Arts & Culture

It's a serious question. A National Retail Federation consumer survey shows that close to 20 percent of adults plan to dress up their pet in a costume this year, and Americans are expected to spend $350 million on pet costumes, with total spending on the October holiday reaching $7.4 billion.

Making the list of top pet costumes for Halloween 2014 are pumpkins, hot dogs, devils, bumblebees, cats (so... meta?), Batman characters, Superman, witches, ghosts, pirates and Star Wars characters.

That brings us to the topic of this week's Cat Friday — the official announcement of the second annual Cat Friday Halloween Cats Photo Contest! Last year, we guessed there'd only be a handful of submissions, but we were shocked at how many photos of adorably-costumed felines came to us from around the country.

Again, the only rule is that your cat is visibly photographed wearing a costume or festive ensemble of some sort, whether that's a little hat, adornment or fun collar, although full-blown costumes are always favorites. Of course, we do not advise or suggest anyone force their cat to wear an outfit if it doesn't suit their temperament or causes an anxious breakdown. Some cats are most comfortable in just their own fur, and that's okay.

Email your photos to [email protected] no later than 11:59 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Please include your cat's name and where he/she is from! Then check back on Halloween for a special Cat Friday Meow-loween edition to see if your cat is featured in the 2014 Cat Friday Halloween Cats Photo Contest. We can't wait to see what's in store for year two. Need some inspiration? Check out last year's submissions, as well as Inlander staff pets dressed up in their costumes last year.