Kate Barrington / Cats.com
What if you could ease your cat’s pain, alleviate stress, and speed their recovery from injuries and illness at the touch of a button? The Petspemf Pad isn’t a cure-all but it’s marketed as a non-pharmaceutical alternative therapy for chronic ailments.
The Petspempf Pad is a pet bed that utilizes pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) technology to reduce pain and inflammation. If you think it sounds too good to be true, you’re not alone. I was pretty skeptical before I tried it with my own cats.
Keep reading to learn more about this PEMF pad from Petspemf including how it works and how it stands up against real-world testing.
Why Trust Cats.com
Over the years, I’ve tested countless pet products but I’m always excited when I get to sample new technology. The Petspemf pad was of particular interest to me because, earlier this year, I had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to my severely arthritic senior cat, Bagel.
I would have loved the chance to see if PEMF technology could have offered her some relief. My two remaining cats, Munchkin and Biscuit, are in good health but they don’t exactly get along. Tensions run high in my household sometimes, so I decided to test out the purported stress-relieving benefits of the PEMF pad.
To test the Petspemf pad, I placed an order through the brand’s website and waited a few weeks to receive the product. From there, I set it up and encouraged my cats to use it while I made observations about their response to the product.
PEMF Pad and Petspemf Brand Overview
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Petspemf is the pet-focused subsidiary of Omnipemf, a wellness device company founded in 2016. Omnipemf CEO Marko Kadunc founded the company with a mission to make pulsed electromagnetic field technology affordable and accessible to the public.
In 2018, Omnipemf partnered with the BION Institute of Bioelectromagnetics and New Biology to develop the world’s first portable PEMF device, a wearable headband called NeoRhythm. They conducted two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to evaluate the product’s effects on relaxation and focus before launching an IndieGoGo campaign in 2019 to raise funds for large-scale production and distribution.
Bolstered by the successful launch of NeoRhythm, Omnipemf began researching PEMF for animal use in 2021. They launched an IndieGoGo campaign for Petspemf the following year.
Today, Petspemf pads are used around the world in veterinary clinics and sold directly to consumers through the Petspemf website. Petspemf products are manufactured and shipped by MDCN Tech Ltd. in Ljubljana, Slovenia but the company also has offices in New York in the United States.
Petspemf Pad Features
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
The Petspemf pad looks like your basic pet bed at first glance. It’s flat and rectangular with an add-on pocket attached to one corner that holds the PEMF device. The pad comes in two sizes: Small (13”x17.5”x0.8”) and Large (27.5”x17.5”x0.8”).
What’s not outwardly visible is the network of copper coils cushioned between layers of padding and the magnetic field generator that delivers pulses of alternating frequencies according to four preset programs.
| Program | Frequencies | Intensities | Duration |
| Pain Relief | 50.6 Hz and 15.2 Hz | 2.5 mT and 1 mT | 30 min, 1 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr |
| Accelerated Healing | 15.2 Hz and 40.5 Hz | 2.5 mT and 1 mT | 30 min, 1 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr |
| Stress Relief | 4 Hz and 6 Hz | 2.5 mT and 1 mT | 20 min, 40 min, 1 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr |
| Integrated Healing (alternating) | Pain: 50.6 Hz and 15.2 Hz | 2.5 mT and 1 mT | 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr |
| Healing: 15.2 Hz and 40.5 Hz |
Each program utilizes alternating frequencies designed to stimulate electrical and chemical processes within the cells in your cat’s body. Most of the cited benefits of PEMF therapy appear to be linked to increased blood flow which enables more efficient delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients to the cells.
For pain relief, the PEMF pad delivers low-frequency electromagnetic pulses to boost circulation and reduce inflammation. The stress relief program alternates between much lower frequencies, delivering a gentle relaxing effect. The integrated healing program alternates between 5-minute periods of pain-relieving frequencies and healing frequencies.
The Petspemf pad can only be controlled by an app. The device pairs to your phone via Bluetooth and you can select from the menu of programs, adjust the program duration, and start and stop the therapy. You can activate the pad manually by double-tapping the device, but it will only reactivate the most recently used program.
Included with the Petspemf pad is a removable waterproof cover, a micro USB charging cable, a testing device, and a hard reset device. It also comes with simple printed instructions for setup along with a QR code that links to a more detailed user manual. The Petspemf free mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Priced at $329 for the small and $399 for the large, the Petspemf pad ships free to most countries (shipping to China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan costs $80). Your purchase includes a 15-day return policy and a 24-month warranty.
Customer support is available via email and on the brand’s Facebook page. For technical support, you can schedule a 30-minute virtual support session via Zoom.
What We Like
- Quick to set up and easy to use
- May help reduce inflammation and ease pain
- Choose from four programs of targeted therapy
- Removable cover is durable and waterproof
- Battery is rechargeable via Micro USB
- Available in two different sizes
What We Didn’t Like
- Results are not guaranteed and may vary
- Shipping may take several weeks
- Manual control options are limited (app required)
What Did Our Test Cats Think?
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
With a device like the Petspemf pad, it’s difficult to measure effectiveness as a consumer. Results are likely to be subtle and may take time to develop. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience with the device.
The Petspemf pad doesn’t look like much when you take it out of the box. If it weren’t for the white charging brick attached to a cable running into the pad, it would be indistinguishable from your basic pad-style cat bed. It’s immediately obvious, however, that a lot of thought went into the product design and packaging.
The first step in setting up the device is to charge the battery. The device comes with a Micro USB cable, so that part’s quick and easy. From there, you download the Petspemf app and pair it to your device. The app itself walks you through the stages and tells you exactly what to look for as you go along.
What I found most interesting was the test tube that came with the pad. It’s a little metal square inside a plastic tube you can use to verify whether the pad is working (the cube will subtly vibrate when placed on top of the pad on the highest setting). I couldn’t detect any vibration when I tried it for myself.
Overall, the setup was simple but I was still a little skeptical that I’d be able to get my cats to use the pad. Biscuit lays on the floor most of the time, so Munchkin was my best bet.
I already have a cat bed set up next to the desk where Munchkin holds daily office hours but, in the summer, she tends to prefer the cooler surface of my desk or the floor. Just to try it, I draped the Petspemf pad over the existing bed, activated the Stress Relief program, and set Munchkin on top of it. To my surprise, she happily curled up and fell asleep.
It’s hard to say whether Munchkin felt the PEMF at work but I’ve been activating it every time she hops on. She always sticks around for at least an hour.
What Do Customers Think of the Petspemf Pad?
Because the Petspemf pad is only sold on the brand’s website, customer reviews are limited. There are 1.9k followers of the Petspemf Facebook group where the brand has a 4.6/5 rating with 38 reviews. With just 6 reviews, the Petspemf app has a 3.2 rating in the Google Play store.
Reviews on any brand’s website should be taken with a grain of salt but customers appear to overwhelmingly like the product. With 236 reviews posted, the Petspemf pad’s average rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Positive Reviews
At the time of writing this review, about 78% of customers who rated the Petspemf pad on the brand’s website gave the product 5 stars. Many satisfied customers comment that their cats seem to find the pad comforting. Others say they’ve noticed an improvement in their cat’s mobility, playfulness, or disposition since starting to use the product.
“My old arthritic cat loves laying on the pad. I use the pain setting for 30 mins each day and when I set him on it, he will usually settle in and enjoy the time.” – Anonymous on Petspemf.com, June 25th, 2024
“My cat loves the mat… he’s 16 and battles with seizures and early kidney disease as well as arthritis. Whenever he feels the mat he snuggles up and falls asleep. His movement seems a bit smoother.” – Amy O. on Petspemf.com, June 20th, 2024
Negative Reviews
The majority of reviews posted on the Petspemf website are positive but it’s hard to say whether the company filters out negative reviews or not. Of the negative reviews posted, issues with poor customer service or tech support are a running theme. Several customers report having trouble getting the pad to work and others say they couldn’t verify whether the pad was working.
“Here we are finally getting the bed to work — and hoping it makes a difference. But believe me I am going to report this to my veterinarian who recommended the bed. I doubt she knows how hard it is to get it to work and impossible to get support or to return it!” – Cathryn R. on Petspemf.com, May 7th, 2024
“I am not sure the pad is working since the control doesn’t vibrate. Only help I received was to watch a video. Frustrated at this point.” – Anonymous Petspemf.com, June 9th, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PEMF therapy really work?
PEMF therapy is generally considered safe with veterinary supervision but it doesn’t work for every cat. It’s best used as a complement to other therapies or as a recovery tool for cats who have had injuries or surgical procedures.
Can you overdo PEMF therapy?
There don’t seem to be any known significant side effects of PEMF therapy but it’s always wise to start slow and see how your cat reacts. The Petspemf pad is classified as a medical device, so reports of adverse experiences or product defects can be made to the FDA.
Are PEMF mats worth it?
It depends. At over $300, the Petspemf pad isn’t cheap but the cost may pale in comparison to some medical or surgical treatment options. However, it’s not intended to be a replacement for veterinary care. It seems to be the best fit for pet owners looking to make their cat more comfortable—ideally as a complement to professional veterinary treatment.