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If you are trying to find ways to calm your cat because you are doing something such as going to the vet an anxiety jacket would be a good thing to invest in.
Why Should You Get An Anxiety Jacket?
These types of jackets apply a gentle pressure on your cat resulting in a calming effect on your pet. They are not only cheap but they are veterinarian recommended, drug free and are also good for grooming and traveling overall.
They help with anxiety but they look great on your cat as well. These jackets could also help your cat if they have separation anxiety are scared of things such as fireworks, thunder and lightning, are overly excited all the time or any other loud noises as well.
How Long Should Your Cat Wear An Anxiety Jacket?
If you are going to put one of these on your cat you don’t want them wearing it for no more than two hours at a time. After you take it off you also want to check if there are any irritation points on your cat.
Check Sizing
One final note I should make before listing these jackets is that you should check the size chart on the amazon page of whatever jacket you are thinking about buying. If you get one that isn’t the right dimensions it won’t fit your cat.
How To Put On A ThunderShirt/Anxiety Jacket
Putting on the jacket is very easy to do. The directions in this video are for dogs but it works just as well for cats.
1: ThunderShirt Anxiety Jacket
If you want the best overall anxiety jacket with an 80% success rate the ThunderShirt by Thunderworks is the best overall choice you should go with in my opinion and its the brand most people decide to get for their cat including myself. Its made out of really good material and is guaranteed to last as long as your pets life. I’ve had mine for a long time and it still holds up. I really like the material it feels very nice on the hands and probably even nicer for my cat wearing it.
The only thing I could honestly complain about this jacket and the other ones similar to it is you might have a hard time putting on as cats hate wearing things so you might struggle at first until they get used to it. This happened to me with my cats but they eventually got used to it after a week or so. This jacket however only comes in grey and comes in Small (below 9 lbs) Medium (9 to 13 lbs) and Large (13 pounds and up). It would be nice if it came in other colors as well. You want to get the medium size if your cat has a chest size 13″ up to 17″ and from 9-13 lbs. Click here for the chewy.com link.
2: American Kennel Club Anxiety Jacket
Out of all the ThunderShirt alternatives this one is my favorite and the best made of any that I have tried. I actually like the material on this jacket better than the ThunderShirt believe it or not. I’m more of a fan of cotton spandex than the the 60% Polyester, 35% Rayon, 5% Spandex the ThunderShirt is made out of.
They are roughly the same price as well depending on where you get it. It was very easy to put on which was pretty much the same process as the ThunderShirt and my cat loved using it the time I had it on her. It was very effective at relieving anxiety. It comes in Blue, Grey and Pink. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.
3: Mellow Shirt Anxiety Jacket
If you want something other than the ThunderShirt and want more variety in the colors the Mellow Shirt is another option that you could go with. It designed for dogs but will work with cats just as well as long as you get the sizing right of course. When I tried this jacket out it was pretty close to the quality of the ThunderShirt but not quite. First of all I don’t like the fabric as much on this one. It feel slightly cheaper. It has the same double belly velcro system as the ThunderShirt as well.
I don’t like how it doesn’t cover as much as the ThunderShirt does but it does get the job done. These can run large so I got a size smaller than what my cat would wear and it fit her fine. Overall, this isn’t as good as the ThunderShirt from a build quality standpoint but its cheaper, has more of a color selection but does pretty much the same thing so I think its worth a buy. It also come more colors such as Aluminum, Cyprus, Lime, Navy, Radiant Orchid, and Sangria. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.
4: Cattamao Comfort Anxiety Relief Coat
This is one of those types of jackets for dogs but this one will work with cats as well. The fabric is nice but not exactly one of my favorites that I have tried. When I put this one on my cats it worked very well for relieving anxiety. Pretty much the same as the other jackets in effectiveness just doesn’t feel as well quality as the ThunderShirt or the AKC jacket.
Overall, its a pretty good jacket if you want something cheaper and just works. Its made out of Elastic and Polyester and it comes in XS, S, M, L and XL (which runs small so oder a size bigger) and comes in grey, light grey, navy and rose. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.
5: Winbate Anxiety Jacket
This one is mainly advertised for dogs but the small model will work fine for your cat. This jacket has an attachment to put a leash on it and it has a handle on the back so you can pick your cat up if you need to for whatever reason. When I put this on my cat it worked very well and kept my cat calm just as well as the other jackets on this list. I don’t really like the material on this jacket as its nylon and polyester and the design isn’t exactly the most asthetically pleasing but for the cheap price it works great for what it is. it comes in small, medium, large and extra large and the colors you can choose from are blue, grey, and yellow. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
6: KittyStar Anxiety Jacket
Here is another anxiety jacket/vest that I personally have used and I think it works quite well. It’s another vest for dogs but it will work for your cat too. Its made out of a Polyester, Spandex combination which feel pretty nice actually and the strap system pretty much works the same as your standard anxiety jacket.
When I tried this vest on my cat it was really easy to put on and it did what it was supposed to do like the other vests. Some people complained that the stitching was sewn wrong on the neck but I didn’t have this problem with mine. The biggest appeal of this vest is probably the price which around half of the more expensive ones. The colors include blue, green grey and pink. The sizes include small, medium, large and X Large. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
7: Apetian Anxiety Jacket
This is a great cheap alternative to the ThunderShirt. However, I had to order another one of these because the sizing was wrong. They ran very small and I needed to get a size up. Once I got the right size it fit perfectly on my cat and it functioned very well to keep my cat calm. They fortunately updated the sizing on their amazon page so they should be more accurate now. Its made out of 60% viscose, 35% matel silk fabric, 5% spandex. Fabric is nice but I like some of the others better. Its comes in dark and light grey and you can get it in x-small, medium, large and x-large. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
8: QIYADIN Anxiety Jacket
I like this one because I like it aesthetically. However it only comes in grey. It also is made out of breathable 62% Viscose Fiber, 33% Polyester and 5% Spandex material which feels pretty decent. Very easy to get it on my cat and it relieved her anxiety like the rest of the jackets. It would be nice if it had more colors to choose from though but the grey color is very nice looking. It comes in XS, S, M, L and XL. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
9: MCHY Anxiety Jacket
I like this one mainly because I like the way it looks and the material feels nice on it which is a Polyester, Spandex combination. The side patch really makes it stand out Like the other jackets it was very easy to put on and my cat enjoyed being in it when I was using it at the time. I also like this vest because the price is very good and on the lower end. It also comes in some nice colors including grey, navy, pink and rose. The sizes you can get in are small, medium, large and x-large. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
Final Thoughts
There aren’t many of these types of jackets specifically for cats but the ones that are out there do a pretty good job at what they do even if they are meant for dogs. The ThunderShirt or AKC jacket are the best on this list but the other cheap options do exactly the same thing and are just effective. They will just be made out of slightly less appealing materials and wont be made as good.
Something that you should also consider. Like any other product these jackets have a good chance of helping your cat relax but other times with other cats they might not work at all. My experience however they have always made a difference to some extent.
