Felines and Halloween go together like peanut butter and jelly. It's a match made in heaven, as cats are natural predators and therefore perfect for the spooky holiday.
However, there's one major issue with this strategy, and that has to do with cats' behaviors when being forced to do, well, anything. They tend to either run away or throw a fit. There's little room for middle ground, and that can present a problem when it comes time to decorate the kitty for the holiday.
You see, not every cat is going to be willing to wear a costume. You could try and force it on them, but that just won't work. They'll get pretty mad with you, and you certainly don't want that on Halloween. Not when trick-or-treaters are about to show up at your door in less than an hour.
We've got a few costumes for our cats, and they really won't deal with it unless they are asleep. Only when they are asleep can we put a hat on them without an uproar. And honestly, a sleeping cat in a costume isn't all that entertaining.
As a side note, we've had a fair bit of success selling cat costumes on Poshmark, so if you end up with a costume your cat hates, you can always try to resell it to recoupe some of your losses.
What's The Best Cat Halloween Costume?
This question depends on your cat's tolerance to Halloween costumes and tolerance to you in general. For us, we can't win with a costume. We have a quirky hat to put on them but they just freak out and their siblings rush to take it off them. Hell, we can't even decorate the apartment without them trying to take everything down.
To me, an ideal cat costume involves something scary that will make them look more evil, but lots of people enjoy funny cat costumes as well. It all will depend on what you like, and what your cat accepts. Without further intro, let's hop into some interesting cat Halloween costumes we've found online.
Halloween Sweater
If the occasion calls for decoration, a sweater is a great option for a cat, so long as it's a best fit for their body. It allows their head to be free and is unobtrusive. Be wary of those "one size fits all" types, they might not fit your cat.
Bat Wings
If you want to give your furry friend a spooky look, attach some bat wings to him. It will probably make him self-conscious and unable to run around so freely, but it could be for the best, as a cat slowly creeping around with bat wings is kind of terrifying, if the wings are done right.
Halloween Cat
This one is super easy since it's really just modifying your cat's collar. Get a little bowtie or tie that has a Halloween theme and add it to them. It's fun for the whole family, and it's cat-friendly since it's not adding anything weird to them. This one is cute and quick, so highly recommended.
Hippie Cat
This one is actually pretty easy, but nowhere near scary. Get a basket (ccatslove baskets) and put some fake flowers all over it. Put your cat in it and pray she doesn't start tearing up the flowers.
Added bonus: if you want to dress up your cat a bit more, add a flower to your cat's neck, preferably using their collar.
Pumpkin Cat
Here's a great example of how your feline friend will reach if you put a cat costume on him. Halloween cat costumes are fun for us, but cat's sure hate them. This pumpkin cat costume is adorable and pretty simple. Unfortunately, that's definitely not the look I want our cats to have when we celebrate Halloween. Maybe some cat treats would help though...
Halloween Cat Collar
Another super easy cat costume for them. Your feline friends will appreciate a costume that doesn't involve some loose materials all over them. it's easiest to find something they can wear around their neck and work it into their collar. No need to try to wrestle with their legs or tail to get them in some (hilarious) outfit for your pleasure. I think we will try to get some of these this year!
Shark Cat
This guy is a shark! See how he is looking back at his cat costume? This is a clear sign that he doesn't want to be dressed. He hates it, even if we love it. He's going to mope all around the house and get frantic with an outfit like this. Plus it doesn't match his style.
Sailor Cat
This one really gets me because we want to dress up as sailors this year, so the sailor cat idea seems great. This one has an added fun factor because cats hate water. Also, cats wearing clothes is definitely on the more difficult end of pet costumes but makes it one of the best cat Halloween costumes in our eyes since there's an added difficulty with it.
The Vampire
Now I'm scared. Poor kittens ears barely make it past his cape. But overall if your cat is okay with it, this is a great costume for them, especially if you have a white cat. He looks comfy enought, and as far as a cat costume goes, this one is both easy and impactful.
Your Favorite Cat Costume
If you have some other cat Halloween costumes that you think are great, we would love to see them! Shoot me an email at kevin@loveofpaws.org if you want me to add your cat Halloween costume to our list!