a bed for your cat atop the radiator. My mom's radiators in the den were encased in wooden latticework cabinets, and she folded a soft blanket on the top which made a nice warm bed for the cat. Also in our former home, I set a large rectangular marble slab atop a livingroom radiator where one of our cats used to sleep. Both the stone slab, and the wooden cabinet, diffused the heat from the radiators so kitty could not get burned.

Also, if you have a place where you can suspend an overhead utility light with an infrared bulb, you could make a warm bed for your cat underneath, like a chick incubator or reptile terrarium heater. I had such a light for my bird, and another more powerful heat lamp in the barn for our old pony. You need to be sure that the light fixture is secure and cannot be knocked or pulled down, and that nothing flammable is touching it or too near it.

Good luck. I'm sure your cat will appreciate the heated bed you provide her/him with. Young or old, all cats love warmth!

This photo shows my old girl on her heating pad by the window. (The round white thing above her head is a wall-mounted smoke detector, and the green object at lower right is part of a ramp leading from the arm of the couch up to the cat beds. Kitty moves to the faux sheepskin curl-up bed at left of photo when she has sufficiently warmed herself on the heated bed.)

Cut up a cardboard box and put real straw in it. Not only will it keep your cat nice and toasty, but it will keep him/her smelling wonderfully.

Thanks, all! You have reassured me about the safety and reliability of these heating ideas! I really appreciate all the links and hints.

spedigrees, what a beautiful kitty cat you have!

My cats use heated bed and pads all winter. They are plugged in 24 hours a day for about 5 months. We've done this for years and have never had a problem. Just be sure to used heated beds made for pets, not adjustable temperature pads for human use.

I have tried the discs you heat in the microwave. The first one I had melted after several uses. You think the smell of burned popcorn in the house is bad?? This was a terrible, plastic smell that lingered for a whole day. I probably wouldn't use one again, because its easy to melt and I had to constantly reheat it. It also didn't stay warm very long for outside use.

I got one for my elderly cat a few years back when the vet advised it and she loved it - its just a simple pad with a cord to plug in & was on sale at pet store for $9.99. These are NOT heating pads - they do not feel very warm to the touch, not like a heating pad, but there is enough warmth there that the cat is drawn to it and it keeps her from losing her own body heat. I had the same concerns as you but the fact that it just didnt get all that hot made me feel safe in using it.

First cat had to live in the shed for a month when I was little, it had a water bottle. Had a snuggle safe for the bottle-raised litter, it worked but eventually melted. Can also make a cloth bag and microwave rice. Not sure if the radiation from those is good though. Old-fashioned method is to warm up something clay in the oven for them.