As much as we may love the longer and hotter summers, sadly our cats do not always tend to agree. Cats, despite their love of sun-bathing, can find the warmer weather tough. Thankfully, there are many ways to keep a cat cool but my favourite is with a cat cooling mat.
Pet cooling mats and pads are often marketed towards dogs, however, they are suitable and work just as well for cats (and rabbits, guinea pigs, etc). They are often fairly priced and they will be used year after year, so in my opinion, they are a great investment to make.
The best cat cooling mats and pads
How do pet cooling beds work?
This will be dependent on the cooling material used within the pad, however, the majority work via contact. The majority will include a gel or foil which will activate with pressure, meaning when the cat sits down or lays across the bed it will start to generate the cooling process.
A great benefit of this means you do not have any wires to plug in and you don’t have to do anything to prepare the mat for your cat. You simply place it in a shaded area for when your cat is ready to use it.
Will my cat actually use a cooling mat?
Cats can be notorious for not using a bed which you have bought them but cats are also very smart creatures.
They know when they need to cool themselves down and when they are becoming too hot. They seek out areas of shade and cool after spending time sunbathing. The majority of cats will seek out a cat cooling mat in order to escape the heat.
As opposed to beds, many cooling beds for cats are often just flat pads, they do not need to climb into them or feel restricted. They can sit on them, lay on them, roll around on them – meaning they tend to feel a lot more comfortable with him.
If you do not feel your cat may be reluctant to use it, make it somewhere positive for them to go. For example, encourage them to start using it by offering them a favourite treat when they first walk across it or if spray the pad with catnip spray, making it a place of interest and fun. If you use a Feliway plugin, place the pet cool mat close to where your diffuser is plugged in.
Right, so which cat cooling bed should you buy?
Well, the majority of cat cooling mats are pretty similar, therefore I am not going to give you a long list of different options.
My main request is that it should be non-toxic. This means the gel inside which helps with cooling is safe if ingested by your pet. Thankfully, the majority which are designed for cats (and dogs) will be.
However, be sure it clearly states this, like the following does:
Furrybaby Self Cooling Bed for Cats
As well as being non-toxic, it is also waterproof, easy to clean, and most importantly stays cools for up to three hours.
Another reason I have chosen this particular mat is that it is cushioned, meaning it is comfortable and especially supportive of older cats that may have arthritic joints.
When it is not in use, it can easily be folded away for storage. The smaller size also makes it great to take if you travel with your cat (and can be placed at the bottom of their cat backpack for the journey)
If you are looking for something slightly larger, perhaps to use for your dog as well. I would recommend the Bosceos Upgraded XL Large Cooling Mat.
With many pet cooling beds available, it is easy to get confused about which one to buy. Remember, they mostly all do the same job, they just sell them in different ways.
The main points to look for when purchasing a cat cool mat is:
- Non-toxic gel
- Padded for comfort and support of joints
- Easy to wipe down and clean