Cat Cooling Mats
Cat cooling mats are an easy go-to for helping to your cats keep their cool in hot weather, but are they effective? And is it worth spending more on higher-end models?
This post looks at the science behind cat cooling mats, the various options available and what to consider when looking to buy your cat a cooling mat.
How cat cooling mats work
The magic ingredient in the most common cat cooling mats is the gel, locked away inside a cover tough enough to cope with cat claws. This pressure-activated gel absorbs warmth from your cats’ paws and belly as the cat sprawls out on the mat, drawing heat away from your cat. The more sprawled the cat the greater the effect as more of your cat is in contact with the mat.
When your cat gets up, the gel equalises and after about 20 minutes is ready for the next time. This can go on indefinitely, making a relatively inexpensive cat cooling mat a very good deal as it could last for years if looked after.
The science suggests that cat cooling mats can provide a surface up to 10 degrees cooler than the air around them for several hours. With UK temperatures reaching the mid-30s this year, that could be the difference between the temperature indoors being tolerable or just too much for your cats to bear.
Different types of cat cooling mats
Several different types of cat cooling mat are available. Broadly these are the straightforward pressure activated gel mats as described above, a water filled mat that can be chilled for a more active cooling effect, and phase change material mats.
Water-filled mats that can be chilled offer an immediate cooling effect, like having an iced drink. That might be what your cats need. Unlike the pressure-activated gel the water will slowly warm up and lose any cooling effect. At this point it needs to be chilled again. There is also the risk of claws puncturing the mat and water getting out, although cat cooling mats usually have pretty sturdy covers. There are similar models that take ice packs, which will also thaw and warm.
Phase change material mats are filled with a substance usually based on a salt-hydrate composite or paraffin. This changes state, becoming less solid as it absorbs heat. The benefit of this is that the mat stays at a consistent temperature for longer periods of time than a gel mat. They are however more expensive.
Benefits and risks of cat cooling mats
Cats seem to handle heat pretty well, but there are exceptions. Remember that a cat cooling mat won’t be enough to keep your cat safe in really extreme temperatures. If you feel your cat is at risk look into hydration and specific cooling measures.
An older or ill cat will work harder to keep cool in very hot weather, so the extra help from a cooling mat will help them to keep comfortable.
If your cats have shorter muzzles – ie are a bracycephalic breed – or particularly thick fur they might find it harder to regulate their temperature. Our cats are domestic short hairs but are pretty shaggy with it, and we felt they needed some help keeping cool in the recent UK heatwaves.
Lastly a cat carrying too much weight will also benefit from the extra help staying cool.
The ingredients inside some mats are hard to get to the bottom of. If your cat was to claw or chew the mat a great deal it could come into contact with some unpredictable substances. Gels are meant to be non-toxic but it’s worth doing your homework.
Cat cooling mats review
As our cats have such luxurious fur we wanted to make sure they had options for staying cool, particularly on those days when they’re alone for several hours. They were already making their own arrangements by finding shady spots such as under the lavender bush to stay cool so we knew they would be okay, but we still wanted to give them options for when they were indoors.
Initially we tried Pets at Home as there’s a branch a 20 minute drive away. I called first to check they had stock, but the system doesn’t allow you to speak to a local branch so we set off knowing we might not have any luck. And we were right, they were sold out and had been for hours.
Not having any other options in our small city, we decided to use Amazon. We try to minimise our use of Amazon but there are times when the speed of Prime makes all the difference.
We ordered this:
Bedsure Cooling Mat Medium – 64x50cm Self-Cooling Gel Pad with Scratch Resistant 300D Oxford fabric
We could have ordered any of lots of similar models. This had the advantage of being in stock. It was about £25 inc VAT, but cheaper models re available. Availability was the issue as everyone else wanted one at the same time as we did.
As always with cats, our first question was whether they would go anywhere near it. We started off with it under the side in the kitchen. Tails completely ignored it but Sparky walked across it on his way through the kitchen, which we took as a great sign as Sparky is usually very concerned about anything new.
Over the next couple of days we saw Sparky lying on the mat and thought we’d hit the jackpot. It arrived in the last week of June, when UK temperatures were the warmest on record. We were delighted to see Sparky in position.
Over the next few days though he migrated to sleeping in a wardrobe. This and under a bed are his favourite daytime sleeping spots. We leaned into this and put the mat inside the wardrobe instead, at which point he stopped sleeping in there and could usually be found under the bed, lying on a weekend bag. Tails was still completely ignoring the mat.
The conclusion we’ve drawn from this is that the relief Sparky was getting from the mat wasn’t enough to keep him coming back to it as temperatures rose. We have laminate flooring on several floors downstairs and I found both cats sprawled on that at times, which they don’t usually do, so they clearly were enjoying that cool surface.
The mat has stayed in the wardrobe ever since and Sparky has completely avoided it. This says more about our cats than the mat, which is exactly as described. I’ve put it back under the side in the kitchen for now, and we’ll see if it attracts their attention again.