So, you want to try a costume on your cat?
Silly people, you have suckered us into dressing up ever since you could bribe us with food. Ancient Egyptian burial grounds show that the royal cats wore jeweled collars. In the 1400’s, King Charles VIII of France had robes made for his dog and pet marmot. In the 1800’s, England’s Queen Victoria dressed her dog in a jacket and trousers.[1]
Today, thanks to social media, you humans are more determined than ever to dress us up. However, if you use costumes irresponsibly, you will have one angry cat on your hands. The key is to respect your pet, and work with her.
Should you force your cat to wear a costume? No, dear human! Don’t be mean! That said, there are ways to help your cat not mind wearing a costume. Here’s some recommendations from me, Ginger the Cat.
- GIVE YOUR CAT TIME TO ADJUST TO THE COSTUME’S ODOR
As with new bedding and scratching posts, we cats need time to adjust to the odor of the costume. Our sense of smell is highly sensitive, and those polyester costumes smell bad. Have a new costume? Stick it next to the cat when he’s sleeping. Then just leave it on his bed for a few days. Eventually, your cat may curl up and sleep on it. Pretty soon, the costume will smell nice and just like us.
2. COSTUME, MEET CAT. CAT, MEET COSTUME.
We cats need to check out the new costume. Don’t just slap it on us. Present it to your cat. Let us paw it, bite it, push it away, whatever we want. The important thing is that your cat is familiar with it, feels respected, and has a sense of control.
3. MAKE IT COMFY
Of course, we cats are more likely to wear costumes that are comfortable.[2] I don’t mind wearing light, soft capes, but I will not tolerate a heavy costume or head piece. My humans tried to put devil horns on me. Too uncomfortable! I was shocked that Uli didn’t mind his lion’s mane costume (see above), but he said the mane was soft and light.
4. KEEP IT SHORT
Never keep us in a costume for long. Remember, our own furry coats already keep us warm. A hot costume could potentially cause a cat to overheat.[2]
And good gracious, have the camera and background ready to go, and get it over with! Don’t make your cat suffer through a long photoshoot.
5. IF ALL ELSE FAILS…
Is your cat still balking at the costume? Wait a couple years. Kwazi and Uli wanted no part of wearing costumes when they were young cats. An advantage of age is that the cats are more easy going as the years passed, These days costumes don’t bother them a bit.
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Agree, cat parents have to be mindful to respect cats and go at the cats pace.
Cats are independent and don’t like any one directing their lives when it comes to costumes. I am glad Ginger took the time to remind cat parents to be mindful of their cat’s sensitive nature and preferences when it comes to dressing them up. We all love adorable cats in cute costumes but not at the expense of their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Very nice article. That lion costume is the cutest thing in the world!