Do Anxiety Jackets Really Work for Dogs and Cats?

If you have a pet who suffers from anxiety, this can really take a toll on your household. Anxious pets can cause a strain on the owners, who can spend a lot of time and money trying to calm their pet down, sometimes to no avail. Many pet owners want to find simple, cost-effective solutions that doesn’t require costly medication, with potentially negative side-effects.

There are many products on the market that claim to reduce pet anxiety, but it can be hard to know whether or not they actually work. It’s no wonder that people are willing to try just about anything, but it’s important to be cautious and do your research, because every product works differently and to varying degrees, which also depends on your pet’s personality and level of anxiety.  

Dog and cat anxiety jackets have become a popular go-to for pets who can’t seem to calm down, especially around specific, stressful situations. They are a very common choice for thunderstorms (which is where the popular brand “The Thundershirt” gets its name), but some pet owners also use them for other scenarios, or even for general anxiety.

The theory is that, when pressure is applied to your dog or cat’s body with a swaddling-type garment, your pet can calm down naturally because they feel more safe and secure.

While some pet owners find that anxiety jackets can help reduce stress for their dog or cat, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution (both literally and figuratively—if you don’t have the right size of jacket for your pet, it can cause a lot of discomfort), and some pets don’t respond to it as well as others. It’s also important to not have your pet wearing any garments if he or she is crated, as anxiety jackets – or any clothing – can pose a strangulation risk in confined spaces. There is no question that some owners swear by anxiety jackets, but there are lots of pet owners who claim that the product poses challenges: whether that the Velcro is irritating or that it causes more anxiety for their dog.  

As an anxiety jackets reviewer said on Mother Nature Network, “It’s no cure-all,” also reporting that one of her pets didn’t find the experience comfortable. A number of reviewers state that this type of stress reduction doesn’t seem to make any difference for their dog or cat, and that it isn’t something that works for every pet. The good news about The Thundershirt and other types of anxiety jackets is that the website offers a return policy, so if your pet doesn’t respond well to it or finds it uncomfortable, you can be sure to get your money back (BUT, only if you buy directly through the company website).  

It can be a bit of trial and error to find what works best for your pets’ anxiety, but one of the things that we particularly like about Pet Remedy is that it is effective for a wide range of pets, regardless of breed, and doesn’t require having a specific size. And if you have more than one pet, Pet Remedy works with the same level of efficiency, which makes the product very economical for larger pet households.

We love that Pet Remedy has been thoroughly tested by a number of different scientific labs, which have concluded that this is a natural and fully safe product that actually works. Not to mention that Pet Remedy is a lot easier to use than anxiety jackets. You simply plug it in and watch your pets begin to calm down!

Perhaps this is why more people gave Pet Remedy a 5-star review on Amazon than was given to a Thundershirt, (which only received 4-star reviews). Pet Remedy is available as a spray or plug-in diffuser, making it more versatile and effective in a wide range of scenarios.