I’m super excited to share our newest pattern with you – a small crochet cat! We often have gotten requests for crochet cat patterns for our animal collections. But we were very hesitant because we just weren’t getting the right look. They just didn’t look like cats!
But one day inspiration struck and I decided to crochet a calico cat. And I just love her (or him as the case may be)! And the best part? I went to a friend’s house the other day and her cat had the EXACT same markings as this one – how cool is that??
This pattern is part of our adorable Kozu Palm Pets series of small crochet animals. If you make this cat with calico markings, you can try to adapt the markings and colours to match your favourite cat. Or you can make her in a solid colour – which is easier and recommended for beginners.
We really hope you enjoy this pattern as much as we do!
Want to save this pattern for later? Save it to your Pinterest Board.
Small Crochet Cat Free Pattern
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Supplies You Need to Crochet a Cat
- Yarn: You need a very small amount of yarn in rust, white, and black
- 2.75 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Polyfill stuffing
- Two 7 mm safety eyes
Stitches & Abbreviations Used
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
BLO: back loops only
Crochet Cat Pattern Notes
About the Pattern
- Difficulty level: Intermediate (with colour change), Familiar Beginner (without colour change)
- Finished size: Approximately 4 inches tall, using DK yarn.
- This pattern is written in US terms
- This pattern is crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker on the first stitch of every round so that you don’t lose track of the start of your round.
- This is a low-sew amigurumi pattern. The legs, body, arms, and head are all crocheted in. You must first crochet the arms before continuing onto the body.
- This cat is part of the Kozu Palm Pets series of small animals. You can find the free patterns at https://chaicoffeecrochet.com/small-crochet-animals
Yarn and Sizing Adaptations
- This cat was made using DK yarn. However, you may use any yarn with the relevant hook (usually, for amigurumi you go down 2-3 sizes from that recommended on the yarn label).
- Sizing adaptations: You can make the cat in multiple sizes. With DK yarn and a 2.75mm hook and it turned out to be approximately 4 inches tall. With super bulky blanket yarn with a 7 mm hook, it was approximately 11.5 inches tall.
Pattern Tips and Pattern Adaptations
- This pattern has a number of colour changes for the markings of the calico cat, which can be a litt le tricky. If you are a beginner or prefer to make a solid colour cat, you can disregard the colour changes.
- To change colours, start the last SC of the previous colour as normal. Insert your hook into the stitch, pull up a loop, and now you have two loops on your hook. Now, drop your working yarn and pick up the new colour yarn and pull that through the two loops on your hook. You will now continue working with the new colour.
- The design is done using colour changes and so the stitches must be in line so that the design isn’t misaligned. Using the yarn under method will allow your stitches to stack up on top of each other. If you are using yarn over, your stitches may slant, causing the design to not be in line.
- Tip: To ensure that your stitches are in line, insert a yarn scrap in the first stitch of Round 5. In each subsequent round, ensure that you are starting under this stitch. If you notice that your stitches have skewed away, make an additional SC so that you are under your yarn scrap. This will now be the end of the round. Move your stitch marker over accordingly.
- You may want to play with the sizes of the eyes for your cat. When making the black cat above, I used size 9 eyes so that they would stand out with the white highlights below.
How to Crochet a Cat
Arms (make 2)
Using black
Do not stuff
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Round 2: SC around (6)
Change to white
Round 3-6 (4 rounds): SC around (6)
Now pinch the two ends of the arm together, chain one, and 3 SC through both sides to close the arm. See tutorial at the end of the pattern. Fasten off.
Make a second arm using the same pattern but entirely in white, with no colour change.
Legs
Stuff the legs lightly as you go.
Begin with white
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle (4)
Round 2: INC in each stitch (8)
Round 3: SC around in BLO (8)
Round 4: SC around (8)
Fasten off. Make sure that you’ve pulled the magic circle tight so that stuffing doesn’t escape from it.
Repeat rounds 1-4 for the second leg but don’t fasten off.
Body
Stuff as you go. Now we will begin joining the legs (see the end of the pattern for a photo tutorial)
Round 5: Chain 2 and SC in the next unworked stitch of the first leg. Place a stitch marker in this stitch to mark the start of your round. 3 SC Change to rust 2 SC Change to white 2 SC. Now SC in each of the 2 chains, SC in the 8 stitches of the next leg, and SC on the other side of each of the two chains until you reach your stitch marker. (20)
Round 6: 3SC, Change to rust, 4 SC, Change to white 13 SC (20)
Round 7: 2 SC, Change to rust, 5 SC, Change to white, 13 SC (20)
Round 8: SC around (20)
Round 9-10 (2 rounds): 11 SC, Change to black, 5 SC, Change to white, 4 SC (20)
Round 11: 8 SC, INV DEC, 2 SC Change to black 4 SC Change to white, 2 SC, INV DEC
(18)
Round 12: SC around (18)
During the next round (Round 13), you will crochet the arms into your cat on either side of the body by crocheting through both the body and the arm. The arm with the black patch should be on the opposite side of the body as the black body patch. See our tutorial on how to crochet in arms and other body parts.
Round 13: SC around (18)
Round 14: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Head
Round 15: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 16: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 17: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 18-19 (2 rounds): SC around (30)
In the next round, we colour changes to be evenly centered. However, since we’re crocheting in continuous rounds, you may end Round 19 towards the right of the centre of the back of your cat. If this is the case for you, do not end the round here. Continue to SC until you reach the centre of the back of your cat. The number of SC needed will vary from person to person, based on your tension and yarn. This will now be the end Round 19. Move your stitch marker over accordingly to mark the start of Round 20. In each subsequent round, make sure that you are still at the centre back of your cat. If you’re not, repeat the steps you took after Round 19 to ensure that you are.
Round 20: 6 SC, Change to black, 3 SC, Change to white, 12 SC, Change to rust, 3 SC, Change to white, 6 SC (30)
Round 21: 5 SC, Change to black, 5 SC, Change to white, 10 SC, Change to rust, 5 SC, Change to white, 5 SC (30)
Round 22: 4 SC, Change to black, 7 SC, Change to white, 8 SC, Change to rust, 7 SC, Change to white, 4 SC (30)
Round 23: 3 SC, Change to black, 9 SC, Change to white, 6 SC, Change to rust, 9 SC, Change to white, 3 SC (30)
Round 24: 2 SC, Change to black, 11 SC, Change to white, 4 SC, Change to rust, 11 SC, Change to white, 2 SC (30)
If you’re using safety eyes, insert them between Rounds 19 and 20, five stitches apart. Ensure that you have stuffed the body well, especially the neck.
Round 25: INV DEC, Change to black, 4 SC, INV DEC, 5 SC, Change to white, 2 INV DEC, Change to rust, 4 SC, INV DEC, 5 SC, Change to white, INV DEC (24)
Round 26: Change to black, INV DEC, 2 SC, INV DEC, 4 SC, INV DEC, Change to rust, INV DEC, 2 SC, INV DEC, 4 SC, INV DEC (18)
Round 27: Change to black, INVDEC, 1 SC, INV DEC, 2 SC, INV DEC, Change to rust, INVDEC, 1 SC, INV DEC, 2 SC, INV DEC (12)
Ensure that you have stuffed the head well.
Round 28: Change to black, (INV DEC) three time, Change to rust, (INV DEC) three times
Fasten off and leave a tail. Insert the needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close. Now embroider a nose (using pink yarn) and whiskers (using black yarn) on your cat.
Ears (Make 2)
Make one in rust and one in black.
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle
Round 2: (SC, INC) twice (6)
Round 3: (SC, INC) three times (9)
Round 4: SC around (9)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Embroider on the details on the ears using white embroidery thread. Sew the ears between Rounds 3 and 7 from the top of your cat’s head.
Tail
Using black
Round 1-2 (2 rounds): 4 SC into a magic circle (4)
Change to rust
Round 3-4 (2 rounds): 4 SC (4)
Change to white
Round 5-10 (6 rounds): SC around (4)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Your adorable little crochet cat is now complete! Don’t forget to try the rest of the animals in our Kozu Palm Pets series!
