I was using a bath towel for a while. Everyone had warned about smell, but that was not an issue.

Finally, someone came along with a more serious warning - he knew of a snake that had gotten its mouth caught on a towel when going after food, and with the teeth being the way they are, the snake had no choice but to swallow it. It suffocated and died.

I am no longer using towels. For that reason, I would also suggest not using a pee pad.