Dear Critter Corner: It’s spring in my area but lately we’ve been having some very hot days and some very cold days. How can I help keep my kitty Mira warm during the cold days without worrying about leaving the heater on when I’m out of the house?
Most cats regardless of age would welcome a warm and cozy home to spend their daytime hours, napping peacefully. As the seasons shift you may find yourself opening the windows on a hot day to let in a cool breeze or bundling up on those cooler days, with your cat following suit.
To help keep your kitty warmer on the cooler days, consider investing in a few creative cat beds with shapes that help keep the warmth inside the bed. Some of these include circular beds, dome shaped beds like an igloo, hooded beds, burrowing beds, cat sleeping beds similar to a human sleeping bag, cave beds, etc. The more heat that can remain within the bed area, the warmer your kitty will be.
Another option is to raise your kitty’s bed off of the floor. This will help prevent the bed from being in the path of any cold drafts coming from window cracks and under doors. Once your kitty’s bed is out of the way of a draft, consider insulating the bed with thicker blankets. Some blanket material naturally retains more heat than others, such as wool, fleece, or even synthetic down. If you have any blankets laying around that your cat likes to sleep on, try folding the ends under to shape them into a bowl-shaped bed. If you would like to insulate the blankets further, try using recycled paper materials like paper towels or newspaper underneath the blanket. These will help the heat from escaping through the blanket.
Lastly, there are a wide variety of self-heating mats that are insulated with heat reflecting material to keep your kitty warm without using electricity. These along with the cat beds and blankets can be placed in naturally sunny parts of your home to give your kitty that extra warmth.