Keeping my 11 month old cat warm

[Mharte88]

I just got my gorgeous boy at Easter; he is short haired ginger variety. As the time has come for the cold weather, now really low temperatures, I do not keep heating on all night, I doubt anyone does.
I got a self body warming mat, but he seems to hate the cracle noise it makes, so hasn't sat on it long enough to realise how warm it gets. I have heard this before; I am worried about an electric blanket type of cat mat however for all sorts of reasons. Has anyone come across a blanket that does the trick? I had a "cellular" baby blanket for all of my babies, lightweught but really trapped the heat? The other thought was a coat for him; I would try all of these things out for myself, but having had my 3rd booster I am not feeling to well and returns at the Post Office mean lots of people coughing and spluttering all around?

I would be grateful for any suggestions please.

Some cats have very thin fur without much undercoat - as cats keep themselves warm via insulation... these cats (typically exotic breeds or their crosses) can get chilly...

The easiest solution is the relatively small, fluffy, covered/cave style beds as they retain lots of heat and keep out drafts.

DH is an absolute soft touch and on blood thinning meds so has the heating ticking over at 17.5 overnight.
They have a large donut type bed with a fleece blanket over the top. It sits on a table so is away from windows/draughts. They had a wicker "bunk bed" as kittens but only used it when they were playing/ambushing each other 😹

I'm reminded of the quote about 'if a cat and a human live together on of them will get trained'.

Although I worry about mine if I'm in meetings all day and don't have time for our lunchtime play session so can't talk.

I leave the heating on 18 degrees constantly day and night. I have a hamster who may go into torpor if the temperature dips below 15, and I have 2 8 month old kittens. And the kids of course . I’ve found it’s no more expensive to keep the heating ticking over and kicking in to maintain 18 degrees than it is to blast it for a few hours twice a day from cold.

We keep the heat downstairs at 19 for the dog and cat but off upstairs as none of us like to sleep in the heat.

I wouldn't worry.
The amount of money, and caring solicitude you expend on choosing something to make your cat comfortable is inversely proportional to how much enthusiasm they will actually have for it.

Cats have been happily living in homes without central heating and choosing their own sleeping spot for hundreds of years.

My Dd begged me to buy our cat an expensive covered cat bed complete with cosy fleecy cushion inside.
The cat uses it all the time - as a handy stepping stone on her way up to the bare wooden shelf where she prefers to sleep, but has never been observed inside it.

I have a heating pad for my cat. Bought it for my elderly cat who always seemed cols, and she absolutely loved it! She passed away last year, but our remaining cat still uses it regularly. I don't think the younger cat needs it, but she likes it and the electricity consumption is really low, so i don't have the heart to take it away, though i do switch it off in the warmer months.

The one i have is made from a waterproof material (pvc?) And we have simply put a thin blanket on top of it. Makes no noise, and you can still feel the warmth through the blanket.

It's a cat. It'll be fine.