Heating pad or straw for feral shelter

[Crackerboo]

Hi All, I've been taking care of a couple ferals in my back yard for a few years now and I'm thinking of upgrading the shelter and wanted some advice from you professionals first. Currently I've been simply using straw which I would freshen up/replace as necessary through the year. However I just recently added outdoor electricity near the shelters, so I now have the option of putting a heated pad inside the shelter. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/stohot-Thermostat-Overheat-Protection-Waterproof/dp/B0BN1F5LHL/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?hvadid=589890423756&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9014894&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17354066006651600602&hvtargid=kwd-2745492185&hydadcr=10663_13501526&keywords=outdoor+heating+pad+for+cats&qid=1702563116&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

If I do this, my gut tells me I need to remove the straw if I use the heating pad, due to a possible risk of fire. Have any of you done this too and do you have any tips or words of caution?

My shelters are modified coleman style coolers housed within one of those storage tubs (simply for extra protection from the elements) that people often use for holiday decorations. I plan on removing one shelter, I only had two shelters because there used to be four ferals. I was able to bring two of them inside and now they're my housecats.

Thanks for any advice and/or input!

 

[DeesCats]

Crackerboo Double check the instructions that come with that or any other electric heating pad about using straw or other materials before you buy. In one of the reviews for that product, it mentioned it shuts off after 24 hours so you probably want to avoid that model.

I'm using the K & H Extreme Weather Kitty Pad (40 watts) and the K&H Pet Products Outdoor Heated Small Animal Pad, Tan (25 watts) in 2 outdoor cat houses and my one stray just loves it and has been spending most of his time in his new house. I got both units on Chewy as they were the cheapest price and on sale. Check out the reviews and especially whether it's suitable to use with straw. They stay on 24 hours and only get to 102F regardless of whether your cat is using it or not. They are not pressure sensitive pads.

The pads are hard sided and come with a lightweight fleece cover that can be washed in the washing machine.

Bless you for taking care of your outdoor ferals!

 

[Crackerboo]

Thanks Dees, I noticed that detail regarding the pad I linked. I went ahead and ordered the K&H model, but the 14x18 inch size. I'll keep both shelters up for now, one with the heating pad, and one with the straw, and see which one is preferred.

Thank you too for taking care of the outdoor kitties.

 

[Caspers Human]

When I was a kid, my father raised hunting dogs. They stayed in outdoor pens all year long, even during the winter. Each dog had its own, separate, dog house. All the dog houses were filled with straw in the winter. The only time we brought the dogs inside was when the temperatures went below zero degrees F. When that happened, the dogs stayed in the basement until the cold snap was over.

I think that straw bedding will be just fine for cats, as well. I don't see any need for electric heating unless temperatures go below zero.
IMO, it would be a lot harder to coral feral cats into your basement than trained hunting dogs.

My only real concern is wind. Our dog pens had sheets of plywood fastened to the chain link fence to act as wind breaks. We also fastened blankets with slits cut into them over the dog house doors to keep the wind out.

As long as your cat houses are out of the wind, I see no problem with just using straw.

I also think that electric heating is just one more thing to go wrong. Better to keep things simple whenever you can.

 

[Crackerboo]

Thanks Caspers.

 

[Crackerboo]

DeesCats, I wanted to follow up and let you know that the new heating pad, the one you recommended, is a huge hit with the outdoor kitties. They took to it almost immediately and have since been using it a lot; in fact on the really cold days it seems they spend all day in there and only come out to eat. As I mentioned earlier, I left the second shelter (with straw) in place to see if the ferals still preferred the straw over the heated pad. I saw one of the ferals go into the straw shelter, he seemed to try it out for a few minutes, then he came back out and went into the shelter with the heated pad. So that tells me they definitely have a preference. Thanks again for the recommendation.

 

[DeesCats]

Crackerboo , that is wonderful to hear that they are loving the heating pad I recommended and thank you for the update.

 

[ProtonPumpDenier]

I want to add a K&H pad to my outdoor feral shelter as well, and my gut is whispering the same thing to me that that I shouldn't cover it with straw. But that is what I am going to do anyway. The K&H pad is MET listed, so the engineer in me knows it won't catch fire. But the pad comes with a warning that the heat may not radiate properly and could lead to early failure. I'm not sure what they are getting at other than the unit may get too hot, which in my experience can certainly lead to early failure. But I'm willing to roll the dice. I'll let you know what happens. This pad consumes 40 watts, and the radiant surface is pretty large. If it fails early, it didn't cost much.

 

[ProtonPumpDenier]

No fire, and my little buddy seems to like it!

 

[ProtonPumpDenier]

It was 18 degrees and windy this morning when I got up. Headed much colder in the coming days. Not a great environment for a short-haired feral cat!