After 10 years of writing about children who wear eyeglasses, I’ve come to the realization that there is a much more pressing need out there: cats in glasses.
It’s a question that I hear over and over again – How will I ever find glasses to fit my cat? Why did someone post that admittedly adorable cat meme when those glasses don’t fit at all?!? If you’re wondering how to find glasses to fit your cat, you’re not alone. A good understanding of how glasses should fit your kitty’s face is something every cat person should have. Sadly, it can be hard to find memes, photos, gifs, or drawings that show a cat with well-fitting glasses.
The glasses on this cat fit, dare I say it, purrrfectly!
Fit is crucial. Glasses that fit well stay put, are more comfortable, and frankly they look more attractive. Glasses need to fit your cat today so we never want to size up for growth. Bigger is definitely not better when it comes to frames. They slip and slide out of place begging to be ripped off and chucked on the floor and batted around until they get lost behind your refrigerator or under the couch.
[visual description: white cat pulling its glasses off]
The first step we use when trying to see if frames fit is to check lens widths. When you place a frame on your cat, if the cat doesn’t scratch you immediately and run off, bend down to look directly into their face to get the best idea of fit (and then move out of the way of their claws – fast!). You are trying to center their eye both horizontally and vertically.
Cat-eye frames on a cat’s eyes.
The bridge is the portion of the frame that spans between the lenses over the nose. Frames are designed to be proportioned but faces vary and so the shape of the lens impacts the bridge width. This means that cats with wider noses may not be able to get a good fit with a rectangle frame. But you know what, if your cat hasn’t attacked you yet and the glasses stay on his face, maybe just quit while you’re ahead.
Last you want to look at the temples. On a cat, the temples just kind of sit along side the face and are useless, but they shouldn’t be too long. Your cat should be able to roll around in the dirt and lay across the keyboard of your computer without the earpiece bumping the surface and shifting the frames.
This handsome cat is showing off good-fitting glasses. Nice choice of color, too, there, kitty!
More Examples
Below you will find a collection of photos generously provided by the Internet along with comments as to how well they fit.
These glasses are way too big for this sweet tabby’s face
Who fit these frames for this cat? They probably fit the kitty above this one, too. They are much too wide and don’t fit her nose at all. The cat-optician should be ashamed. Bad, kitty-optician!
This hipster cat’s glasses fit well on the nose, but may be a little on the big size, but I hear that’s how the hip kits like to wear their glasses these days.
These glasses are much too small for this kitten.
This cat has excellent taste in neckwear, hats, and facial hair. Also, his glasses fit well.
Your kitten should be able to shake her head back and forth and not have the glasses slip down her nose. These lenses are too big for kitty, but at least they stay up!
This cat appears to have fish instead of eyes and should be seen by an kitty eye doctor immediately.
These glasses are a little too big for this cat. But, I don’t know, the cat is in space and so maybe there aren’t a lot of options there.
These are the worst cats! The glasses don’t fit that well, either.
This is not a cat. But his eyes are well-centered in these glasses.
Happy April 1!
(this posts borrows heavily from Melony Dever’s wonderful — and far more useful — guide to finding glasses to fit your child.)
For Little Eyes 