5 second Studio / Shutterstock.com
Halloween is my favourite time of yr. For me, it’s extra about adorning than dressing up. My cats wholeheartedly agree. I’ll often stability a bit of witch hat on one in all their heads (with no ribbons on the neck or tape to make the hat keep on) or connect a Halloween-themed bow tie to their collars for a cute picture op, however after a disastrous experiment with a caterpillar costume on my cat, Jack, all of us determined that costumes are a particular no-no.
We love our cats and need them to be a part of all of our vacation festivities, however cats see issues otherwise. What’s enjoyable for us will be complicated and scary for them. Even when your cat appears to take pleasure in sporting a dressing up, at greatest they’re in all probability simply tolerating it.
4 Issues With Dressing up Your Cat for Halloween
Typically we overlook that cats will not be simply little folks. For a cat, being in a dressing up will be every little thing from merely annoying to completely terrifying. Listed below are 4 causes you shouldn’t make your cat put on a dressing up.
1. Restriction of Physique Motion
Think about being trapped in clothes you possibly can’t squeeze your manner out of. If that makes you uncomfortable, it’s no completely different to your cat. Sure costumes don’t permit your cat to maneuver round freely or see, hear, or odor the world round them.
Whiskers can get squashed, and a cat might even get injured making an attempt to wriggle out of the costume. It additionally limits a cat’s capability to speak, making it exhausting so that you can inform whether or not they’re anxious or scared.
2. Pores and skin Discomfort
Some cats are extraordinarily delicate about something touching their coat. Costumes that bind or press towards sure areas of the physique could cause something from to discomfort and itching to precise ache. Some costumes might even trigger an allergic response that requires a visit to the veterinarian.
3. Choking Hazards
Costumes with options like little ornaments, buttons, and fasteners (simply to call a couple of) could be a choking hazard—particularly if the cat is set to get out of the costume they don’t wish to put on. In case your cat manages to swallow any of those little items, it might result in a harmful (and costly) intestinal blockage.
4. Stress
Forcing a cat to do one thing they don’t wish to do—particularly if it’s primarily to your personal leisure—causes pointless stress. Not having the ability to transfer round freely or being made to put on one thing that compromises their senses and pure actions could cause nervousness and worry.
That stress is dangerous sufficient, nevertheless it might additionally damage the connection you might have together with your cat. Cats create associations between each adverse expertise and the individual that put them in that have. Forcing your cat to put on a dressing up towards their will dangers can harm the belief between you and your cat.
When To Dress Your Cat
Sure hairless or thin-coated breeds, just like the Sphynx or Devon Rex, would possibly want a bit of assist protecting heat, particularly in the event that they reside in a chilly local weather. Be sure that the clothes you place in your cat suits excellent—one thing too tight can limit your cat’s pure actions, whereas one thing too free could possibly be a tripping hazard. At all times keep watch over your cat once they’re sporting clothes to ensure they don’t by accident overheat.
A cat who has simply had surgical procedure might additionally profit from a light-weight sweater or shirt. The clothes will shield any shaved spots from publicity and may assist them depart their stitches alone. I as soon as had two foster kittens who had a extremely tough time after their spay surgical procedures and completely wouldn’t tolerate sporting a cone, so I made them little onesies from a pair of socks. They seemed foolish, nevertheless it did the trick.
The Backside Line
Except there’s a medical or behavioral cause to your cat to put on clothes, it’s greatest to simply skip it. Your cat’s coat is there for a cause, so dressing them up doesn’t profit them one bit.
Halloween evening is for giving out sweet and watching scary motion pictures—not taking your cat to the emergency vet due to a dressing up mishap. And the stress your cat could possibly be feeling actually isn’t price it. So depart the costumes to all of the little ghosts and goblins at your door, and let your cat take pleasure in Halloween au naturel.