The 'Original' SnuggleSafe Microwave Heat Pad for Pets - Chew-Proof, Water-Resistant Heating Disc for Dogs & Cats - Up to 10 Hours of Soothing Warmth

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Someone dumped a newborn kitten on my doorstep, and using a heating pad wasn't practical due to wiring issues. I saw this recommended in multiple places, including by the Kitten Lady, who is an expert on neonatal kitten care. I had this overnighted, and it was a godsend since we were using hot water bottles and rice socks and having to reheat them every two hours, along with feeding him. It stayed lovely and warm, and he happily snuggled on top of it. I love that it's reasonably priced since it was an unexpected expense, which is sometimes not the case with quality or specialty pet items. We managed to find him a foster, and we're keeping this for future heating needs since we have older cats as well.

Love these disks. I use them for orphaned kittens and they are the only thing that’s stays warm all night. Perfect sized for multiple kittens and so far they have held up well. I had such good luck with the first disk I bought a second one for when I have to separate kittens for health reasons.

EDIT- SAFETY TIPS (1+2+3)1. Only heat 1 minute at a time to check how fast it will heat up in YOUR microwave. Once you get it to HOT, but not BLAZING, you're done. Don't push it Mama. You now have your MAX TIME. THIS WILL SAVE YOU FROM INJURY TO YOURSELF OR PET.2. If you wake up in the morning and want to heat it as usual, BUT IT'S STILL WARM from the previous day, only heat it 1 minute at a time to prevent overheating. THIS WILL SAVE YOU FROM INJURY TO YOURSELF OR PET.3. If it's TOO WARM for you to touch it with bare hands (while it's in the cover) IT'S TOO HOT TO USE! Wait until it cools off to ICE COLD before trying to use it again. THIS WILL SAVE YOU FROM INJURY TO YOURSELF OR PET.Stay safe ladies, wishing you and your pets many happy years together.Original review:We've used these snugglesafe heating pads for years. But with two new dogs, it was time to get a couple more to make sure their dog beds were warm on a cold winter floor. I bought two more, plus extra covers, which you don't need because it comes with a well-fitting plush cover. The blue plush covers I bought don't fit well and in fact tore when I tried to put them over the heating pads. Some things to keep in mind when you purchase one of these:These are HARD. So it's best if you forego the covers altogether, and simply place them under a few layers of blankets, or like I did- in a bed that is two parts; the bottom part that sits on the floor, the second part is a pillow that fits securely into the bed. I put the snugglesafe between the pillow and the bottom of the bed, without the cover so it releases more heat up into the pillow they lay on. Because these are HARD, some animals will get freaked out by them, because it's obvious that something is there, as in the review that told about the barn cat who wouldn't go near it. You need to do as I said above, put it under several layers of bedding so they don't know it's there, or purchase a two-part bed that leaves the heat pad safely (and discreetly) out of their area.These get VERY HOT. You need to make sure there are layers of protection between your pet and the snugglesafe. (Again, as described above.) But, they will stay warm for hours and hours, if not until the next day.They work GREAT and will last you for years as long as you don't overheat them. Although they are pricey, they are a good solid investment to safely provide warmth to your pets.

Edit, January 17, 2015: I am back to buy more of these. I now have 8 of them and I use them for my two boys (who are still together) as well as other feral cats who sleep in various spots. One of my ferals sleeps in an Indigo dog house (igloo-like, but with an extended entrance) and I put 2 of these inside the house every night. I keep extra ones so that I can start heating the pads before it gets dark, and I can just run outside and exchange them, rather than take the old ones out, heat them and then return them. I have had some of these pads for several years and they still work great.I now also heat one up for a very elderly cat in my bedroom. I put it under the top blanket and she crawls under the blanket and lays next to the Snuggle Safe pad. When I tell you she does not move all day, I am not kidding!***********(Original Review)I have been using these for my feral cat boys for several years now. They just will not come in the house! So I put one of those plastic rain bubbles over my basement window well and cracked one side of it open enough for the two boys (they are lifelong friends) to get into the window well. I put a plastic bag on the ground of the window well, then a fleece blanket and then the snuggle safe heating pad. I put another thin fleece blanket over it, and a round pet bed over the top, so the boys aren't exposed to the hot pad.These pads work great. I love it when I feed the boys and then see them snuggled in the window well, grooming each other. There is nothing like a post-dinner grooming session in a heated window well! Every winter night, I heat up a pad for 6 minutes in the microwave and then exchange it for the now-cold pad in the window well that I put there the night before. Very quick and simple. The pad does not get soft, but it definitely gets very warm. Do not handle the heated pad with your bare hands; use a towel or the cover that comes with it. Never place it where the cat would be laying with the hot pad up against his skin; always separate the pad from the cat with one or more blankets. BTW, I have started to not use the covers, because sometimes a little rain drips in the window well, and then I have a soggy pad cover to contend with, along with everything else that got damp.The pads stay warm for a long time. I have been surprised, on less-cold days, to go out there the next evening with the newly-heated pad and find yesterday's pad still slightly warm. When it is very cold, that is not the case, but the heat definitely lasts for the overnight hours.