Getting Cozy with the Art of Paws Heated Pad

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, whether it’s cold out or not, Pierre’s feels better when he has some extra heat. And let’s face it, sunbeams can be hard to find. What he needs is his own little patch of sunshine no matter what time of day it is. So when our friends at Art of Paws asked if he would like to try one of their heated mats, Pierre said he was the cat for the job.

The Art of Paws heated pet mat is about two inches thick, and unfolding it from the box, I found it had a nice, removable cover that will make cleaning easy. The cord, which has a protective cover to prevent chewing, extends through the cover at one end, and an inline switch so you can turn the mat on and off. The covered cord connects to the shorter cord attached to a little power brick, and the power brick, of course, plugs into an outlet.

I really liked that the whole cord assembly was over six feet long, so I was able to put the mat just about anywhere I wanted instead of having to be really close to an outlet. Setup is easy and common sense, no manual needed.

Once the mat was set up, it took no time at all for Pierre to find his little patch of sunbeam-like warmth. I’m not sure exactly where Pierre’s arthritis is, but there was room on the Art of Paws heated pet mat to warm all of him so he’s sure to get comfort from it. The mat so big that you could fit two of him on it when he is curled up. Or he can sprawl across it and really soak in every inch of its warmth.

The Art of Paws heated pet mat proved so popular that it when Pierre wandered off to use the litter box, a line formed to use it. Newton claimed it, and he immediately spread out to absorb the warmth.

There was still a little bit of space left on the Art of Paws heated pet mat, even with him spread out, and Cupcake saw her chance to get some of that warmth. She stepped onto the mat right next to Newton, but Newton made it clear he wasn’t in a sharing mood.

Cupcake decided she would wait in line for her turn. Getting a chance to hang out on the heated pet mat would be totally worth it!

All of us are big fans of the Art of Paws heated pet mat, and we give it enthusiastic paws up.

If your cats want their your own heated pet mat, you can get 15% off your order at the Art of Paws US or UK site with discount code catsherdyou. The discount is also good for their cool wall shelves and scratching posts, too!

FTC Disclosure: We received this heated mat at no charge from Art of Paws. Receiving the free products did not influence our review. All reviews on Cats Herd You reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.

Bedtime Routine

Our friend Summer wrote about the bedtime rituals at her house, and it inspired us kitties to tell you about ours, too.

Bedtime Treats

Bedtime treats started as a time for Pierre to get a make-up meal for the ones he didn’t finish during the day. He is a fussy, slow eater and almost never finishes his meals, and giving him a third, small meal lets him spread his food out during the day a little more.

The rest of us cats get treats during this time because if we don’t get treats, we bother Pierre too much! It is also a chance for us to all practice our tricks. Cupcake fist bumps. Ashton waves. Newton says he is too handsome for tricks and steals the treats while the head peep tries to get him to do anything.

Tooth Brushing

Pierre is so slow that we finish our treats way before he is done. This is when the head peep goes to brush her teeth. This is a huge distraction for Cupcake, who would otherwise bother Pierre.

Cupcake likes to observe the whole tooth brushing routine because she knows that at the end, the head peep will pour out a cup of water for her into the sink. She loves to play in the stream of water.

After this, Cupcake needs to be toweled off. She doesn’t like anything touching her paws, but they are usually soaked, so it turns into a nightly wrestling match with Baron Von Bath Towel. She shows Baron Von Bath Towel who is boss every time!

Bedtime Treat Cleanup

By the time Cupcake is done kicking bath towels into submission, Pierre is finally done eating. Ashton is in charge of making sure he didn’t leave any crumbs.

When Ashton finishes, the head peep washes the bowl and sets it out to dry for the next night. The silicon bowl is only used for Pierre’s bedtime treats because our usual bowls make a distinctive sound when they are set on the counter. The head peep thought having a bowl that didn’t make that would would make it so we didn’t associate bedtime treats with food from a bowl. Sometimes she doesn’t give us enough credit.

Human Bedtime

The manpeep usually goes to bed before we do. He sleeps in the other bedroom because he sleeps so loudly that the head peep would never be able to sleep. So when the head peep is headed to bed, she can hear the squeak of the hinges as Cupcake goes to visit him for a while.

If the head peep has the bedroom light on for a while reading, Pierre comes back to sit on her chest.

Once the lights are out, it’s time for Ashton to take up her spot on the bed between the head peep and the edge of the bed. This is Ashton’s spot, and only Pierre tries to take it, and only occasionally. When he does, Ashton huffs a big sigh and squeezes in next to him.

Pierre’s self-assigned spot on the bed is the other pillow. It’s the softest place on the bed, so it makes sense that a senior cat like him deserves such a comfy place to sleep.

Cupcake usually comes to bed later during the night and sleeps between the pillows. The head peep knows when this happens, because Pierre hisses at her for being so close to him, but Cupcake does it anyhow. Once she is cozy between the pillows, Cupcake likes to stretch out and often sticks her feet into the head peep’s face as she is sleeping.

Litter Box Trips

For many years, the manpeep got up at irregular hours. This means that anyone getting up at any hour of the night might mean breakfast, and we don’t want to miss out.

The head peep lets us know that she is going to the human litter box and not getting up to feed us by not turning on the light when she leaves the room. If she turns on the light for any reason, we know it must be time for breakfast.

The Alarm

Our humans get up at early hours, so they have alarms. When the alarm goes off, we all run into the manpeep’s room to be sure he wakes up. Cupcake comes running back to help make the bed, then she goes back to supervise the manpeep, since he usually dishes out our breakfast.

Is your bedtime routine complicated, too?

Cupcake’s Catghan

Pierre: So here I am, chilling on my catghan.

Cupcake: That isn’t your catghan. Our friend Kristen at Kristen’s Comforts made it for me. Then the head peep didn’t check the poo box for a long time, so it got here late. And now I can’t use it because you’re on it.

Pierre: I think that’s a PO box, not a poo box. From the post office. If this had come from the poo box, I wouldn’t be relaxing on it.

Ashton: You didn’t tell me that was Cupcake’s catghan! What kind of trouble are you trying to make on my sofa, Pierre?

Pierre: Uh-oh.

Cupcake: Ha! I’ll get it back any day now. As soon as Pierre is done with it, or when Ashton makes him leave her sofa.

Big thanks to Miss Kristen for making Cupcake’s Catghan with her very own hands! Pierre always gets to try every new thing that comes into the house first, but he will let Cupcake sit on it by springtime. We think.

Heart Humbug

Pierre: Somebody left Ashton’s Valentine bear in my way. But I’m the Valentine humbug. I don’t need all this romantic stuff going around today. Especially the kissing.