My Messy Hoodie Journey for Squid
Seriously, thought picking a hoodie for Squid my cat would be easy. Walked into the pet store last Wednesday feeling all confident. Saw the cute little hoodies hanging there, all small sizes. Grabbed what looked like a “medium”, paid up, got home buzzing.
Tried slipping it onto Squid later that night. Man oh man. Stuffing her front legs in felt like wrestling with a furry balloon. Got it on after five minutes of pure struggle. She took three wobbly steps and bam! Stiff as a board, face planted straight into her bed. Poor thing looked like she got zapped. Ripped that hoodie off faster than you can blink. Lesson one: Hoodies ain’t no straight jackets.
Fine. Back to square one. Measured Squid properly this morning before breakfast:
- Laid a tape measure along her back, neck start to tail root.
- Tried wrapping tape around her thickest chest part (she wasn’t amused).
- Held one end near her shoulder joint, ran tape down where her leg should go.
Checked the “perfect” hoodie measurements online against her numbers after lunch. Still no dice! That hoodie’s leg sleeves were way too short. Another dud. Why’s this so tricky?!
After dinner, dragged out all her current sweaters. Noticed something big:
- The good ones all had longer tail areas – she needs wiggle room.
- The leg openings gotta be loose enough, but not gaping like clown pants.
- That chest measurement? Gold. The number that actually fit her was way bigger than I’d thought.
- Most crucial part I missed before? Measuring the spot right behind her front leg pit! Crucial space for moving her arms.
Found one ancient sweater that almost fit. Took its armpit-to-armpit width number with me to the store again yesterday. Flipped hoodies inside out right there in the aisle, compared this magic armpit measurement. Found one that matched close enough.
Took it home, held my breath. Shoved Squid’s legs through the sleeves slowly. Expected hissy fits, scratches… nothing. Pulled it up, secured the belly strap loosely. Squid actually stretched! Walked a few steps, sat down, blinked at me like “Meh. This’ll do.” Victory at last!
Bottom line? Forget just back length. Your battle plan is:
- Measure that chest behind the legs first.
- Longer body & tail room means happier kitty.
- Big openings for the front legs = no plant face.
- Feel the fabric – thick knits suck, go stretchy soft cotton.
- Always always test the armpit width!
Saved myself future tears and cash. Hopefully helps you skip the faceplant stage.