How safe is it for my dog or cat to sleep near a gas heater all day?

Hello. Yes, Porter may not like the smell of the fuel, or he may not like the noise produced. Fortunately, he should have no problem staying in the cooler room. My thoughts are with everyone out there. You really have not caught much of a break with all these storms rolling through. Hang in there. Spring is coming! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Generally the electrical pads have a risk for short circuiting and can overheat with the animal on the pad leading to severe skin burns. There are newer options for keeping animals warm such as warmer crates / bedding, oscillating heat fans (dyson), and controlling the ambient room temperature. I have seen several burns related to electrical heat pads so I am not a big proponent of using these as the risk is too high for burns.

If your cats are acting normally at this time there should be nothing to worry about. Continue to monitor them closely and keep the windows open and fans on if you can. If you notice any symptoms such as neurological changes/mentation change, lethargy or vomiting, then you may want to have them checked out. Once you can not notice the smell, it should be completely safe for your cats. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That should be fine for Johnny as long as he has an area to get away from the heating lamp if he gets hot. For any pet that uses a heating area, they need to have the ability to get away from the heat source to make sure they do not overheat. Otherwise make sure the lamp is high enough that he is not in danger of touching it and getting burned by accident. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Hi! It should be fine to burn candles around your dogs as long as they don’t have any concurrent respiratory issues (asthma, bronchitis, etc). If the scents or smoke are irritating to you, then I’d assume they are to the dogs as well. But if the candles are clean burning and your dogs are otherwise healthy, there should not be any problem. It’s a good thing to ask though, because some pets like birds can be extremely sensitive to candles and we recommend not burning them around birds. I hope this was helpful!

Cats naturally like warm surfaces. You are correct though that this behavior can result in harm! Continue to always monitor her to make sure she’s safe. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would definitely provide a heat source for them in the winter, especially if it is going to hit freezing temperatures. I worry about hypothermia if there is no heat source. I would also provide an insulated area for them. Small dog houses can be built quite easily and still be low cost. There are many templates online of how to build a dog house with insulation. Dog beds, blankets and another dog to keep warm with would help as well. If the temperature are too low outside, it is not advisable to keep them outdoors as this could result in hypothermia and even lead to death. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help you further!