Cat and dog owners absolutely love this heated pet bed and think that it is a brilliant investment

This has been touted by news media as a brilliant investment for a cat and dog owner. It's a very good value heated cat and dog bed which you can buy on Amazon for £27.99 in the UK. It's called the NICREW Pet Heating Pad. It selling fast on Amazon and it gets glowing reviews on that website. It is Amazon recommended for that reason.

It is powered by electricity (compared to reflective systems which are not) and therefore you will be paying a little bit to keep your cat and dog warm in these winter months. That said, it is a good investment because you want to make your cat or dog happy, don't you? There's one sure way to make a domestic cat happy in winter; keep him or her warm.

NICREW Pet Heating Pad has six heat settings which allows you to adjust it to an appropriate temperature for your beloved companion animal.

It also has an auto shut-off function which allows you to control for how long it is turned on: four, eight, 12 or 24 hours for constant heating.

It includes one removable fleece cover and a 7-foot power cable and cord which are steel capped and pet safe.

It has over 1000 five-star reviews and is tried and tested and loved as much by pet owners as they love their cat or dog!

One commenter said: "Bought for my elderly cat and she adores it and spends a lot of time on it,' one five-star reviewer wrote. 'If you are thinking about getting a heat pad for your cat, just do it, I have one for each of mine and it keeps them all happy over winter."

She added: "Doris had made herself at home on this within 2 minutes of it being plugged in,' a second shopper said. 'I've got it on the lowest heat setting and it's perfect to keep this old lady nice and warm in my otherwise quite cold house."

The fabric is soft and you can throw the cushion in the washer when it needs a refresh. The NICREW Pet Heating Pad provides a subtle heat and passes the cat and dog test. It's was hailed as the most successful Christmas present of 2023 and is described as fabulous. Pets absolutely love it!!

Do you think I've done a good enough job in promoting this pet product? I hope so. I don't get paid though. This is entirely altruistic.

----------

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

American families dump pets as costs surge

NEWS AND COMMENT: Although some shelters have quite definitely gone against the grain in terms of having too many cats and dogs to rehome [check out the empty shelter], in general, The Times reports that US families are dumping pets as the cost to keep them has become untenable. This is mainly due to inflation and lack of proper long-term budgeting, I believe.

The Times reports that American animal shelters are at their most overcrowded in years. The reason? Fears over the economy. And the end of boom times when many dogs and cats were adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I feel (I hope not harshly) that many people adopted dogs and cats who shouldn't have. This was impulse adoption without really doing due diligence to figure out the costs and even more importantly to check out the health of the animal that they were adopted. 

That last point particularly applies to the French Bulldog which is one breed which is being dumped on shelters faster than many other breeds. Clearly the owners have found out how expensive they can be to take care of.

RELATED: The French bulldog money pit and dogflation.

However, many adoptions were carried out responsibly. Many people relinquishing their companion animals have lived with them for a long time. It's be tough for some to consider relinquishing their pets.

However, according to the Shelter Animals Count, there are an estimated 250,000 more companion animals in shelters this Christmas then there were over the same period last year.

And it appears that many if not most kennel operators say that they are in crisis. Their facilities were already overcrowded before the Christmas festivities.

As mentioned there was a sharp rise in pet ownership during the pandemic. One in five households in America had a companion animal according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

There are fears over the economy in America and the rising cost of living. The cost of owning a pet is out of reach for many. They decided to abandon their animals.

Kim Alboum, of the Bissell Pet Foundation, an animal welfare organisation, said that "The economy right now is really challenging for a lot of families. And with the housing crisis, people are losing their homes and our having to downsize or move in with others. And this is a recipe for disaster for people that have larger dogs."

The Times reports that shelters are experiencing a big influx of puppies in particular including those of the French Bulldog breed as mentioned. There's been a period of inflation recently in America resulting in vets and pet product businesses raising their prices making it even more expensive to be a pet owner.

I'm told that veterinary prices jumped by 9% from November 2022-November 2023 according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Pet food costs rose by 5.6% over the same period.

Sarah Barnett runs an animal shelter in Philadelphia. She says that she has seen hard economic times which has challenged pet owners financially.

She said that people are losing their jobs have to decide between putting food on their table or feeding their companion animal. They've been left with few options.

Obviously, many people giving up their companion animals have had a very long term and good relationships with them. And I agree with Sarah Barnett in that not all people self-indulgently adopted cats and dogs during the pandemic. 

Lesson?

The story really highlights a very valuable point namely that looking after a companion animal properly is expensive. You can't do it properly on a shoestring. Perhaps the first stage in the adoption process is to check your budget, work out the maths, and make sure you maximise the chances that you can and will be able to afford to look after your new friend to a good standard for the remainder of their lives.

---------

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Pets at Home reports higher sales because of Covid

 

Pets at Home. Image in public domain.

UK - NEWS AND VIEWS: The Times reports that the pet products chain, Pets at Home, has reported higher sales because customers continue to splash out on cats and dogs that they bought during the Covid-19 pandemic and this applies despite the squeeze on incomes because of continuing inflation.

This is a reference to the fact that during Covid-19 a lot of people bought cats and dogs, mainly dogs, as companions during that long period of furlough when people were stuck at home, driven, you could argue, to adopting a companion animal to keep them company. They also have the extra time on their hands to go for long walks with their newly acquired dog!

And now of course these people need to purchase pet products for their newly acquired pet. The fact that they are spending money on their pets despite a squeeze on their income indicates that there is still a little bit of fat in the system in terms of family budgeting or they are prioritising the health and welfare of their companion animal over other expenditure.

The group reports that group revenue at the pet-care retailer, which also offers veterinary services rose 7.9% year-on-year to £436 million in the three months to July 20. Veterinary and retail sales rose by 16.3 and 7.1% respectively.

The group believes that they are acquiring new customers at an 'impressive rate' according to the chief executive.