How to Make Pants for Your Cat

For many cat owners, dealing with urinary issues is a frustrating experience. Some cats experience urinary incontinence because of advanced age, illness or injury, while other cats have litter-box issues. Both male and female cats frequently engage in urinary spraying – the female when she is in heat, and the male when he reaches maturity and begins marking his territory. Keeping your carpets, clothing, furniture and bedclothes clean is a daunting task when dealing with a feline with urinary control problems. Making pants for your cat by modifying infant diapers is a smart way to protect your home and keep the peace with your furry friend.

Measure your cat’s waist. Hold the tape measure against his back and loosely loop the measuring tape under his belly and back up to the top of his back until it meets the other end. To get the proper measurement, check to make sure the tape is placed under the belly, just in front of the thighs. Record this measurement. If your cat is skittish about the measuring tape, wrap a piece of string around his belly and tie it loosely. Mark each side of the string at the knot. Remove the string and measure the area between the marks.

Purchase infant’s disposable diapers according to the waist measurement you recorded. Compare your cat’s measurement to the measurement listed on the packaging and buy the size closest to your cat’s measurement.

Put a diaper on your cat in the same manner as you’d diaper a baby. Hold the front of the diaper up against your cat’s stomach and pull the back of the diaper up over their rump. Remove the cover from the sticky tabs and secure them to the front of the diaper.

Feel through the diaper for the top of the base of your cat’s tail. Make a mark on the diaper. Feel underneath the cat’s tail and make another mark. Remove the diaper from your cat by carefully pulling the sticky tabs off.

Lay the diaper flat on your work surface with the outside facing up. Measure from the top of the diaper to the point marked as the top of the tail base. Measure from that mark to the mark made for the bottom of the tail base. Add one inch to that measurement.

Poke a hole in the diaper with the scissors in the middle of the area measured for the tail base.Cut an oval shape out of the diaper from the top of the tail base mark to the bottom tail base, plus one inch.

Put the diaper back on the cat and pull the tail gently through the hole. Check for fit. Use the marker to make any adjustments to accommodate the tail. Check to make sure the diaper is not covering the anus, and mark the diaper if needed.

Remove the diaper. Cut the hole larger, if needed. This is your template.

Lay the cut diaper on each diaper in the pack. Use the marker to outline the area for the tail cut-out and use the scissors to cut the hole. Repeat on all the diapers. Either save one diaper to use as a template for the next package of diapers, or use the measurements you recorded to cut the next batch.

Remove the backing from the feminine sanitary pad. Place the pad in the diaper so that the pad is centered over the area that covers your cat’s urethra. Place the pad toward the front for males, and toward the back for females. Cut off any part of the pad that hangs over the diaper edge. Put the diaper on your cat.