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If you’re going to be traveling with your cat or even if you’re just at home for that matter, hotter temperatures might have crossed your mind and I’m guessing you’re wondering if its worth getting a cooling mat for your pet or even if they are meant for cats.
I know this is something that I have thought about plenty of times because you never know when there isn’t cooling supplied somewhere or you have to deal with a broken air conditioner. If this happens you could get a cooling mat for them.
Do Cats Like Using Cooling Mats?
If you want to get a cat cooling mat your cat may instinctively just lay on the mat and enjoy using it but some cats might not want anything to do with it. I know because this is what happened with my cat.
She thought it was strange and didn’t use it. Eventually after some time she gradually started to use the mat. If you manage to get them to lay on it a couple of times they might really enjoy using it like mine does.
I’ve heard a lot of cat owners say that their cat loves cooling mats very much and may even get upset if you take it away from them! If you think its worth possibly loosing 20 or more dollars because your pet might not like the cooling mat then it might be worth it for you in your case.
They Can Damage the Material
You might want to consider only getting one of these if your cat is declawed or isn’t known for chewing things up because these mats have a gel inside of them. Some of these mats contain diethylene glycol which can cause illness to your cat if ingested.
Most mats have non toxic gel but its just something you should consider if you want to keep your pet safe. Not to mention they can potentially cause a mess if you don’t patch the hole up.
I’ve heard about someone using a hot glue gun to repair them. If this has happened to your pets mat and you don’t want to buy another one you might want to try this and see if it fixes the problem.
How To Get Your Cat to Use the Cooling Mat
Ok, so you forked over $20 or more big ones and you can’t figure out how to get your cat to use the mat? Here’s some things you could do and maybe they will start using it.
• Move the Mat Where Your Cat Usually Sleeps
If you do this they might decide to try the mat out. If it doesn’t work try other places you see your cat lay around the house and see if it changes anything.
• Lay on the Mat Yourself
I’ve never tried this personally but if the mat is big enough you could try laying on it yourself and see if your cat joins you. If they see that you are laying on it they may get the idea that its safe and may want to use it themselves.
• Pick Up Your Cat
If the other methods doesn’t work or your mat is simply too small try picking them up and placing them on the mat and see what they do. If they run off and don’t give it a chance, place them inside of a carrier with the mat inside.
After you do this take them out, place the mat outside of the carrier and see if they lay on it. If they still won’t use the mat it probably just isn’t there thing and you should probably just give up on getting them to use it.
Potential Uses Of Cooling Mats
There are some situations that can make these mats useful. Here are some ways that I use them.
• Putting Them Inside Of Their Carrier
A really good way of using these mats is putting them inside of a carrier so they can stay cool while traveling. Best thing of all is you don’t have to plug them into an electrical source or put them in the refrigerator since they activate automatically.
Planes, trains, taxis or whatever you’re traveling on can get really hot and would help them cool down at least a little bit more and it wouldn’t be as terrible for my cat to deal with.
• Inside Use
If its really hot outside these mats would be really useful inside of your home. It can also compliment your air conditioner as well.
• Outside Use
Naturally if I were to use one of these outside I would put the mat in the shade so it’s even more effective at doing what it does. It wouldn’t hurt giving your cat some ice water either.
Air Conditioners
Air Conditioners are a better way of keeping your cat cool and the best way in my opinion but there are certain downsides of using one. For instance if you make it too cold your cat will not like it at all.
Not just because of the temperature but the noise can scare them. In fact it can give them a cold if you have it set too high for too long. Both of these things can be easily avoided as long as you have the room at a reasonable temperature. If you are comfortable with the room then odds are your cat probably is too.
Cat Cooling Mats That I Recommend
So what cooling mats do I recommend? Cooling mats aren’t really marketed toward cats and mostly for dogs but they work just as well for them. Here are some of the best ones you can get in my opinion.
• The Green Pet Shop Cooling Pet Mat/Pad
This one is pretty good doing what its supposed to do. It also doesn’t require a refrigerator to get it working again because it self charges. Best of all they come in many sizes. Click here for the chewy.com link.
• Arf Pets Pet Dog Self Cooling Mat Pad
This is another one similar to the one above and work just as well too. Its non toxic and also latex free. Just like the other mat this one only comes in blue unfortunately. Click here for the amazon link.
Conclusion
If you let your cat get used to the mat then in time they will probably start using it once they get the idea that it cools them down during the hotter months of the year. If you want to look at some of my favorite mats you can go to my article on that here “Best Cooling Mats For Cats: Mats Worth Your Time“.
