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You might be one of those people who wants to boat travel with your cat but you’re worried that they might drown in the water when you are not looking or maybe you even live on a boat and you want your cat to be a little safer when they are outside. However, one thing I noticed when shopping for life jackets is that they are marketed for mostly dogs and not really any for cats.
Its really hard to find any that is specifically made for just cats. In fact, I don’t think I found any at all. They were just labeled “pet” life preservers. I find it kind of surprising you don’t see more for just cats to be honest. I say this because contrary to popular belief there are actually cats that like swimming in water.
Certain breeds are more likely to enjoy swimming than others. Maybe most boaters think that cats don’t like water and decide not to get one? I don’t know, but to me it’s just a missed opportunity to do a cool activity with your pet. It would also help them to cool off in the hot weather as well because it does get kind of warm in these types of areas.
The good thing is the smaller ones for dogs do work for cats if they are around that size. They even have ones for kittens if you have smaller cats as well but they are somewhat limited. Here is a list of life jackets that I consider worth buying if you are on a boat with your feline companion (or companions).
Why Get A Life Jacket For Your Cat?
Accidents can happen so if you are going anywhere that involves water such as a lake or especially the ocean you really want have one on your cat so they don’t potentially drown. If they fall in the water the handle on the top of the vest also makes it easier for you to pull them back to you onboard.
Things To Look For In A Cat Life Vest
There are some neat features a life vest can have. Here are some of the things I like to have on a life vest for my cat.
Reflector Strips
Having reflector strips on a cat life vest is really useful to have. It makes it easier to find your cat if you can’t find them for whatever reason.
Top Handle
These are a must have feature for a life jacket for me. Some of them have multiple handles which is even better. If you need to grab your cat because you are trying to get them back on board it makes it much easier to do.
Under-Chin
If a life jacket has this feature it really nice to have because it helps keep your cats head above water adding another layer of safety.
Bright Colors
Getting a life jacket with brighter colors can be really useful when you are at sea or any body of water with your cat. The reason for this is because brighter colors are easier to see so your cat will be easier to find if they happen to get lost somewhere.
Some Things To Consider
Some cats do not enjoy having things like this being put onto them and act really reluctant to putting it on. Luckily you can do some things to make it more likely they will be eventually fine with wearing the jacket. Some of these things include.
Slowly Introduce Them To The Jacket
Don’t just grab them and quickly apply the life jacket to them as this can scare them. Let them examine it first then put it on when it feels right. You also will want to do this in a comfortable environment so there is less of a chance they would be nervous putting the life jacket on.
Cats Can Be Scared Of Velcro
If you pull apart Velcro your cat may end up getting startled by the noise and may not want to put the jacket on as a result. Pull the Velcro apart slowly so it makes less noise and you should be good.
Test The Jacket First
You don’t want to be at sea or some type of body of water and they end up drowning because the jacket didn’t work right. To prevent this you should test the life jacket first. A good way to do this is to put the jacket on your cat and put them in a pool or bathtub to see if everything works right.
Make Sure To Get The Right Size
One other thing, Make sure to get the measurements of whatever product you are interested in so you don’t get the wrong size! If you get the wrong size the jacket won’t be as effective at doing its job or they won’t be able to use it all together. The sizing should be on the Amazon or chewy.com page.
1. Alcott Mariner Life Jacket
Out of all of the life jackets I have used this one probably is the best and has the most features that you can have in a life jacket and the one that I currently use the most now. I really like this one because of its really nice simple design. It has reflective strips and has a top handle that is realy comfortable to hold.
I also like it because of the chin guard which some preservers don’t have. The durability is also really great on this life jacket as I’ve used it for a while and it has not failed me yet and it has little to no signs of wear. It comes in small, medium and large. If you get a small and you have a 10 pound cat it should fit them just fine. The Amazon page for this product is here.
2. HAOCOO Dog Life Jacket Vest
If you want something without the weird fin on it or want one with a lot of variety of colors this would be another good choice for boat travel with your cat. What’s nice about these is they come in XXS so you could fit a kitten in these if you have them.
If you have just a regular cat, a XS would probably fit them just fine without any problems but apparently these particular life preservers do come in a bit small so keep this in mind. They also have measurements on the amazon page if you are curious to see if this would fit your cat.
I’m not the hugest fan of the top handle as it doesn’t feel that comfortable to hold but if you don’t care about it then it isn’t a huge deal breaker as everything else I’ve tested is quite good with this life jacket. Some of the colors choices are also very ugly but some are very nice and stylish.
If you want see more info about this life preserver, you can click here to the amazon page listing of this product. Overall, this would be a good choice if you have kittens and want to get life preservers at a really decent price.
3. Hurtta Life Jacket
Out of all the designs, this one is probably my favorite. They work for cats that are 0-10 pounds and up and you have 2 colors to choose from which are Coaral Camo and Orange I think they all look really cool.
The plastics are good quility, the material is very durable and hasn’t failed on me yet for all the years I’ve used Hurrta life jackets on my cats. It’s still in very good shape. The only gripe I have with this carrier is that it doesn’t have reflector strips on them so you might want to go with another choice if you need these on your vest.
If you have a cat that is more than 10 pounds, these life preservers can get kind of pricey keep note of that. If you cat is below 10 pounds, these are very cheap to buy. You can click here for the amazon page.
4. EZYDOG Life Jacket
This jacket says its for dogs but it works great for cats as well. It has a D-ring for leash attachment, 50% more buoyancy, its made out of heavy-duty polyester and ultra-buoyant foam and has a contoured neck. I thought this jacket did a good job at keeping my cat above the water when I used it. The only thing I don’t like however is like the other life jacket it doesn’t have reflector strips on it. The handle on the top isn’t exactly the best either. It comes in red and yellow and you get it in x-small, small, medium, large and x-large. Click here for the chewy.com link.
5. KONG Sport AquaPro Flotation Vest
I really like this vest because it not only looks nice but its made of of high quality nylon material and it has three layers of foam which is nice because some only have two. It also has reflective strips which is a huge plus so your cat doesn’t go missing. This life jacket has one of the better top handles that I have used. Its thicker and it isn’t thin and weird feeling in the hand. It also has reflector strips which work quite well. It comes in orange or green and you can get it in xx-small, x-small, small, medium, large and xx-large. Click here for the chewy.com link.
6. AOFITEE Life Jacket Pet Safety Vest
This product is one of the best pet life preservers on Amazon (click here for the amazon link). It does say its for dogs but you can put this on your cat as well if you get the smallest size. It also has a neat fin design so they look like a shark or a fish in the water. Its also made with heavy duty fabric so it lasts a very long time. I would recommend this one if you like the design of this preserver.
When I used this life jacket it was really easy to slip my cat into it and everything clicked in without too much trouble. Everything also feels very high quality and doesn’t come off like it will break early into use and it did a good job keeping my cat floating in the water. I also like how comfortable the handle is at the top.
7. Kurgo Surf N Turf Life Jacket
This is another really good choice if you want something simple looking but that works really well too. The colors include red and blue-green and the sizes are x-small, small, medium, large and x-large.
This one also has multiple handles on it which is pretty nice and they feel pretty comfortable based on my usage of this life jacket. I have also tried these on kittens and they fit quite well. I don’t really like the front design too much but its not really a deal breaker for me. You can check out the amazon.com buy page here.
8. Vivaglory Dog Life Jacket
This is a great jacket that a lot of people use for there pets and it comes in many sizes and has a lot of colors to choose from. It also has a handle on the top and reflective strips on the sides. It also has the under chin feature which is really niceand it has a D-ring feature you can attach your leash to which I have used and it works great. I really like the handle on this life jacket it feels really nice to hold and you get this at a really good price as well.
The life jacket also did a really good job when I tried this one out and I didn’t have any problems with it. It comes in blue, camo blue, camo pink, extra reflective green, extra reflective orange, extra reflective pink, extra reflective yellow, pink, sakura pink and yellow and the sizes are XS, S, M, L and XL. You can find the amazon.com buy page here.
9. Outward Hound Dog Life Jacket
This is also a preserver that many people use and works really well for cats and kittens alike. Its made out of great material that last a long time, has reflective strips and It comes in a couple of colors to choose from including orange. You can get this life jacket in S, SM, MD, LG and XL
The under chin is also included with this one which works very well and it was very easy to put on my cat. The top handle is also very nice. The only thing I don’t like about this life jacket is it has a Fisher Price vibe to it but other than that it works very well based on my usage of it. You can find the chewy.com buy page here.
10. Vivaglory Premium Neoprene Life Jacket
This one is really nice because the design stands out compared to other life jackets I’ve seen. Its made with premium neoprene material and extra built-in flotation layers so it works really well keeping your cat above water.
These would probably fit kittens as well. Best of all it has a 90 day warranty! The sizes are XS, Small and Medium and it comes in Blue, Lemon Yellow, Orange, Pink and Red. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
11: Frisco Neoprene Life Jacket
This is a really nice life jacket by Frisco that I really like. My favorite feature of this jacket is that its insulated to help with cold water. It also very safety conscious.
It has four reflective accents, bright color so it easy to spot your cat, a floating flap in the front to keep your cats head above water and it even has a handle at the top so its easy to carry them around or get them out of the water.
When I unboxed this life jacket I really liked the material it was made out of. It felt very high quality and the top handle was really nice on this one. The plastic clips also look and feel very high quality and were made with a lot of care.
I don’t think it is really necessary to have two handles on the top of the jacket but its not a huge deal for me. Overall, my cat really liked being in this life jacket and it work quite well. It comes in x-small, small, medium, large and x-large. Click here to check the current price on chewy.com.
12: Coleman Life Jacket
Believe it or not Coleman actually makes life jackets for pets and they work quite well. It has mesh material on it and is brightly colored so you can spot your pet easily. This one also has reflective strips which is good. The top handle isn’t really all that great on this one but it isn’t terrible. Overall based off of all of the life jackets I’ve used this one isn’t my favorite but I like it because its cheap and good for the price. It comes in orange and the sizes are x-small, small, medium and large. Click here to check the current price on amazon.
Final Thoughts
All life jackets are generally the same in my opinion but its nice to have the extra safety features as well. As long as it fits your cat well and is made out of good material it should be a good choice for you and your cats needs. If you have a boat and want some tips while on your trip you can read my article on that here “Boating With Cats: Everything You Need To Know“.
