Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 6, 2023 by Crystal Uys

Halloween_cats

It happens every year around this time: every pet store you walk into has Halloween costumes for pets for sale. Your Facebook feed explodes with photos of cats and dogs in costumes. Admittedly, some of the photos are adorable. But do you really think cats, if asked, would want to dress up in anything but their own beautiful fur coats?

I’m not a fan of putting outfits on cats unless they’re photoshopped. Most cats would find it stressful. There may be some cats who are the exception, but they’re few and far between. I’m guessing that if you were to ask the cats who seem to tolerate being dressed up what they really think, you’d get an earful of not so g-rated feline language from them.

Does dressing up your cat enrich his or her life?

You know your cats best. If you really feel that they don’t mind being dressed up with a fancy costume or a hat, and if you just can’t help yourself, then by all means, go for it. But please ask yourself this question first: Does dressing up your cat enrich his or her life? I can’t imagine that the answer to this question is anything but a resounding NO for most cats.

If you want your cat to  look festive for Halloween, why not dress her up with a seasonal collar? And if you just can’t resist the lure of adorable photos of cats dressed up for Halloween, why not do what I did for Allegra and Ruby, and turn to Photoshop or any of the numerous photo editing apps on your phone?

What do you think? Are Halloween costumes for cats okay, or are they a no-no?

This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.

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