She sat like this for 20 ish minutes before I got the look of disgust and took it off.




She's not too fussed though as she came for cuddles/purred at me after!

Lol... I don't blame her!

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Lily

I think its sweet that she puts up with this habit you have of dressing her up.
Is she getting less bothered by it over time?
If you treat and train she will tolerate more costumes and for longer I would expect.. letting her sleep and scent on them will make them less odd to her also.
This looks like its lots of fun for you

She obviously loves you to tolerate these funny costumes that Im sure smell odd and feel funny (different fabrics)

Shame you couldnt get a shot of her bumble bee face... I bet it was a picture ;)

Let me know if you find a cute Xmas suit.... I might be tempted to buy one for Cleo .. just for Xmas day and to entertain family for as long as she will put up with it of course.

< ---- (yes, 100% man, 100% hetro but considering a xmas suit for my girl)

That is just soooo cruel!

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I don't actually find that funny, she was obviously upset by it, and whilst we all know it would not hurt her, she didn't know that and if she stood like that for 20 minutes before you removed it, that is just not fair on the cat .
I find it is best not to scare or upset your cat, unless there is a pretty good reason and a stupid costume is not a good reason IMO, it is just cruel...

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Elaine

The number of things you can rightfully call cruelty are unfortunately many and common in the real world of pet ownership.
Putting a cat in a jacket is way way down the list of things cats dont appreciate IMO.
For all my girl knows or cares her jacket could be bright pink with flashing accessories and she would still be keen to get into it to go out for a walk.
Perhaps the hood on this one suit (covering ears?) is confusing and not fun for TigerLily's girl but this is hardly cruelty. Especially if she earned a nice treat and a play for being patient with her silly mommy.

I personally wouldnt water down the meaning of the word cruelty by using it in this case.
not when there is real cruelty to animals going on somewhere.

I did not say it was "animal cruelty" in the normal scheme of things, but putting a cat in a position that it is unhappy for 20 minutes, is not really what anyone who respects and loves their pet, should be doing IMO.
I would rather my pets purred and came for cuddles of their own volition, and not in relief and in a desire to appease me, after being put into a nasty situation by me.

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Elaine

I think you're being a little unfair to call me "cruel."
We have started her harness training and for 20 minutes a day she will do the same thing. Is that also cruel? Training her to be able to go for walks? (the pink winged thing is the harness)
I don't scare nor upset her with intend and to add to your comment below, she purs and cuddles me without me being nasty to her (which I would never do.)

If this were a puppy, no one would have any issue. I also don't make a habit of dressing her up, I just thought it was cute and decided to give it a shot. She is far too independent and jumpy for me to do this regularly. I simply wanted to test it out.

May I also add that if I am to walk her in winter, it will be with some kind of coat. I've had this cleared as OK with a pet store - if she's used to it and will tolerate it then she should be fine to walk with one under her harness. The bumble bee thing is no different to a coat imo.

Edit: She also put up a huge fuss about her collar. She laid there refusing to move several times (I repeatedly took it off and put it back on.) Eventually I was told to leave it be as she has to get used to it. Not a single person called me cruel for doing so or said I was unfair. Because collars are something every cat wears. Yet she was obviously unhappy with it. I just want to add that she no longer cares about the collar. Cares significantly less about her harness.

Thank you. I'm quite offended that it has been implied that I am an abusive pet owner.
She gets played with constantly so it's not an issue for her to have to earn that.
I don't hurt or hit my animals. I don't punish her or lock her up when she attacks my feet or hands. I give her clean water and feed her every day. I spend hours playing with her and should she not want disturbing I leave her be. She is far from an abused pet. I was simply having fun.

I love lily and I have only ever done what I could to ensure she was happy and healthy.

And there are tons of cute christmas outfits - if she gets used to the harness I am to assume she will be used to the costume... If that happens she will definitely be in a cute little Santa one for the christmas cards this year. I got it from Ebay for quite cheap. I think you're right in regards to the hood. She was fine with my putting it on, but when the hood went up she was not happy. She batted it down.

Cleo is totally fine in her coat (got one already but not cold enough yet) and her jacket and she is oblivious to the colour and design of them also.
As long as she gets to go out she is totally unfazed by what she is wearing.

Can you link me to costumes? ... or do you buy them in-store?
I think it would be fun for my little nephew and cousins to see her in a Xmas suit (my family all come to my home for xmas day) and I know for a fact I can make it a fun ''task'' for her to show off in it for treats and fuss from the family.

Lily isn't at the stage she is unfazed yet. She is not overly keen on the harness but will play and run around with it on. She is scared of the lead so I avoid attaching it but leave it close to her so she can sniff and play with it to get comfortable. Her collar was tricky, she absolutely hated the bell and seemed genuinely scared of it (meowing, jumping and looking skittish) so I took it off when I realised and she settled well - she clawed it and sat staring at me for some time every time I put it on her though.

She's just not used to things on her - collar included so it shocks her a bit. The harness had the same affect as the bumble bee costume, with Lily just not being very responsive and somewhat like a moody child.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Christmas-sma ... 416d5534b3

I get them from ebay. Be sure to wash them before trying them though! The bumblebee one was for a small puppy or small cat and cost £1.50.
I think this would fit an adult cat as they come significantly smaller.
You can get them most sizes and pretty cheap as I've said.
Just put in cat costume. They have Yoda, too, which is awesome but I'll avoid for now!
I didn't really show any one Lily's costume. I wasn't trying to show case her, I just wanted to test it and see if it looked as adorable as I thought she would.

When I was little, I put a doll's dress on our male cat and my dad chewed me out for it! The cat didn't like it much either. I can't even remember how I managed to get it on him. I do know my current Bengal would not sit still for me to dress him up. It's a really cute costume, though. I'm partial to bumble bees.

Mine just fall over slowly like they're drunk.
Max is convinced that his harness weighs at least 50 pounds and refuses to jump when wearing his harness.
However, he is calmer and more easily comforted wearing it.
Faust is terrified of his, but I'm going to have to be cruel and make him wear it
because I'm not transporting these cats 10.5 hours without harnesses on
for when I do let them out of the carriers at stops. So, they'll have to suck it up.
The devil costume a friend gave me had the same effect.
Actually, they responded better to the harnesses after experiencing the costume.
Though, Faust did appear to be a little mortified. He has a wonderful indignant face.
In the grand scheme of things, I really don't think you're going to scar a cat for life (or even days)
by putting a costume on it. If you can actually get the thing on with their (begrudging) permission,
you should be good. A cat who Does Not Want the jacket, harness, costume, will not let you get it on.

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Alex did the same thing, it was hilarious. Once he got used to it he was all good. Now he comes galloping when I pick up his jacket, coz he knows we're going outside.

Love the bumble bee costume, Viperkeeper had something similar for Pouncey and he was equally impressed

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