# Fibreglass heated cat beds



## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Anyone bought one of these anywhere other than FGR innovations? I have one from them and love it and would ultimately like another but have had dealings with them recently over a faulty thermostatic controller that quite frankly leaves me loathe to go back there but I cant seem to find anything similar on the internet?


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

If there is another manufacturer of something similar, I've not found them.

Be interested to hear of your problem with the thermostat controller. I had, thought I had, or still do (I am yet to work out which!) problems with one.


----------



## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

It simply stopped working and the bed was cold - I removed the thermostat plug and plugged the unit directly in and it worked so definitely the thermostat plug - it has screws I didn't recognise so I emailed fgr and was told not to attempt to repair it but to return it for replacement. I duly posted it back - they acknowledged receipt , stated it wasn't working due to the unit being cracked and that it must of been dropped - they said they would replace it but they weren't happy about it ! 
I emailed back saying I wasn't happy either as they were questioning my integrity as the unit definitely hadn't been dropped by me and haven't heard anymore since.


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Did they replace it? Sincerely hope so.

I'm absolutely not doubting your word but I was utterly convinced mine (which came with the new bed I'd bought last year from them) wasn't working at all. I thought it was me being feckless which was the only thing that stopped me from getting even more irritated with the email replies I was getting from them.

I kept mine in the end but I DO think there's an issue with the thermostatic controllers - another breeder had the same problem as me. I'd plugged it all in, set the thermostat at the 12 o'clock position (which I knew/they told me to be the average sort of heat setting). It took ages (their beds always do, I have a few others pre the days they came with a thermostat) to warm up. I then wanted to test turning the bed to a lower heat so turned the thermostat down the tiniest 'notch'. Bed went cold altogether. Started all over again. Same happened, started over again with it set at the 12 o'clock position... ditto.

Breeder friend of mine said try it outside where it's colder. Very weirdly, it worked. I have no explanation as (a) I'd never believed that FGR beds/the thermostat worked in conjunction with the ambient temperature and (b) when I asked FGR if that was the case, they said 'no'.

Mine does actually work but boy is the thermo control temperamental and slow to react. You wouldn't want to use it where you needed fine temperature adjustment or to make relatively quick adjustments to the temperature for newborn/very young kittens for example.


----------



## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks for the information, this one definitely wasnt working which they confirmed by testing it on receipt - I shall wait and see if anything arrives in the post, just makes me less inclined to buy another one - I also wanted two of their flat panel heaters but will try and find an alternative.


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

I see. Don't blame you in not wanting to buy another and, much as I love the beds, I wouldn't buy another due to the thermostat problems. 

I don't think there are any other heated fibreglass bed manufacturers. You've doubtless considered them but the closest option I've seen is the Catac Igloo bed. I don't particularly like the look of them.

Had this kind of conversation with some breeders recently; several thought (and two actually did) you could make just as good a job with a vinyl covered heat pad and a large hooded litter tray.


----------



## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

I hadn't seen the catac bed but just had a look and it looks like two plastic dog beds dumped on top of each other - I think home made may be the way forward


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

wicket said:


> I hadn't seen the catac bed but just had a look and it looks like two plastic dog beds dumped on top of each other - I think home made may be the way forward


I know  A lot of creative thought went into that Catac bed didn't it?!

Petnap are selling a range of brightly coloured plastic pod type heated beds (somewhat similar to those Whiskas pods but without the 'ears'). At first glance they look quite nice. Until you realise that for £49 plus delivery it's basically a piece of plastic with a removable heated pad inside.

i must have been feeling flush when I bought the last FGR one :/ Aesthetics aside, I'm sure the large hooded litter tray adapted to take a plug in heated pad is the best option.


----------



## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I hate the thermostats on the FGR things, but can't really fault the product other than that. I'm running one of their heaters in the stud run and have actually considered getting them for the house as they really heat up a space very quickly. But temperature control? Oh, you must be joking! Not with their controller anyway...


----------



## Cosmills (Oct 3, 2012)

I looked into them last year .. They look good but something was telling me not to buy ... I have heat pads from petnap ... Cheaper and works well


----------



## Aysha-Zen (Oct 11, 2008)

Coming in late on this. Have they gone out of business? The website is not working.


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

I am told they have gone out of business, yes. I can't say I am surprised for several reasons.

I just started using, for the first time in ages, the large hooded 'family unit" I bought some years ago and I'm still totally frustrated by the useless thermostat and its unreliability.


----------



## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

They were expensive as well


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> They were expensive as well


They were, very! Have to say, they are pretty indestructible, easy to clean and remain looking like new. However, the pastel coloured air raid shelter look design was always pretty awful and they were for a very niche market. I cannot see many pet owners having used them.


----------



## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

gskinner123 said:


> They were, very! Have to say, they are pretty indestructible, easy to clean and remain looking like new. However, the pastel coloured air raid shelter look design was always pretty awful and they were for a very niche market. I cannot see many pet owners having used them.


I use large cardboard boxes for kittens. They go in the recycling when finished with, and come free with my online cat food deliveries.


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

I am now going to sound as though I live in the dark ages  Our cottage has no central heating, the village has no gas and we use a log burner as the sole source of heating the house. It does warm the upstairs too but you need the door shut on the kittening room for obvious reasons. I have a very effective portable electric radiator but the electricity it consumes is phenominal.

FGR sold me the family unit bed at a show on the basis of the "marvellous" fine control thermostat dial. In reality it has stone cold, tepid but not warm enough to even bother or boiling hot. I thought it would be really nifty for my kitten room for kittens born late winter.


----------



## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

gskinner123 said:


> I am told they have gone out of business, yes. I can't say I am surprised for several reasons.


I remember being treated to the hard sell at a show when these were pretty new to the market. I wasn't prepared to spend that sort of money on one though.

It was just one of a number of innovations to come to the cat world then vanish without trace as it wasn't really up to the job; panic mouse anyone ....


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Tigermoon said:


> panic mouse anyone ....


Haha  I am usually very good at resisting so I have no idea whatsoever how I ended up spending several hundred pounds when I'm usually even cautious about "is this really worth a tenner?"

I have another of their (cheaper) much older style beds when the company was known as Moonshell which were pre having a thermostat. To be fair to them, it still works perfectly though it is really too warm and needs layers of thick bedding. But boy is it ugly.


----------



## sphynx (Jan 10, 2011)

I know this is a really old thread, but I wonder if anyone can tell me what the adaptor for the fibreglass heating pad/unit thing looks like. I have dragged my old pad out of the loft hoping to use it for an elderly Oriental but for some reason the plug or adaptor has been cut off. I would like to try and fix it, mainly because it’s quite large and cheap to run!


----------

