Crisp fall air, colorful leaves, and the smell of pumpkin e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. That’s right: Halloween is almost here!
Whether we stay indoors and watch scary movies or celebrate with friends this year, we can always make the most of spooky szn by dressing up our furry friends! Forget about pricey store-bought costumes – We’re bringing you an epic list of DIY costume ideas. (Thank us later!)
1. The Lion King 🦁
Est. cost: $13
What you’ll need:
All you need for this simple costume is a stretchy black headband, different shades of yellow yarn, and some hot glue! Simply cut the pieces of yarn at various lengths and glue them around the circumference of the headband. If you want to put in some extra work, you can use a red paint marker to add some detail and depth to the mane. Hakuna Matata!
2. Beanie Baby 🧸
Est. cost: $13
What you’ll need:
This costume is for all of those 90s babies out there. Why not turn your pet into one of our most beloved toys — Beanie Babies! You’ll need red, white, and gold cardstock as well as string and glue to make the iconic “TY” Beanie Baby tag. Fold the red paper in half and cut it into a heart. Make a slightly smaller heart with the white paper and glue it to the red. Make sure to add some fun facts about your furry friend on the inside of the tag! Finally print or cut out the “TY” logo and paste it to the front of the red heart. Add a ribbon, tie it to your animal, and voila – Your furry friend has never been cuter!
3. Black Bat 🦇
Est. cost: $16
What you’ll need:
- Scissors
- Tape
- Headbands
- Black Construction Paper
So you’ve decided to dress up your cat for Halloween? And they’re cool with that? Congrats! Now, it’s time to turn your black cat into a black bat. All you need for this costume is black construction paper, a thin headband, scissors, and tape. Use a printable stencil to cut the shape of the bat wings, then tape it to the headband. Put the headband on your cat’s back, and there you have it! For some extra spooky fun, dress up as a vampire with your bat cat!
4. Dog-tini 🍸
Est. cost: $10 (without dog cone)
What you’ll need:
- Dog Cone
- Wooden Skewers
- Olives
This is one of my absolute favorite pet costumes and it’s so simple to make. If you have a dog cone lying around you can turn your pet into a cute little martini glass. Add some giant olives to a wooden skewer, put the skewer through the holes in the cone, and you have your dog-tini (shaken, not stirred)!
5. Bowl of Cereal 🥣
Est. cost: $15 (without dog cone)
What you’ll need:
Who doesn’t love a delicious bowl of fruit loops? Step up your Halloween game and impress your cereal-loving friends with this pet costume. All you need is a dog cone, cardboard, silver paint, and colorful pool noodles. Once the dog cone is on your dog, cut up pool noodles into small donut-shaped circles. Put the circles into the cone and you’re halfway there! Cut a large (dog-sized) spoon out of cardboard and paint it silver. Put the spoon in the cone and you have the cutest-looking bowl of cereal ever!
6. Thing 1️⃣ and Thing 2️⃣
Est. cost: $12
What you’ll need:
- Red T-shirts
- Blue paint
- White paper
- Cotton balls
- Glue
- Scissors
- Hat
Do you love Dr. Suess? Do you need two Halloween costumes for two adorable pets? You’re in luck! To start, cut medium-sized circles out of white felt paper and write Thing 1 and Thing 2 on each. Hot glue or staple the circles to any old red t-shirt. If the shirt doesn’t fit your animal, try cutting it up into a cape and tie it to your pet’s collar. If you want to make some blue hair, paint some cotton balls blue and glue them to any hat you can find lying around.
7. Turtle 🐢
Est. cost: $17
What you’ll need:
Who doesn’t love a cute sea turtle? Paint any foil pan green and let it dry. On Halloween night, just use some green ribbon to tie it around your furry friend! If you want to go the extra mile, you can buy your dog a little green shirt. Easiest homemade turtle costume ever!
8. Loofa 🛁
Est. cost: $22
What you’ll need:
- Tulle
- White rope
- Pet shirt
- Hot glue
- Scissors
If you have a small dog or cat, this DIY costume is purrfect for you. All you need is some tulle and white rope to turn your pet into a loofa! Choose your preferred color of tulle, cut it into pieces and hot glue it onto a pet shirt. Tie some white rope into a loop and glue it to the back of the shirt and there you go! Your pet is now a fluffy little ball of joy.
Now, remember! Even if Halloween looks a bit different this year, we can still celebrate in style with those we love. With a little bit of creativity and an appreciation for all things Halloween, you can make affordable DIY costumes for your pets! Bring on the spooky season because we’re SO ready!
Estimated cost does not include common household items (scissors, glue, cardboard, tape, etc)