We went to bed Monday night with our thermostat set to cool. Tuesday morning we woke up to an outside temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn’t notice what the temperature was inside the house but it was pretty cool. It is not very often that we see all three cats sleeping together like this. I think this was an attempt to stay warm.
A couple of years ago I reviewed the Art of Paws Heated Pet Mat. The cats seemed to like the mat but living in Florida we really didn’t have enough cold days for it to be useful. I think shortly after I got it I removed the heating part of it and just used it as a cat pad. We had it on our coffee table and Floki used it quite often there.
We brought it with us to West Virginia along with the heating element. I used it as a pad to one of the cat crates during the trip here and it fit perfectly.
When we got here and realized how cold it was I reinserted the heating element and plugged it in. It was a big success.
All three cats took turns lying on it and often there were two cats at a time on it. I have no photos of Floki lying on the mat for some reason but I assure you he was just as interested at Chris and Frankie.
We will be heading back to Florida on Saturday and I plan on bringing the pad with us but I will leave the heating element here.
Chris has not been feeling well for the past week or so. He spends more time than usual resting.
When he is not resting, I hear plenty of sniffles and sneezes. Often he will get on my lap just in time for a sneezing attack. Lucky me.
I hesitated to post another picture of our four cats on the bed together for the second week in a row but I couldn’t leave a cute photo like this locked away on my computer. It seems our bed is a feline gathering place when the temperature gets cold.
It has warmed since I took this photo and everyone is back to separate napping spots, except Chris who likes to nap on top of someone.
The weather has cooled here recently and all the cats want to hang out on the bed more than ever before. I don’t know if the bed is warmer or if it is just a good place to gather and preserve body heat. Maybe after sleeping on it all night we warm it up for them.
This is the closest I have ever seen all four of our cats.
They often show up on the bed after their breakfast (which is before our coffee) and IÂ feel bad about kicking them off to make the bed. 
We don’t get cold weather very often in the Tampa Bay area, but when we do, it’s during the weekend. Saturday morning started out at 70 degrees but dropped all day until Sunday morning when it was 36. It was cold Sunday too and currently, at 8 a.m. Monday morning, it is 41 degrees, but it will improve throughout the work week, of course.
We have an old heater and don’t trust it so we leave it off at night, which means our bed has extra blankets on it to keep us warm. That does not go unnoticed by our cats who congregated there most of the weekend.
Where do your pets go on a cold day?
Our cat Frankie has a bad cold and has been sneezing for several days now. I feel bad for him but he is eating and I see no reason to take him to the vet just yet, but I do hope he gets better soon.
Chris has been sick for almost a week now. By that I mean he has been sneezing a lot. Other than that he seems fine, which is why I thought he was having an allergic reaction to something that is in season now. I no longer think that because Puck started sneezing yesterday and, as far as I know, allergies are not contagious.
It seems Puck may be more affected by this cold (if that is what it is) than Chris is. This morning he got on the bed before I was quite finished making it and lied down where I needed to put the last pillow. I decided to leave him there and let him rest, which he did until we were almost ready to leave for work. That is when Chris jumped on the bed and started bothering him.
“Chris,” Rose scolded, “Leave Puck alone. He doesn’t feel good.” I had to remind her that Chris was sick too but she pointed out that Chris was tougher than the average cat and I couldn’t argue about that. Hopefully they will both get over this soon. I will have to keep a close eye on them and make sure they don’t get worse.
Bad Cat Chris 