Warm and Cozy: K&H Pet Products Thermo-Kitty Bed

We purchased the K&H Pet Products Thermo-Kitty Bed so our reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

If you have cats (and I assume you do if you’re looking for the best cat beds), you already know that they love to be curled up in warm, cozy spots. I always find mine snuggled in a blanket that I left on the couch, or cuddled together in the dog’s bed. So when I saw the K&H Pet Products Thermo-Kitty Bed, I thought it would be the perfect way to spoil them even more than they already are.

At first glance, the electric cat bed looks like many other cat beds. It’s round, with 6-inch foam walls and a microfiber stuffed cushion in the center that’s really soft to the touch. While that alone makes it feel cozy, the real standout is that there’s a heating pad zippered into the bed underneath the cushion.

The bed came fully assembled, with the heating pad in place and a 5-foot electrical cord coming out of the back. The directions say to plug the bed in, put a pillow on top (this mimics a cat’s weight), and then wait 20 minutes for the bed to heat up. I followed the directions exactly as written and then went over to see how the bed was doing.

At first, when I felt it, I was disappointed. I was expecting it to give off a lot of heat like a heating pad, and it was only slightly warm. But after digging a little deeper into the bed’s technology, I realized that it’s designed to work this way. The heating pad is thermostatically controlled, which means that it reacts to your cat’s body weight. When it’s plugged in and your cat isn’t lying in the bed, it will be about 15 degrees above the temperature in the room around it. But when your cat lies on it, and it senses the extra weight, it will warm to about 102 degrees—the natural body temperature of a cat.

Because of this, it’s also safe to leave the bed plugged in all day, as long as you’re home or going to be home later. If you leave for an extended period of time, like overnight, you should make sure to unplug the bed, just in case. It’s not recommended to use an extension cord though, which is kind of a bummer since the cord is fairly short and that limits where you can put the bed.

While the cats immediately sniffed the bed out, it took a little while for them to gain interest as a snoozing spot. The bed was plugged in for about 48 hours before one of them finally curled up in it to take a nap. He looked comfortable (and adorable), but when he stretched out, I noticed that his head and paws dipped into the crevice between the cushion and the walls. Because the cushion is overstuffed in the middle and sewn to the edges of the bed, it creates a convex shape that props the cat up in the middle but leaves his head hanging down slightly.

It didn’t really seem to bother him though, and he stayed in the bed for hours and then started choosing it exclusively for his later-in-the-day naps. And when I put my hand on the cushion after my cat had been lying in the bed for a couple of hours, it felt considerably warmer than it did when I felt it the first time, so I figured it does what it promises to do.

While my long-haired cats weren’t especially interested in the bed, they did nap it in a few times and fit comfortably, but with little room to spare. For reference, they’re large Maine coon mixes who weigh about 15 pounds, give or take, and I went with the large size bed.

After a few weeks of use, the cushion seemed to settle in a little bit, and a cat-shaped divot started to form in the center. Picking up the bed and shaking it out fixed it a little, but I thought it would have been helpful to be able to throw the cushion in the dryer to fluff it back up. Unfortunately, the cushion isn’t removable, so that’s not possible.

The fixed cushion also makes it harder to clean the inevitable cat hairballs that make it onto the bed. While I was able to spot clean when I needed to, having the option to remove the cushion would have made things easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Thermo-Kitty Bed machine washable?

Yes, the Thermo-Kitty Bed is machine-washable, just make sure to remove the heating pad and the foam ring from inside the cover first. Once that’s done, you can wash the cover and the cushion with cold water on the gentle cycle and then line dry (or use the no-heat cycle on your dryer).

Does the bed come in different sizes?

Yes, the bed comes in two sizes: small and large. The small is 16 inches in diameter, and the large has a diameter of 20 inches.

Can you use any regular heating pad with the bed?

No, regular heating pads are different from the heating pad used in the K&H Pet Products Thermo-Kitty Bed. The specialized heating pads used for the bed have dual thermostats that are designed to raise to your cat’s body temperature—and no higher—when they lie on the bed. While you can manually change the settings on a regular heating pad, they don’t automatically adjust and maintain the proper temperature for your cat, so there’s a chance they can overheat or get burned.

Is the Thermo-Kitty Bed safe for all cats?

The Thermo-Kitty Bed is safe for all healthy, adult cats, but should not be used for young kitties, elderly cats, cats recovering from recent surgery, or any other cat that can’t voluntarily get up and out of the bed. For cats that fall into these categories, K&H recommends the Deluxe Lectro-Kennel instead.

K&H Pet Products Thermo-Kitty Bed vs. Amazon Basics Warming Pet Bed For Cats or Dogs

If you’re not sold on the idea of using electricity to heat your cat’s bed, the Amazon Basics Warming Pet Bed For Cats or Dogs is a self-warming option. This cat bed relies on the same technology as the mylar “space blankets” that rescuers use in emergencies. The bed, which is covered in soft Sherpa fleece and corduroy, traps and retains your cat’s body warmth, and then reflects it back to keep him or her warm and cozy. While it likely won’t get as warm as the Thermo-Kitty Bed, and the temperature is less practical, it’s a decent option at a lower price (it retails for $26 against the Thermo-Kitty Bed's $100). It comes in five sizes and two shapes—round and rectangular.