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If you’ve been thinking of dressing up your cat this Halloween, you’re not alone—and if you have some doubts about how it might work, you’re also not alone. Some of the cat costumes out there are adorable but a little impractical, some are just impossible, and a few are more manageable than you’d think.
We’ve rounded up the most popular cat Halloween costumes on the market and tested them on our own intrepid kitties to help you narrow the field and find the costume that’s best for your feline friend.
If you’re on the fence, try one of our winners—or skip to the section about how to know if a costume is right for your cat. We’ve also got some tips to make the big day easier. For the fearless and fashion-forward kitties of the world, there are the runners-up.
Our Winners:
- Easiest To Wear: Bat Wings Cat Costume
- Most Versatile: Spider Cat Costume
- Most Cat-Friendly: Dracula Cape
The 3 Best Cat Halloween Costumes According to Real Kitties
With the help of our test kitties, we found the best cat Halloween costumes are adjustable, lightweight, one-piece outfits with Velcro attachment points. Outfits that met these standards stayed on longer and were less likely to tempt a cat into removal.
Based on our cats’ preferences and ease of use, we picked our three favorite Halloween costumes—options that married visual appeal with practicality. After all, the best cat Halloween costume is the one your cat will wear.
Easiest to Wear: Bat Wings Cat Costume
Lewis is ready for takeoff.
This cat costume was an all-around hit! It was lightweight and easy to put on, so Lewis pretty much had no idea it was there. As he flitted about the house flapping his wings, the other cats took notice and he quickly became everyone’s favorite new toy.
There are just two attachment points—one at the neck and one at the chest—and both are adjustable: the chest can fit cats between 14 and 17 inches in diameter, and the neck circumference can be adjusted between 9 and 14 inches. The three-millimeter-thick felt is soft and light as a feather.
Rover kitty rating: 4 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonMost Versatile: Spider Cat Costume
Lewis makes creepy crawlies cute.
Lewis gladly donned this spider costume for some time, as it was lightweight and attached easily and comfortably with two Velcro straps—one around the collar and the other just behind the front legs. The felt isn’t especially durable, so we don’t think you’ll get more than one Halloween out of it. But the legs mostly keep out of your kitty’s way, and the easy-on and easy-off take a lot of the stress out of cat costuming.
Rover kitty rating: 4 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonMost Cat-Friendly: Dracula Cape
Beso prefers kisses to bites.
This is another favorite from a cat’s point of view—and a classic for humans. Dracula’s cape is extremely lightweight and fastens with a little Velcro tab just under the bow. It can be put on in one fell swoop, so your cat may not even notice the transition. Beso, who finds cat clothing extremely offensive, either didn’t know it was there or just thought he looked mighty fine. Which, as you can see, he did.
We like that the cape is too short to trip up a cat or get in their way. As for the optional attached headpiece, we gave it a pass and didn’t think the costume suffered without it.
Rover rating: 4 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonRunners Up: 12 More Cat Costumes to Consider
There are some gems among these runner-up costumes, but we think they’re a little advanced for the average kitty to enjoy. Why? We found only the most advanced clothes-wearing kitties can tolerate costumes that involve snaps, heavy material, multiple pieces, or the insertion of body parts into arm, leg, ear, or tail holes.
Nevertheless, for the fashion-forward cats, we’ve rounded up the best advanced cat Halloween costumes, ranging from tacos and pizza to scary pirates and unicorns. (Note: A couple of these were so advanced we had to call in dog siblings for help.)
Pet Taco Costume
Here’s Lewis looking mighty tasty.
Even though it had three strips of Velcro, our test kitty didn’t mind this costume too much. One band attached around his chest while the other two bands, less popularly located, went under his tummy. This costume also came with a little sombrero, but the elastic chin strap was too loose, so he immediately shook it off.
The felt of the taco is a little heavy, and a determined cat could easily slink out—so we think this costume is better for sedate kitties who would be content to nap through a Halloween party (or a photoshoot).
Rover kitty rating: 3 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonPizza Slice Cat Costume
The prettiest slice you’ll ever lay eyes on.
Out of the box, this cat costume seemed too big—but it proved to be super lightweight and therefore acceptable to our gracious volunteer, Alley Cat. The pizza is constructed to stay put with what amounts to a pair of pet Spanx attached to its underside.
Obviously, Alley Cat has no need for shapewear, so we just slipped the pizza part over her head. While she looked super tasty, this is probably a costume that would work better on a dog.
Rover kitty rating: 2 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonLion Mane Cat Costume
Marmalade is looking fierce.
Marmalade seriously rocked this lion cat costume, a lightweight headpiece with Velcro closure under the chin. While it was simple, and obviously among the cutest things ever, most of the cats (and dogs) we tried this on weren’t fans.
We guess that’s because it covers ears and decreases peripheral vision, which obviously would be a bit of a shock to any kitty.
Rover kitty rating: 2 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonSanta Claus Cat Costume
Lewis offers tidings of comfort and joy.
For fans of Nightmare Before Christmas, this cat costume is hard to beat. Lewis, though, was on the fence; while he tolerated this costume, he only did so on his terms: “No legs in leg slots, guys.” The right way to don this costume is to pull the whole thing over your kitty’s head and then insert each of the front legs into a sleeve—a move we’ve seen a lot more dogs tolerate than cats.
Lewis put up with the over-the-head part, and even the little Santa hat (which had an adjustable Velco tab for comfort), but the leg slots were a no-go. Good thing he’s such a jolly guy.
Rover kitty rating: 3 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonWitch Cat Hat
Caillou casting a spell on you.
Cat hats are incredibly dashing—and have one of the shortest costume lifespans. All you have to do is slip the hat on to the kitty’s head and make sure the elastic chin strap is in place, and all they have to do is pull it off and try to kill it. Being that it costs about the same as a cat toy, it seems only fair to let it become one.
If you’re in the market for ten minutes of a photoshoot but mostly a festive new cat toy, we like this witch hat.
Rover kitty rating: 3 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonDinosaur Pet Costume
Olivia, the little Stegosaurus with a big attitude.
“Put it on me!” said no cat, ever, to this costume—which is why we tried it on a dog. The two-piece costume (in this case, an extra small) is really cute, but it requires putting ears and legs both into and under things. As previously noted, these requirements fall into the “unacceptable” category for the cats of our acquaintance.
The suit is also thickly padded, making it a little too bulky for a kitty to put up with. It is very lightweight, though, and model Olivia was more than happy to strike a few poses in it.
Rover kitty rating: 1 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonPirate Cat Costume
Shiver me timbers! Lewis is the most patient kitty ever.
Being a pirate requires cattitude, and Lewis has plenty. So much so that we couldn’t get this outfit on him properly. This costume, in particular, had very complicated leg sleeves. Each had a couple of different elastic bands inside, barriers to sliding dagger-tipped feet through really fast.
The hat was also a cat conundrum, with strange rigging inside presumably meant to hold on to ears—but it didn’t come close to matching up with Lewis’s, so we just placed it on his head. Lastly, there was a little cape with two strings that we think is meant to be tied around a cat’s neck. Not gonna happen. Unless you are a dog.
Rover kitty rating: 1 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonCowboy Sheriff Cat Costume
Git along lil’ doggies!
Another of the “legs in” style of costume, this one was pretty easy to manage getting at least one of Lewis’s front legs into. He wasn’t so cooperative with the other, so we just left one leg in, one leg out, and popped the little cowboy hat on his head.
While the hat has an adjustable elastic band, the tether that held it in place didn’t stay put too well, which allowed Lewis to just pull it off whenever he wanted to go hatless. Which was immediately.
Rover kitty rating: 2 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonPumpkin Cat Costume
No. Just, no.
Alley Cat wanted nothing to do with this costume. While it was easy enough to get on and seemed to fit her comfortably, she was not a fan of the sparkly little leaves that framed her face. The hat was also unpopular, and we couldn’t get her to keep it on. It is strangely flat, which means to get a kitty’s ears in it, you have to flatten them out to the sides to pull them through the little ear loops before adjusting the chin strap.
It was all too much for Alley Cat (and around this time she decided to stop cooperating with kitty dress-up entirely).
Rover kitty rating: 1 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonShark Pet Costume
All bark, no bite.
If you had a very tolerant hairless cat, this would make a perfect cat sweater. The costume is a super soft one-piece with snaps on the underside. Though we managed to get one of our kitty’s legs through the little arm-holes, rolling him over to secure the snaps proved an impossibility.
Thankfully, Olivia the Halloweiner dog was still on deck. There is nothing funnier than a little wiggle-tailed shark circling around your ankles cruising for a treat. Overall, this costume is probably best-suited for a dog and comes in very specific sizing to ensure a pooch’s comfort—but we wouldn’t rule it out for kitties comfortable with sweaters.
Rover kitty rating: 3 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonTurkey Pet Costume
Cats can certainly be turkeys, but this is taking it too far.
This multi-piece costume was a failure according to the ever-patient Alley Cat. The body piece was fine, but when it came to tying the tail on around her hindquarters, plus Velcro-ing on two turkey booties, then guiding her ears through the two holes in the head of the costume, she finally laid down the law.
It was the last part that did her in; after we repeatedly placed her ears in the earholes, the costume still kept slipping onto the back of her head. This is probably a better dog costume, but our guess is its myriad pieces would still be problematic.
Rover rating: 1 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonUnicorn Cat Hat
Caillou thinks there is nothing magical about any of this.
We really thought this was going to be a winner, but 100 percent of the kitties we tried it on despised it, including Caillou. Ultimately, we think it was the whole smooshed ears/loss of peripheral vision combination that made the unicorn cat hat a loser.
The flowing rainbow mane and horn proved great “handles” for claws to dig in and pull the hat off. As you can see from the picture, the gold thread that once gave the unicorn horn some definition was immediately torn loose and became a snag hazard for kitties running for cover.
Rover kitty rating: 1 out of 4 paws
Shop on AmazonShould You Get a Costume for Your Cat?
As with most things, it depends on your cat. Our main takeaway from this experiment won’t come as a shock: most cats don’t really enjoy wearing clothes. (Rest assured, all models were well-compensated with treats and love.)
If you know your cat won’t tolerate clothing of any kind, we give you full permission to skip the Halloween stress. Consider celebrating spooky season with a festive collar or a pumpkin snack instead. Your life—and your kitty’s—will be better for it.
If you think your cat might be up for a costume and you want to give it a try, we recommend selecting one that
- Has a size chart so you can get a comfortable fit
- Is adjustable
- Relies on just one or two Velcro attachment points to stay on
- Is lightweight (felt is a great option)
- Comes in one piece
When shopping for a cat costume, we find it’s best to avoid
- Snap closures, especially on the belly
- Heavy or excess material
- Multiple pieces (especially hat and paw accessories)
- Sleeves or leg holes—anything that requires a cat to insert their paws, tail, or ears
- Costumes that limit peripheral vision
Lubov via iStock
How To Get a Cat into Their Halloween Costume: Tips and Tricks
1. Measure your cat
The best tip we have to get a cat into a costume starts way back at the buying stage: before you purchase a costume, make sure to measure your cat. You’ll want their neck circumference (at the point where a collar would rest), their chest circumference (loop the measuring tape around their shoulders and behind their front legs), and their topline (along their spine from collar to butt, excluding tail).
Measuring your cat is important because in the pet costume world, sizes like “small” and “large” mean nothing; they’re not standardized. Your cat could be a medium in one costume and an extra-small in another. Armed with your cat’s measurements, you’ll be able to use a costume’s size chart to figure out which is the best fit.
2. Let your cat get comfortable around the costume
Once you have your costume, we recommend leaving it somewhere around the house for a few days so your cat can check it out. Some encouraging treats placed on top of it occasionally can build positive associations.
3. Try it on
Next, we recommend a test run. Before the big day, help your cat into the costume. Figure out how it works on your own so you’re not repositioning it once it’s on your kitty, then work quickly, offering lots of treats. Lickable treats are especially handy, since they can keep your friend occupied and in one position while you work.
4. Plan for a limited debut
When costume time arrives, repeat the try-on with lots of treats and have the camera ready—the costume might not stick around that long.
