How to draw a cat
Draw along here, then watch it take a bow. Free, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
- Draw a wide oval
- Two pointy ears
- A tall body
- A long curly tail
- Color it orange
- Stripes in brown
- Nose, mouth and whiskers
How to draw a cat in 8 steps
To draw a cat, draw a wide oval head with two pointed ears, a tall body narrowing at the top, and a long tail curling up one side. Color it orange, add stripes, then finish the face with a pink triangle nose, a mouth like a W and three whiskers on each side. It takes eight steps and about ten minutes.
You need orange, brown, pink and black crayons, and paper if you are away from the screen.
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Step 1Draw an oval head
Draw an oval that is wider than it is tall, near the top of the page. A cat’s head is broad, with its cheeks at the sides.
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Step 2Add two pointed ears
Draw two triangles on top of the head, one on each side, leaving a gap between them. Their bottom edges are already there, so draw only the two sides.
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Step 3Draw the body
Draw a line down from each side of the head, spreading out to the bottom. Join them, and add two short lines up from the bottom for the front legs.
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Step 4Curl a tail up the side
From the bottom corner of the body, draw one long curving line out to the side and up, with a little hook at the end. A tail held high means a happy cat.
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Step 5Color it orange
Scribble orange over the head, ears and body with a fat crayon. Any cat color works: gray, black, or white with patches.
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Step 6Add the stripes
Draw two short brown lines on the forehead, then short lines coming in from the sides of the body and across the tail.
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Step 7Draw the nose, mouth and whiskers
Draw a small pink triangle in the middle of the face, a mouth like a curly W below it, and three long black whiskers on each side.
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Step 8Give it eyes
Draw two ovals above the nose with a black slit or dot in each. Cat eyes are large and set wide, and they nearly touch the cheeks. On the screen, press Bring it to life, then tap twice and two googly eyes stick on.
Easier or harder, for any age
Most children can copy a circle at about three and a triangle at about five, so the shapes set the level. The sources are in our guide to what a child can draw at each age.
- Ages 3 and 4
- Draw only the face: a circle, two triangle ears, a dot for the nose and whiskers going sideways. A three-year-old can manage the circle and the whiskers, and whiskers are what make it a cat.
- Ages 5 and 6
- Follow the steps as they are. Most of the character is in the face, so do the whiskers last and slowly. Three on each side is easy to count aloud, and a five-year-old can do this part alone.
- Ages 7 and 8
- Draw the cat from the side, walking along a fence with its back arched, or curled up asleep in a circle with its tail over its nose.
Make your cat your own
- Draw your own cat’s real markings
- Give it a ball of wool to chase
- Put it in a box too small for it
- Add a small mouse it has not seen yet
Then your cat takes the stage
Press Bring it to life and scissors go around the drawing. It lifts off the page as a paper puppet, gets two googly eyes and hops onto a little lit stage at the North Pole. From there every key or tap makes it jump, spin or sneeze while a sleigh crosses the moon, snow blows in and a present drops from above. The show is saved as a short video on your device.
A drawing page safe for small hands
This page is for children, so it is kept apart from the rest of the shop. Children’s privacy notice
- Cost
- Free, with nothing to buy to play.
- Ads
- None, and no advertising pixels, session recording or advertising cookies on this page.
- Sign-up
- None. No account, no names, no email, nothing to fill in.
- Drawings
- Made and kept on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
- Works on
- A phone, tablet or computer, in the browser, with no app to install.
What to draw next
Keep a drawing forever
A drawing that has just taken a bow can be stitched in real thread or kept on a necklace. From the grown-up gate it goes straight into the studio, and you see how it comes out before you order.
Questions about drawing a cat
Anything else, write to hello@thecuriousthing.com.
How do you draw a cat’s face?
Start with a wide oval, put two triangle ears on top, and add a small triangle nose in the middle. Draw a W for the mouth, set the eyes wide, and add three whiskers on each side. Those wide cheeks and long whiskers are what stop it looking like a dog or a bear.
How do you draw a cat’s tail?
Use one long curved line coming from the bottom of the body and turning up, with a small hook at the tip. A thicker tail takes a second line alongside the first, joined at the end. A tail curling upward also makes a cat look friendly.
Is this drawing website free, with no ads and no sign-up?
Yes. There is nothing to pay, no ads, no account and no email to give. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Nothing a child draws is uploaded: the drawing, the puppet and the show stay on your device. Read the children’s privacy notice.
Can we do it on real paper instead?
Yes. Every step is written out on this page with a picture. If you draw it on paper, tap the cross on the page, choose Upload a drawing and take a photo. The paper is removed on your device, and the cat still goes on the stage.