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Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

oneroof.co.nz

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Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#81

Post by lrissman »

Torkel wrote: post #73
Legogris wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having slept outdoors a lot in the past, I think many people underestimate the importance of the ground/floor/bed in keeping from freezing. If you have excess blankets, it could make more difference to put them under you as opposed to above you. Even spruce branches or cardboard will lift you from the ground enough to make a difference in a pinch.

I agree - I packed an air mattress to sleep on during camping when it was cold on the ground. The air didn't insulate as well as I expected so I was freezing from below. There are so many things around us that are such incredible achievements in comfort over not having them. It is a good experience living without some of them for a while to get appreciation for it: - electricity - heating - beds - running water - sho…

yup, I go camping in the Canadian winter and have been overnight many nights at below -35C, might have hit a balmy -40C before.. not sure..

Below, is super important.. I use closed-cell mats designed for winter camping and carrying in the backpack.

Somehow I don't think the cats would work so well under the sleeping bags..

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#82

Post by hippich »

carabiner wrote: post #65
dkersten wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, just to put it in perspective, I've spent more than their budget on vet bills alone over the past few months, nevermind cat food, flea/worm tablets, toys etc. They must have cats that don't need anything but the minimum amount of cheap food, never get sick...

Ya, one of my cats has had nothing wrong with him. The other got into some pills I left on the counter and had $8k in vet fees to treat poisoning, thank god for pet insurance.

can you share the name of the insurance?

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#84

Post by steadicat »

Unfortunately, in my experience, cats are endothermic. Give a cat a heat source – a sunny patch, a heated blanket, or a warm belly – and they will cling to it until all the heat is absorbed out of it. Cats need heat sources to thrive, so they will be very unhappy if operated as a heat source.

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#85

Post by guycook »

Sorry to be the downer on this article, but if you head to oneroof's "news" page [0] you'll see their entire raison d'être is to push out articles for NZ's media outlets to reproduce in the hopes of encouraging the continued misallocation of capital into residential real estate. So them making light of the house heating situation is in extremely poor taste considering such issues as NZ being the only developed country in the world with significant instances of rheumatic fever [1] and a quarter of South Island renters being stuck with cold and mouldy accommodation [2] (which they couldn't leave for weeks due to the pandemic).

[0] https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/latest-news

[1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/122260447/we-have-to...

[2] https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/warmth-issue-25-ren...

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#86

Post by macNchz »

Torkel wrote: post #73
Legogris wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having slept outdoors a lot in the past, I think many people underestimate the importance of the ground/floor/bed in keeping from freezing. If you have excess blankets, it could make more difference to put them under you as opposed to above you. Even spruce branches or cardboard will lift you from the ground enough to make a difference in a pinch.

I agree - I packed an air mattress to sleep on during camping when it was cold on the ground. The air didn't insulate as well as I expected so I was freezing from below. There are so many things around us that are such incredible achievements in comfort over not having them. It is a good experience living without some of them for a while to get appreciation for it: - electricity - heating - beds - running water - sho…

I regularly go on multi night wilderness backpacking trips–they are a big part of my life and make me happy for many reasons, but the appreciation they bring for the comforts of modern life is big every time.

After several days in the backcountry the comforts come back bit by bit on the way home: a soft and supportive seat in the car, warm or cool air at the touch of a button, hot coffee and eggs brought to your table, fresh water from the tap, a hot shower with soap, clean soft sheets and a supportive bed. It’s really a visceral experience of all of the comforts we take for granted every day.

I’ve been going on trips like this my whole life, and I always love being out there, but the experience of coming back to comfort and convenience never gets old.

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#87

Post by mark-r »

lrissman wrote: post #81
Torkel wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree - I packed an air mattress to sleep on during camping when it was cold on the ground. The air didn't insulate as well as I expected so I was freezing from below. There are so many things around us that are such incredible achievements in comfort over not having them. It is a good experience living without some of them for a while to get appreciation for it: - electricity - heating - beds - running water - sho…

yup, I go camping in the Canadian winter and have been overnight many nights at below -35C, might have hit a balmy -40C before.. not sure.. Below, is super important.. I use closed-cell mats designed for winter camping and carrying in the backpack. Somehow I don't think the cats would work so well under the sleeping bags..

Interesting bit of trivia: at -40 it's not necessary to specify C or F, that's the point where they're both the same.

When I was a kid in the boy scouts, they had an award they gave out when the total low (with wind chill) on the days you camped added up to -100F. I got the award one weekend - one day was -60, the other was -40.

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#88

Post by mark-r »

steadicat wrote: post #84

Unfortunately, in my experience, cats are endothermic. Give a cat a heat source – a sunny patch, a heated blanket, or a warm belly – and they will cling to it until all the heat is absorbed out of it. Cats need heat sources to thrive, so they will be very unhappy if operated as a heat source.

Some cats recognize that the benefit is mutual. I have 4 cats, and 1 of the 4 will lay with me in a way that we provide a warm surface for each other.

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#89

Post by mark-r »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #71
bluedino wrote: post #24

A bullmastiff easily puts off as much heat as another human (maybe two) and doubles as an alarm clock.

Our cat acts as an alarm clock. Pretty close to 5:30 every day. The problem is that no one in the house needs to get up at 5:30 (except the person that doesn't want the cat to shit inside).

We have litter boxes that operate 24/7. The problem is when the cats run out of food at 5:30.

Re: Cat vs. panel heater: which is better?

#90

Post by ip26 »

tzs wrote: post #80
ip26 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electric blankets were pretty awesome for this circumstance. Incredibly cheap to operate, extremely effective. (I always had trouble washing them properly though)

Electric blankets used to be awesome. The ones nowadays don't seem as strong as the ones I remember from 40 years or so ago. I think they got nerfed.

(40 years ago they also used to burn houses down)
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