Halloween makes us think of witches and goblins, ghosts and black cats…and for some of us, dressing up our cats in Halloween costumes. Personally, I can’t stand cat owners who put their kitties through such humiliation and dress up their cats for any reason whatsoever, and I think that you deserve whatever scratches, bites and hisses you receive from your cat for doing so. If you insist on dressing up your cat for Halloween, however, here are some tips you should follow:
- Find the right sized costume. It might be unbelievable to those of us who loathe the idea of dressing up a cat for Halloween but stores actually do sell cat-sized costumes that are marketed to cat owners with more money than sense. A quick search online will help you to find the perfect costume for your kitty, should you decide to lighten your wallet and humiliate your cat in this way.
- Find the right costume for your cat’s personality. There are all types of cat costumes available. Which best fits your cat’s personality (and will be easiest to get her to wear without losing most of the blood from your body)? Some costumes consist of just a headpiece, while others include full-body clothing. I must admit, I have seen some cute costumes, such as lion’s manes, sharks, pirates and cowboys. These have yet to tempt me to dress up my cat for Halloween, however.
- Make sure your cat is in a good mood before trying to dress her up. You want to make sure you catch her at a good moment and don’t just spring the costume on her. Give her some treats and sit with her at her level, bribing her and pretending that you’re her best friend.
- Let your cat smell the costume first. Before coming at her with a hideous dinosaur costume, put the costume on the floor in front of your cat and let her sniff it. She might be less likely to be afraid of it if she gets its scent first. Of course, she might pee on it just as easily, in which case your little “dressing up my cat for Halloween” charade is over, thank goodness!
- Once she seems comfortable, grab your cat and dress her. This must be done quickly, so hopefully you didn’t buy one of those costumes with lots of fasteners. You might succeed, or you might fail in your first attempt to put a Halloween costume on your kitty.
- If at first you don’t succeed…. You won’t be able to try again right away to dress your cat in a Halloween costume. Give her a few minutes, or hours, to forget the humiliation you tried to make her endure, then try again.
- …try again after you stop the bleeding. I warned you, didn’t I? Those claws are sharpened on that expensive scratching post you bought her for a reason – to protect your cat from the humiliation you were trying to inflict upon her when you tried to dress her for Halloween. Before you bleed all over the cat’s costume, get some band aids (and some common sense that tells you not to try this again).
- If your cat ever comes out of hiding, you might be dumb enough to try again. If you try a third time with the same result, there’s no hope for you. Please, your cat and I are begging you, just forget this stupid idea and let your cat live in peace, dressed in her native costume of being a cat. Remember, cats are a part of Halloween culture too!
