40 Pets That Rocked Their Halloween Costumes

Allen, who heads PETA UK, had this to say to those who dress up their animals for Halloween: "Dress up yourself, but please leave animals out of it. They feel uncomfortable, confused, and stressed when they're forced into costumes, and we've even heard of dogs and cats choking or running away, never to be seen again," Allen said.

"PETA strongly cautions that costumes with tight rubber bands can cut off circulation and that long or trailing parts can get caught on objects—with potentially disastrous consequences—making Halloween night feel like a trick, not a treat." You can also check out PETA UK's advice on how to keep your animals safe at Halloween right here.

You should never force an animal to wear a costume if it distresses it. Just like you’d never force another human being to dress up for Halloween if they didn’t want to.

According to the RSPCA, our pets use subtle body language to communicate with us and other animals. So when you dress your pet up in a costume, you can cover up its ears, whiskers, and tail, which can make them feel uncomfortable or even frightened. What’s more, try to avoid costumes that restrict a pet’s range of motion, block their mouth, or obscure their vision.

Meanwhile, Irina Wells writes on Bought By Many that there are some signs that you should be on the lookout for to see if your pet is uncomfortable wearing a costume.

There are some obvious signs that they’re distressed like shaking, cowering, or trying to remove the costume you put so much effort into making. Then, there are more subtle indications. For instance, if you see your dog tucking its tail or your cat flicking its tail, these might be indications that it’s time to take the costume off and to spend Halloween without the frills.