How does the Slumber Pet thermal cat mat heat the mat without using electricity?

First off let the irresponsible pet parents know that you don't appreciate their children's' visits then arm yourself with a cheap plastic spray bottle cat attempts entry cat gets sprayed with cold water. For the car I would suggest a product called 'Scat-Mat' this is a product that was designed for cats. It is a plastic mat that snaps to a 9v battery power pack it has adjustable controls on the power pack to set the intensity of an electric shock and it doesn't take long to get the idea across -- to the cats anyway- good luck with the people

You can use a self-heating pad that warms up with your cat's body heat like I do (saves on electricity bill). You can find them online like I did.

There are two types of heating beds for cats: thermal beds and electric beds. Thermal beds use insulating material, which uses the body heat of the cat in order to warm up the bed. Electric beds use electricity in order to warm up the bed. This allows the bed to be warm at all time. This type of heating bed is most expensive. If you have a tight budget, you can get your cat a microwavable pad in order to provide it with warmth. The downside of these pads is that they provide heat for only 30 minutes to an hour.

I have found a few sites that sell this product online - I will send you the links and you can decide which direction you would like to go in regards to the price.

http://www.amazon.com/Ani-Mate-Inc-Cat-Feeder/dp/B0002YHXR2

http://www.moorepet.com/Cat-Mate-C50-Automatic-Feeder-p/catmate-c50.htm

http://www.petmountain.com/product/electric-cat-feeders/11442-515010/c50-automatic-pet-feeder.html

Heated bowls are ideal for outdoor pets. In order to keep your dog/cats water from freezing in cold temperatures, heated bowls are the only way to go. Make sure to look for one with a "anti-chew" cord protector to further ensure your pets safety.

You can buy protection mats for your pet playpen without having to replace the whole thing. Here's a link to the Amazon site where they have one for sale for $18 although obviously you need to buy the right for your playpen. http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-FC-261-Small-Animal-Cover-Colors/dp/B001GIGRRA

Cats are able to bathe themselves, generally speaking, with their tongues and teeth. Nevertheless, there will be times when you will need to bathe your cat - if he/she gets into something really dirty/sticky would be an example of one of these times.

Sounds like overheating of motor operating a thermal cut out ..Clean all filters you can run machine with no filters fitted to try if okay first.....