A scratch costume is the least expensive style of costume. For this type of costume, one makes do with what ever one has on hand or can easily find at reasonable prices.

The least expensive, and least accurate fursuit, is street clothes with a Halloween mask, gloves, and perhaps a tail from rope or fabric. The paws may be gloves, even gardening gloves. One may get round pieces of felt of various colors with glue backing, to attach to make pads on the gloves. The tail may be a thick scrap of rope, even a length of cowboy lariat, single or folded over and inserted in the waist band. Some costume shops offer ready made tails, a lion style with a tuft at the end, or other styles may be available.

The Halloween mask may just be a plain cover over the eyes or have feathers attached and are usually held on with elastic around the head. A more elaborate mask may also cover the nose or may cover the nose, eyes, and forehead; again it may be held on with elastic around the head. Some costume shops also have rubber muzzles or beaks of various kinds that are held on with spirit gum or an elastic band around the head.

One sees from time to time at dealers tables at furry conventions eared head bands and tails being sold. The ears match the tail in species and coloration. The persons hair may be combed over the head band to hide it. The tail is hung from a belt or attached to pants with safety pin. The headband and tail are about $40.00 to $50.00 each.

Some costume shops have an assortment of full head masks, usually costing in the range of $40.00 to $75.00. Some are made entirely of latex rubber, and some are made with a rubber face and fabric or fur on the rest of the head. Usually the masks are of alien creatures or demonic characters, but there are a few good looking masks such as eagle, hawk, unicorn, reindeer and others. A very good looking wolf head was seen in a catalogue, for about $300.00, but the manufacturer was not noted.

There are also available a variety of accessory packs. For example there are CATS accessory packs in several colors. These have a open face fur covered latex hood, fur covered fabric wrist pieces, and a tail. There are various other accessory packs available, usually all one needs to add are street clothes and gloves, or tights and leotards and gloves.

One person has made an inexpensive full body costume using off the shelf items. A spandex body suit that was footed and had long sleeves and a turtle neck was ordered from a dance shop that sold ballet gear. A costume shop was paid to put a zipper in a seam in the groin area so that the call of nature could be answered. A furry hood and wrist pieces were used from a CATS accessory package. The wrist pieces were used over nylon gloves which could be removed when eating snacks or dinner A separate lion style tail, with tufted tip, was inserted in a pair of cutoffs the person wore. Since the person was a house cat, a red nylon collar and short leash was attached to the neck over the furry hood. The spandex body suit was so cool, that the person actually wore it for 20 hours at a convention even off site under street clothes to a banquet.