Around 23 million people will dress up their pets this year for Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Americans will spend an estimated $350 million on Halloween costumes and accessories for their dogs and cats.

Kathy Grannis, NRF’s senior director of media relations, says that more and more people want to include their pets in Halloween celebration.

“People tell us Halloween is one of the best holidays to celebrate and they want to include their furry friends in their celebrations.”

According to the NRF’s annual survey, the most popular costumes this year are pumpkin, hot dog, devil, bumble bee and cat.

Amanda Tingley, senior director of merchandising at PetSmart, confirms that a lot of people want their dogs and cats to dress up and participate in all the family activities.

“Pets are part of the family, just like our human children, and people are finding out that the holiday is even more fun when they pets are also involved. A lot of pet parents don’t have human children at home and this is a way for them to participate in the holiday, too.”

Animal trainer Mikkel Becker advises pet owners to choose costumes that are easy to put on and take off.

“It’s really important to make sure you dog or cat isn’t stressed by the experience. If they appear to be stressed or frightened, you need to take off the costume right away.”