Is it cruel to make your pet wear clothes?

Is it cruel to make your pet wear clothes? Do you dress up your pets at all?

I personally dislike seeing animals wear 'clothes' just for the cuteness factor. They look uncomfortable and more like toys/dolls than an animal.

I am ok with breeds like chihuahuas wearing coats in the winter due to lack of fur but otherwise i'm anti pet clothes.

Thoughts?

We just had a thread about dogs wearing clothes.

I think it is quite unnatural for animals to wear clothes. Many animals can't sweat like we do, with extra clothes outside their fur, it's just easier to make them overheating.

I haven't seen any cats were made to wear clothes. It's mainly about dogs.

Just like Ram said - animals' skin and coat need to "breath" and be able to sweat.

I have seen both cats and dogs wearing clothing. Personally, I think it's stupid when people dress their animals frequently just for the cuteness factor.

Now, for those animals, like Melody mentioned, who have no real fur to keep warm in the cold winters, then putting on a jacket and boots for bathroom walks outside is one thing. But when the animals come inside, take the clothes OFF! LOL.

I also don't mind the Halloween costume, but only if they are wearing it for an hour or so as we then go back to the sweating and such subject.

I do believe it depends on the weather.

If it's relatively warm outside, a pet should not be wearing a jacket, a sweater or anything else an owner deems to be "cute." I've seen owners put coats on their dogs when it's 20 degrees Celsius.

I also think it's wrong to force your dog to wear a costume just to make him or her look "cute." I've covered the Woofstock up here in Toronto for work and I always see the same thing every year and the dogs always look miserable or sad.

Beyond a neck scarf, I don't like dogs wearing clothes. I have a couple of small jackets for my Jack Russell because she gets cold in the Winter when we take our walks. She will shiver from the cold. However, she hates the whole idea. It's taken me two years to get her tolerate wearing one.

I know people who have pajamas and sweat shirts for their dogs. I think it would make them too warm if they wore this stuff all the time. I can see an older dog needing some extra warmth, but not young dogs. That is, unless you live in a snowy, cold place. Then it might be necessary.

I don't know if anyone watches the Dog Whisperer. Once there was an episode where a woman had hundreds of pieces of clothing for her little dog. Tutus, t-shirts, and dresses. I thought it was a bit disturbing. I think she really wanted a child.

I think it can be quite sweet to give them a little accessory for a special occasion, like weddings or Christmas.

I wouldn't dress them up all the time though. They're not people, and it never looks that comfortable for them either!

Animals like dogs and cats already have their "clothes". It is their fur. Putting extra clothes on them is like putting another layer of fur outside of our already comfortable clothes. I do not think it will be comfortable any more.

Special occasion is totally fine. Special species during special weather condition is also fine. Do it on daily basis for the sake of showing off a "cooler" dog or cat is not a good idea.

When I saw your post it made me grin thinking about Jay Leno and how much he HATES seeing pets in clothes! He often mentions it on his TV Late Show. It's a huge "pet peeve" of his - haha!

Anyway, we've never dressed up any of our animals - no one in our entire family has. We have been discussing getting our Tonkinese cat a coat though because he is cold all winter long inside the house. He has very little fur (nice for keeping shedding down to a bare minimum!) and is always on top of the bird's heater during the winter time. I'm just not sure he'd take to wearing clothes though.

I just think if an animal shows distress when you're doing something unnecessary to it - don't do it!

From what I know, dogs do not have sweat glands on their skin, so they don't sweat like we do. That's why when they are hot, they pant. That's their way of cooling themselves.

As for the clothes, I do not feel that it's cruel. It's more like ridiculous to me. Like this little doggie here:

(06-24-2012, 10:26 PM)Victor Leigh Wrote: From what I know, dogs do not have sweat glands on their skin, so they don't sweat like we do. That's why when they are hot, they pant. That's their way of cooling themselves.

As for the clothes, I do not feel that it's cruel. It's more like ridiculous to me. Like this little doggie here:

You pretty much copied what I already said.



Yes they don't sweat, but they still release heat through their skin, just not as good as us who can sweat. Any extra clothes outside their fur would still make them feel hotter. The amount of fur they have is already adjusted to their natural need.

That picture is ridiculous lol. If someone wants a little girl so badly, go have a daughter or adopt one.

I also dislike animal wearing clothes, God has given them natural clothes and these animals looks cool in their own specific look.

It seems a little cruel if you stuff your dog into clothes for fashion.

Clothes on a daily basis, I don't thinks it's cruel, it's more unnecessary. That being said, I do make costumes for my dogs at Halloween. It's a tradition that started when my kids were smaller. And the dogs don't seem to mind and they are not stuffed into them. I see nothing wrong with it, although others may disagree.

I think it depends on the animal. Some seem to enjoy it, others tolerate it, and others can't stand it. Dogs seem to take it best, probably because they are so social and like attention. I used to dress my cat in doll clothes and put him in a bassinet when I was a child. He tolerated it and was a very easy going cat.
I see some of you talking about them getting overheated but some dogs are so small or are shaved so I think a sweater could be a good idea, especially in cold weather.
If you want to see a cute dog in clothes check out Boo on Youtube, Facebook, his own site, or even his own BOOK! haha. He is so darling.

A lot of pets do get cold in the winter (depending on how severe the winter is where you live). Cats are often indoors, but dogs need their walks, and some of them Do need to wear clothes outside. There are a lot of small breeds and short-haired breeds, and their fur isn't enough for a regular winter. Saying that they shouldn't wear clothes because it "isn't natural" is a bit silly, isn't it? It's as natural to humans as it is to them, we wear it for warmth and practical reasons too. As for dressing up pets just for appearances, I don't see anything wrong with that either as long as the pet himself doesn't mind. I've heard of pets who actually get happy when it's time for dressing up. I'm sure that there are people who forcefully make their pets wear clothes even if the pet doesn't enjoy it and it's not cold outside, and that would be cruel.

I have a few outfits for Peanut and Prissy (my Yorkies). However, I only do shirts and sweaters. It gets a little ridiculous when you start buying scarves, socks, shoes, hats, etc. The outfits that Peanut and Prissy have are seasonal and mostly just for picture purposes. They each have Thanksgiving and Christmas sweaters for example. My nieces and nephews get a kick out of seeing them in their cute little outfits. When I dress them, I only make them wear the clothes for a little while. Otherwise, you can tell that they get too hot and itchy with them on. We have a vacation place in the Mountains so naturally when we are there during the winter months they have to wear their sweaters more often. I like to look at Target in the dollar area of the store because sometimes around the holidays you can find cute shirts for $1 or $2.

Though I'm sure my dog would look very good in some clothes, I don't get him any. I wouldn't probably call it cruel but letting pets wear clothes is not natural for them. I would like them, as much as possible, to live their lives normally. Clothes might bother them because they weren't meant to wear clothes. How will they dig is they had shoes on? If they were cold because they lived in a cold country where they don't normally live I guess it would be fine but otherwise, I don't see the need. I do not have anything against others who do dress up their pets though. Just like raising kids all of us want the best for our pets and I guess not letting them wear clothes is what I personally think is best.

Unless you are keeping your pet in clothes for a long time every day, I do not think it is cruel to dress up your little dog every now and then. Some animals even seems to enjoy dressing up and showing off, and I think it is fine to do if you have a dog that enjoys it.
I have dressed up Chipper before, but not for a long time, just to take a picture or something like that, and in the wintertime when it is cold, he likes wearing his jacket when he goes outside.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. If the pet is not bothered then I don't see why not. They do seem to like it during cold weather, so as long as the pet comfortable then go ahead. In Sri Lanka, they even make the elephants that go on parade wear magnificent traditional decorations!

So long as the pets are not irritated or are not suffering from overheating or suffocation of any kind, then by all means get them that nice little outfit! They may even like prancing around and showing it off.

I'm anti pet clothes too. I think if it's for practical reasons like keeping them warm in the winter that's one thing. But if it's just for the cuteness factor, then I don't find it appealing. It seems like a way to mock animals, to dress them up. No matter how cute dogs are, they are still animals. I think if people want to dress something up, buying a doll is the way to go, not adopting a puppy!

I don't think it's cruel. But even then, I don't like putting clothes on my dog. The only time he wears clothes is during the cold winter when I take him outside. He has a nice hoodie to keep his ears warm and he seems to enjoy that sweater too. However, some people go overboard with the amount of clothing that is put on some animals. It seems dogs don't mind as much as cats do though.

In general, I don't think it reaches the level of cruelty unless the animal is clearly uncomfortable and is still forced to wear them. I don't know anyone who dresses their dogs just to be cute, though I have seen the occasional sweater or jacket for cold days. I have seen people online who like to dress their dogs in cutesy outfits. It does seem silly, and while I wouldn't just tell someone to get a child just to dress it up, I would recommend something like doll collecting if they don't have kids who like to dress up.

When I was a child we had mostly smaller breeds, which is exactly the type of dog these cute costumes cater to. While we had a sweater or jacket for them to wear during walks in the cold Maine winters, they were not fans of wearing clothes. To be honest one of them loved the sweater and the other one hated it. He'd try and get it off the second we were off the porch.

We purchased them Halloween costumes once. Only once. They tore them apart and got them off. After that we figured it was their way of saying no way, I'm not a person, don't dress me like one.

Where I live it would be very cruel to make your pet wear clothes it is very hot. Pets are hot enough with their own fur coats to add a fabric coat over the top of itwould just be cruel . Even though they are darn cute in it . I personally wouldn't do that .

I think it is basically ridiculous to dress up pets in clothes like they are a doll or a baby. I can't imagine that any of them especially likes it. However, I remember when I was a kid growing up, we had a big, fuzzy black cat, named Fuddy and my sister and I would dress him up, put him in the baby carriage and push him around. He never seemed to mind and we were just playing anyway.

A few years ago I had a bottle baby goat that lived in the house and I couldn't leave her by herself. I had to go somewhere and it was freezing cold outside so I put a little girls top on her to help keep her warm because she always shivered when she was outside. We stopped at a friend's house on the way and the friend seen the goat with her little shirt on and she gave me a little dog coat that she used on her dog once. The coat fit the goat perfectly, so she wore that if she had to go outside. The coat just fit over her back loosely and there weren't any leg holes or anything in it. It was more of a wrap or shawl type thing, so she wasn't restricted in her movements.