In short, they’re both. It’s always funny to see a furry little quadruped dressed in his or her finest inmate costume, but cats insist that the process is highly unappreciated.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to find a “dog costume“, but that “cat costumes” pretty much don’t exist? Even if you don’t live with cats, you probably understand that getting one into a costume is generally a fool-hearty adventure. Yes, they look so cute that you will probably squeal, but at what cost? Some cats are good natured enough to let you treat them like a dog (zing!), but most of them would rather rabbit-kick you in the face than endure the humiliation of a costume.

Want an easier target? Kittens are easy to dress up, if you can find a costume small enough. Unless it involves meeting the family dog, they’re a pretty agreeable bunch. That wild look in Link’s eyes over there makes me think that he’s got more important things to do than hold a grudge. Immediately following the photo he just hauled ass to chase a dust bunny, not even noticing the fancy little cap he was still wearing. Kittens grow up though, so what are your options after Link Jr. starts cataloging your offenses, and extracting revenge via your home furnishings?

You can safeguard your flesh and furniture whilst still making your pet look a little more festive with latex nail caps.

Soft Paws/Soft Claws come in a long list of colors, and around Halloween the black/orange combo looks perfect. We’ve been using these on our cats for years and they barely seem to notice them, while we get a good laugh every time they try to claw up the carpet. Hah hah, nice nails tough guy.

As long as you’re not endangering or hurting your kitty, you can probably get him to wear a costume for at least long enough to take a picture. He may rip it off moments later, but you’ll still have proof for the Cats in costume flickr group or Costume Cats. If you happen to have a cat who enjoys being dressed up (or just want to laugh at more cats in costumes), be sure to check out Pet Office from Japan. (Here’s the English translation.)

April UPDATE: Cat wigs. Seriously.

Have you dressed your cat in a costume? We’d love to see pictures, so please leave a comment!