ThunderShirt For Cats, Grey, Large ( > 13 lbs)

My cat Lewis is a big boy; we just went to the vet recently, and he measured in at 16 lbs.We just adopted a kitten, and Lewis was not happy about it. He is already a menace to our other cat, and the only thing that has worked historically is Prozac, which I was not excited about restarting due to side effects and the daily maintenance (Lewis hates pill pockets). Being so large, he definitely has a size advantage on the kitten, and I really wanted the kitten to feel safe in our apartment without having to separate them.When I was younger, our family dogs were scared of fireworks, and they wore Thundershirts to tremendous effect. The way Lewis was behaving made me curious about potential solutions to aggression and anxiety, and I came across people talking about how the Thundershirt helped calm their cat, and decided to give it a try.Lewis LOVES his Thundershirt. He protested me putting it on him the first few times, but the effect was IMMEDIATE. He went from stalking the other cats to cuddled up on the couch within minutes. He's never been particularly affectionate beyond rubbing up on your legs, but in his Thundershirt he will climb up in your lap and purr -- something I've NEVER encountered in the six years we've been together. His movement is slightly restricted, and especially at first there were some growing pains as I had to learn how tightly to bind the elastic-y straps that secure with velcro, but today he walks (very deliberately and slowly) with dignified and normal form. He doesn't complain when you put it on him anymore, so long as you don't pull too tightly on the straps. His demeanor is instantly calmer when he's wearing the Thundershirt, and he is far less interested in picking fights.We haven't tried a car ride yet, with which Lewis has always struggled with anxiety, but I have high hopes.The shirt itself is high quality, and my biggest gripe is that it holds on to the loose cat hair, which I don't think can be helped. It might also be to the benefit of the garment, holding onto his smell? It feels very sturdy, and I fully expect that it will survive at least 6 months, hopefully a year of near-daily use. I have not washed it in the washing machine yet, and haven't needed to-- he's got plenty of room to use the bathroom unimpeded, and it can be easily spot-cleaned of dust, etc with a damp rag.TLDR: I would definitely recommend the Thundershirt to anyone who's cat struggles with anxiety or aggression or some combination thereof. Lewis loves his!To the manufacturer: now that I know he likes it, I would definitely pay a $10 or so premium to get assorted fabric patterns and colors. Just saying! :)

I have been trying to acclimate a new cat that I trapped from a nearby colony. He was an old Tomcat, and it has taken a while for him to realize he is safe and no one will attack him. The Thundercoat is worked amazingly. He can still eat, sleep, play, use litter box, etc. but the aggression is gone.It takes a minute to figure out the Velcro, and I recommend placing the shoulder strap FIRST. Then the three around the abdomen, and then re-adjust the shoulder strap.

I finally realized my cat was dealing with anxiety when I read about cats and loose poop. For 2 years I have tried all the suggestions: more beds, more litter boxes, toys, sprays and anything else. Nothing worked and it was affecting all the other cats.Within 5 minutes of putting this on George was back to his old self which was sweet and cuddly. It has been 1 week and all the kitties are so happy and playful again. His tail twitch and biting has completely stopped. He hasn’t stalked anyone in days or attacked either. He meows when he doesn’t like something instead of reacting and biting or scratching. Thank you!!!!I ordered a second one on day 3 of him wearing this.George is 11 pounds so I bought the size medium. He is quite long and lean so I am going to trim 1/2 inch of the armpit area so he has a touch more room. He wears it with no complaints and has been fine having it on all day.Seems to be really nice quality, Velcro’s is sturdy and it’s easy to get on. I’m only giving 4 stars because it came in a plastic bag with no information or directions

Don't get me wrong, this is actually a great quality item and well made.... it just not for every cat.we got a kitten Sept 2014, he was small and then got really sick and I was put on a last minute, 7 month business trip. So he didn't get introduced to our other two cats until July. our oldest cat, Felix, started plucking the fur out of his tail and then he started obsessively cleaning himself when he never really cleaned himself before. The vet diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder and suggested this or plug-in diffusers. We got the calming plug ins first, but he just seemed tired and zombie-like, so I was hoping the Thundershirt would help. he likes to cuddle, to be wrapped in towels/blankets, and extra heat, so I assumed this would be perfect.We first put it on him and he did the flop over that the instructions mentioned could happen. Its a new and weird sensation, so its going to happen. we started playing with Felix, but the other two kept sniffing him, so we took him out of the room. He got treats and scratches, some playing and was allowed to explore the rest of the house. He seemed to be building confidence and was more outgoing than he's been in a long time. we took him back to the cats room (our cats have their own room, a small master bedroom size), and the other two came over to sniff the shirt again - poor Felix's head and tail went down lower then it was before the shirt - I didn't know a cat could even be self-conscious.My husband and I played with them for another hour to get everyone used to the shirt and rebuild confidence and bonds. we left it on him for the rest of the night. He is used to wearing it, but doesn't like it and its nothing new for the other two catsPros:-other reviews for this item (the large offered on Amazon) said this was T-shirt material, its NOT. it is like a thick track suit. a lot heavier than a t-shirt, but lighter weight than a sweat shirt. Its not going to get snagged if he scratches at it. It is breathable too - I've stuck my hand between the shirt and cat to make sure he wasn't over heating (this also ties in with a con below)-easy to figure out with our without instructions-The instructions - it was very helpful to expect the flop and ways to coax the cat into seeing the shirt positivelyCons:- sizing - I went off girth around the chest. I measured and checked with the size chart. He was supposed to be a medium. there is exposed Velcro when Felix is wearing the shirt because he's a little chunky (its the soft side of the velcro so he isn't scratching himself or collecting lint/etc) He isn't a huge cat, but he isn't small. when the shirt is pulled to just behind his front legs, his back legs wrinkle the shirt (its too long for him).-the front Velcro- if I tighten it enough to keep the shirt al the way forward, there's excess that he pulls at - hes gotten very good at undoing the front Velcro. if I line the Velcro up so that there isn't an excess for him to grab, it doesn't get as tight at the cat in the displasy picture and the shirt slides back. He's also gotten his jaw stuck in it.- When Felix sleeps in a ball, the Velcro crumples and it looks like the back gets stretched and stays stretched when he gets up.- possibly too breathable. We keep a heater in the cat room for when my husband cranks the AC. the last couple times I turned the heater on while Felix was wearing the shirt, he sprinted to the heater and was standing on his back legs to try to get the full force of heat. the room wasn't that cold and that was out of his character.Overall, My cat doesn't like it. twice now I took his harness off to put the shirt on him and he went to the other side of the room and wouldn't come near me when he normally comes when I call. he bites at it and pulls at it. Its got great reviews, vet recommended, but, like humans, every cat is different.