Fit guide

Will it fit her? Two minutes with a string

It comes in one size, so there is nothing to choose. There is one measurement worth taking before you order, and this is it.

Last updated 06 September 2026

1Measure her back, not her weight

Weight is a rough proxy and it lies constantly — a lean 12 lb cat and a round 12 lb cat are different lengths. The measurement that decides the fit is back length: from the base of the neck, where a collar sits, to the base of the tail.

  • Use a soft tape measure, or a piece of string that you then hold against a ruler.
  • Measure while she is standing on all fours, not curled up.
  • Follow the curve of her spine rather than cutting the corner.
If she will not stand still, measure her while she is eating. It takes four seconds and she will not look up.

2Check it against the range

The costume comes in one size, so there is nothing to choose — only to check. It fits a back length of 11–17 in / 28–43 cm.

  • Under 11 in — too short for it. Usually kittens below about four months. It will slide forward onto the shoulders and she will walk out of it.
  • 11–17 in — it fits. Almost every adult cat lands here, from a 6 lb female to a 20 lb Maine Coon, along with dachshunds, corgis and other low dogs.
  • Over 17 in — too long a body for it. The tail end will drag and the silhouette goes wrong.
The plush spine has give at both ends and the neck opening is elastic, so the measurement does not need to be exact. If she is within an inch of either edge, order and try it — a refund does not require posting anything back.

3Putting it on without a fight

1

Stretch the opening first

Widen the neck hole with both hands before it goes anywhere near her. Nothing makes a cat leave faster than fabric dragging across her ears.

2

Over the head, then past the shoulders

One continuous motion. Her front legs stay free the whole time — there is nothing to thread them through.

3

Let go and walk away

Do not hover. Cats read hovering as a reason to be suspicious of the thing on their back.

4The ten-minute rehearsal

Do not let Halloween night be the first time she wears it. Put it on for ten minutes a few days before, indoors, while something good is happening — dinner, treats, the window she likes.

The pattern is consistent: the first wear she freezes and walks like the floor is wet. By the second wear most cats have written it off entirely. That freeze is normal and it passes; it is not a sign the costume does not fit.

5Signs it is not going to work on her

  • It slides forward and bunches at her shoulders when she walks — she is shorter than the range.
  • The tail end drags on the floor behind her — she is longer than the range.
  • She sits down and refuses to move at all, several wears in — that is usually temperament rather than fit, and it is exactly what the refund is for.
Any of those? Write to support@centipurr.shop and we refund you. Keep the costume — posting it back costs everyone more than it is worth.

6Washing and storage

Mesh laundry bag, cold cycle, hang to dry. Do not tumble dry: heat is what softens the wire cores inside the legs, and once they stop springing back the whole effect goes with them.

Store it flat rather than folded so the legs keep their shape until next October.

Measured her?

Costumes ship free worldwide and land well before the 31st. After October 17 we stop promising Halloween arrival.

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