Cat Cross Stitch Patterns: Styles, Fur Colors and a First Cat to Stitch
Cats make great cross stitch subjects, and cat cross stitch patterns range from a simple black silhouette to a full portrait of your own pet. This guide sorts the styles by difficulty and shows how to handle fur, eyes, and whiskers.
Cat pattern styles by difficulty
| Style | What you stitch | Colors | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silhouette | The outline of a cat filled with one color | One | Easiest |
| Pixel or cartoon cat | A simple cat with flat colors and a clear outline | A few | Easy |
| Cat with a scene | A cat on a windowsill, with yarn, or among flowers | Several | Medium |
| Realistic portrait | Shaded fur and detailed eyes, often a full face | Many shades | Hard |
The difficulty ratings are our own judgment for a first-time stitcher.
How to stitch fur
- Use three shades. A light, a medium, and a dark shade of the same color give the body its shape.
- Black cats. Add dark gray next to the black so the legs, ears, and face stay visible.
- White cats. White stitches disappear on white fabric. Choose a colored fabric, or pick a pattern that outlines the cat.
- Tabby stripes. Stitch the main coat color first, then add the stripes, so you can count from finished stitches.
Eyes, nose and whiskers
The eyes decide whether the cat looks alive. Count them carefully, and stitch both eyes before you fill the face around them. One white stitch in each eye adds a highlight. Stitch whiskers last, in long back stitches with a single strand of floss. Our back stitch guide shows how.
Fabric choice
Use 14-count Aida for silhouettes and cartoon cats. A higher count, such as 16 or 18, makes smaller stitches, so curves and fur look smoother in a portrait. Our fabric guide explains the counts.
Stitch your own cat
You can turn a photo of your cat into a chart. Pick a sharp, well-lit photo with a solid background. Our guide to turning a photo into a cross stitch pattern walks through the steps. To draw a simple cat by hand, see how to make a cross stitch pattern.
A first cat to stitch
Start with a sitting cat in silhouette. It uses one color, it has no shading, and the shape reads clearly even when small. Finish it in a hoop, or frame it once you have washed and pressed it.
