Customer Reviews

Farm Innovators Medium 17-Inch by 24-Inch Plastic Heated Pet Mat with Fleece Cover Model HM-80M, 70-Watt

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought two of these heated pet mats to heat outdoor doghouses. I was hoping it could warm a small doghouse enough to lure a feral cat to take house in there over the winter. However, the heat, while noticeable to the touch, is not adequate to heat any sort of dog house on it's own. While the mat is always kept at a certain temperature, the mat will feel warmer after some pressure is put on the mat (such as a cat laying on it, or a phone book put on it) as it presses the top layer of the mat to the heat coils below. This is great for conserving the heat in the mat, but it does not work well to lure a wild cat to sleep on it as they must be on it for a minute or so to really feel the heat.

After being on continuously in an outdoor doghouse in subzero temperatures, the heat mat stopped working. One that we had plugged in continuously indoors for our housecats also stopped working after about a week. I do not suggest keeping them plugged in on an ongoing basis. It is better to have them plugged in to an electrical timer so that they only go on for a certain part of the day. Despite both mats failing, the manufacturer will replace any defective items very promptly. The customer pays to ship the item to them and the manufacturer will pay the return shipping. The company that I ordered from, QCSupply, also has excellent customer service and emailed me a paid shipping label to get a replacement and also gave me store credit for another one.

It should be noted that "outdoor use" and "may be covered with any material" as mentioned in online descriptions on most websites is the opposite of what is mentioned in the paper insert that comes with these mats "indoor use only" and "may only be covered with the included fleece covering". Over the phone, the manufacturer said the mats may be used for outdoor doghouses and can be covered with other materials, but nothing too heavy... not sure what to believe, but I'd say play it safe or your mat could stop working all of a sudden.

I think this mat would be best on an electric timer for a doghouse that is in a shed or garage in a climate that does not get below 15 or 20 or use for indoor pets.

Got this for a black lab that sleeps in a plastic 55gallon barrel house, laid on its side, 1/4 the way filled with hay. I did not realize when I bought this that it is rigid. When I thought of the words "plastic mat", I was thinking it was a flexible plastic, sort of like a normal heating pad/seed starting mat would be....but it is not. It will not fit correctly in my dog's doghouse, so I cut a section out of the bottom of her house large enough to fit over the mat, placed the mat on floor, and her barrel over it. It's "ok"...but with her other bedding in there, if she doesn't lay exactly on top of the mat itself, the little bit of hay disperses her weight enough that the mat never really warms up. I'm not a fan of this mat for my situation, and wish the word "rigid" was added to the word "mat". If it had been, I would have ordered something different.

It is very efficient and the pets have a constant warm

temperature in the cold weather I havwe owned 3 of these before and

they are excellent.

not big enough for large pets yet it would take the weight of a larger animal to activate the heat. also the hard surface is not for indoor pets or older pets who need softer surfaces. also very expensive.

I purchased this heated pet mat for my outdoor cats. I put it in a shed that they go in. At first only one cat used it, but as the weather got colder, more cats gathered on it. If it gets too crowded I may have to get another one! The mat is quite warm to the touch and it's made very sturdy.

My dog loves this. Keeps him warm and toasty. Best of all it doesn't waste energy when he is not on it. Very durable.

This is my first review and felt it necessary to comment on the product. This warmer is no suitable for puppies. The thin fleece mat is secured by 4 flimsey elastic cords. So Disappointed -- sorry I ordered it and it is going back. Not Recommended

It's close but no cigar. The biggest problem I had with this heating unit is this: to hard. It's a hard plastic base with a micro-thin cover that is flimsy and offers no comfortable support for the outside cat (100% outdoor feral cat). He will just walk on it and then leaves the igloo. I ended up putting back the original thick blanket(s). I called the company and ask if I could cover this with 1" or -2" blanket and they informed me it was not designed to be covered and could pose a fire risk. I'm going to try the Snuggle Safe Heating pad, (microwable insert that last 8-12 hours of heat) and probably a reflecting thermal cat pad/cushion or thermal mini bed (if he doesn't get spooked by a new item and wants his old bed back). The unit itself for the very short time period I had it passed the test inside and outside for heating. I wish a future design would be a commercial grade heating unit that can withstand anything on it and no worries for fire risk or injury to the pet. Maybe some day.

Location: Central Connecticut, it gets cold here, average winter temps from 20-30 degrees. Worse 5-15 for some weeks. ICK!

The heater unit itself is well designed, and functions excellently. The armored cord is also well designed. The Fleece cover is kind of thin and doesn't stay on the unit well. Overall, a functional unit.

I bought this for my cats to use in their igloo dog house. Of course, when I was installing this in the house they were all gathered around trying to see what I was doing. I was a little disappointed because the mat is actually hard plastic box, approx 1/2" thick X 13 X 19. It has a "cheesy" little cover made out of fake (and very thin) lambs wool. It is secured with elastic straps. I also bought the thermal plug that turns the unit on at 35 and off at 45. The animal has to get on the mat and then it will heat up to their body temperature. Didn't take the cats long to figure out how to work it. I have cats that are non social now all sleeping together. I wish there was a way to make it a little more comfortable for them to sleep on. The instructions tell you not to put any bedding on top of the mat.