For those who want to take the group costume to even higher extremes, a pirate cat costume gets the family feline into the picture. It's become more difficult to find ready-made costumes for cats, but you can always try making your own.
The Fun of Pirate Cat Costumes
Let's face it - dressing animals as humans is funny. We can't be sure that the animals agree, but we like to hope they don't mind us laughing at them. And when an animal is in a silly costume, we laugh that much more.
Cats are naturally harder to dress up than dogs. You have to start doing it from the time they are kittens, otherwise they won't tolerate the intrusion. You may think it's all harmless fun, but it's not harmless when sweet little Fluffy is biting and clawing. However, many cats are tolerant of costumes and will enjoy the attention.
A cat dressed as a pirate is especially appealing because cats have an outlaw, renegade, individualistic aspect to their personalities, so they are natural pirates. In a skull and crossbones cap and a bandana tied around the neck, you can almost hear your cat saying "avast ye mateys," or something to that effect.
Shopping for Cat Costumes
Cat costumes in general are fewer than dog costumes and more difficult to find. In a pinch, you may be able to make do with a costume for small dogs. The cat-oriented site Spoiled Rotten Kitties has costumes and even has a picture of a pirate cat costume, but it seems to not carry the piece anymore. They do have a costume for a pirate dog and they say the small should fit. It is simply a red and white striped scarf with a skull and crossbones headpiece. The end of the headpiece dangles near the face, so you might have to be prepared for a lot of batting.
For a more elaborate costume, assess whether the costume at Unique Dog Clothing is small enough to fit your cat. It's a red and white striped top with a black jagged "skirt" and a red and white striped bandana headpiece, which may not work for cat ears.
Amazon has a pirate costume that can be for extra-small dogs, so should definitely fit cats. It's a pirate wench dress, although the bodice is technically on the back so it can be seen, and includes a classic pirate hat.
Costume Considerations
Most of the reasoning beyond the few costumes commercially available for cats is that cats are just so difficult to dress up. Also, you don't tend to take cats out to show them off, so you've wasted time and possibly blood just for a picture and a laugh at home.
However, even with the most placid cats, there are things to bear in mind when planning a costume. A cat's whiskers are very sensitive and used to help it gauge whether it can fit through a small space, so it is important not to impede the whiskers. Ears are also very sensitive and used to help cool the cat off in hot weather, so if you have a costume that covers the ears, don't leave it on more than an hour or so and be sure the cat cannot get outside. If it is upset and runs away to hide, it could be in trouble. And as funny as an eye patch is on a cat, that's also just for a quick picture, not to leave on all night. But it's certainly worth it for the photo op!
