Whether you are a cat lover or your friend has a few, and their birthday is coming up, choosing the right clothing for your cat depends on a couple of factors. What you should understand is that cats are not huge lovers of wearing anything other than their own fur.
Bearing this in mind, you shouldn’t force it on them for any long periods of time as, at the end of the day, you still want to keep them happy. In order to help you, we have prepared a guide highlighting the benefits, do’s and don’ts, and a couple of cool clothing ideas. So let’s jump in!
What to Consider When Choosing Cat Clothing?
Your best bet to finding high-quality cat clothing is looking them up the online market — not only because of the variety of the given offers but also due to the lower prices. Pet clothing retail stores tend to be quite expensive. Don’t worry, you are not the only feline owner that wants to dress up their pet-friend.
Still, in order to be sure that the outfit is right for your feline, you will need to consider a few factors, including things like — will it only be for the fashion reasons, or does your cat actually need some kind of thermal support? For example, if you are an owner of the hairless Sphynx cat, then clothing will come with more than a few benefits to help your kitty.
Fit
Cats may not be the greatest fans of having anything put on them, but if you ensure that the clothing piece is comfortable and fits them properly, they might accept it. The thing is that you will want your cat to be able to move around, jump, and play without being restricted by what they are wearing. Thus, by getting the right measurements (we will talk about this in the section below) and ensuring the optimal fit, you are on a good path to making your cat comfortable with it.
Materials
Additionally, the material that it is made out of plays a huge role as well; our recommendation is that you go for wool, industrial hemp, or cotton. These materials are natural and don’t have that chemical odor your cat might not be comfortable with. Also, it will feel good on their sensitive skin and shouldn’t cause any allergic issues that are common for polyester, and another type of synthetic fabrics.
Hazards
At the end of the day, make sure that the clothing piece is free of any kind of hazardous items, including poking wires and plastic parts.
Now that we have determined what are the critical factors you should consider during the buying process, it is time that we go ahead and move on to how to prepare and measure your cat for it!
Measuring Your Cat for Clothing That Fits
The main thing that you should focus on is optimal fit and comfort. You will not be able to achieve that unless you get the right dimensions of your cat.
Bearing this in mind, we have prepared a few-steps guide to instruct you on how to do it.
Check that your cat is in the right mood. You will not want to do it if your cat is grumpy or hyperactive. So, start by putting them in a good mood or calming them down with an adequate technique such as pinching their scruff, playing with them beforehand, or giving them some of their favorite food.
The main measurement that you need to take is your cat’s length. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated; take a measuring tape and make sure that it starts at the base of their neck and ends at the tail base. If you don’t have a tape measure, string and a ruler will work too.
The other important measurement is the width of your cat. For this, you will need the tape or string. Start at the middle of their back and get the tape or string under and around your cat’s belly going for a tighter grip if you are purchasing a harness, and a bit looser if it will be a clothing piece that will cover their belly and ribs.
You might also want to measure other things such a legs or head circumference in order to ensure the optimal fit. If you were thinking about getting your cat something that will cover your cat’s head, think like a cat and drop the idea! Neither dogs nor cats love having their ears covered by something as it restricts one of their main senses from being functional.
Depending on your experience and skill, you can either go ahead and buy the clothing from a retail/online store or try to have some fun and sew the perfect combination for your feline friend.
The Do’s and Don’ts
The first thing that you shouldn’t do is leave your cat unattended once you have dressed them up. This is for a few reasons, including the fact that your cat might try to rip the clothing and choke on it, as well as other safety hazards that might occur if your cat is not comfortable.
Additionally, no matter how much you are looking forward to your cat wearing and being protected by clothing, if you see any serious signs of distress, you should give up on the idea, at least for now. At the end of the day, your cat should be happy and comfortable instead of distressed and angry.
We suggest that you reconsider what we have mentioned above, including striving for the perfect fit and comfort, as well as ensuring that the material the outfit will be made of is not something that can cause allergy issues. Also, give your cat a lot of treats and playtime once you are done.
Benefits of Cat Clothing
The first benefit of dressing your cat up is the thermal protection. Now, this doesn’t go for all breeds, and it all comes down to whether your cat has hair and how much. As we mentioned above, breeds such as hairless Sphynx cats will get great benefits from the provided thermal protection (though their body does well in terms of regulating temperature), while a fluffy Persian cat certainly is not going to be the biggest fan of it.
The other great benefit is the fashion aspects your cat can look even more attractive when wearing safe and comfortable clothing. Also, once the outfit becomes old or damaged, you can rip it apart and give your cat something to play with.
Cat-Design Clothing for You
We came to the conclusion that if you are already going to invest in high-quality cat clothing, you should go and treat yourself with some cool cat-design outfits. The first thing you might want to get is a cool tee that will present your love of felines — You Lost Me at I Don’t Like Cats, or Chamsgend Long Sleeve are two of the coolest pieces on the market.
Additionally, if winter is coming and you don’t have anything to protect your neck from the heavy wind and snow, getting yourself something like the Kancoold Cat Scarf is a good idea! Also, products such as the Gothic Leggings or Kancoold Cat Top will work great if you are a fitness freak.
Conclusion
We sincerely hope that we have managed to help and educate you on how to choose clothing for your cat. Remember, optimal fit and comfort should always go before an attractive design.