Am I being thick (yes) but how do the reflector beds work to stay warm all night?
They reflect the cats own body heat back up to it. The pad itself does not heat up, it only reflects the body heat back up where the cat is lying. If you have a sickly cat who is not able to keep is body temp up and is shivering, these pads would take a very long time to help ease the coldness for the cat. That is another reason why I like the SnuggleSafe heating pods, because it instantly helps the cat. I also would like to point out that I have used SnuggleSafe with my guinea pigs as well because they are
chew proof and could never harm a piggy or rabbit or dog who likes to chew things. Plus they stay warm for about 10 hours or so before you need to pop them back into the microwave. So if you have to go to work, then your cat should be nice and cozy until you return.
Plus you are not leaving a heating bed plugged in that could be a potential fire hazard. Although, I have those types of heating pads too and I do leave them plugged in.
When my heater went out in my house last year I had two kittens who were so sick with URI, and one of them was so sick I thought I might loose him. Had it not been for my having SnuggleSafes on hand my kittens would have shivered for two nights until the repair man was able to get here. I don't think the reflective pads would have been much help in this case, although I do like them for normal situations.