How do you draw a cat with your child? In ten numbered steps: a big circle for the head, two triangles for ears, a wide oval for the sitting body, then the face, whiskers, and curling tail. The lesson suits ages five and up, and you only need white paper placed vertically, a pencil, an eraser, and any colors you have. At the end: fixes for the four most common mistakes, coloring ideas, and a bonus sleeping cat in just four steps.
Before starting, remind your child to sketch lightly first — we strengthen the good lines at the end and erase the rest. And sit beside them drawing on your own paper: sharing doubles the fun, and watching you make and fix mistakes teaches more than a thousand instructions.
What Are the Cat Drawing Steps, in Order?
- 1) Draw a big circle in the upper half of the paper — this is the cat's head. Don't worry about an imperfect circle; real cats' heads aren't perfect either!
- 2) Add two triangles on top of the circle, one right and one left — the ears. Make each triangle's base touch the circle.
- 3) Inside each ear, draw a smaller triangle — the pink inner part of the ear.
- 4) Below the head, draw a wide oval touching the circle — the sitting cat's body. Make it slightly wider than the head.
- 5) Now the face: two big dots for eyes around the middle of the circle, and a small upside-down triangle between and slightly below them — the nose.
- 6) From the bottom of the nose, draw a short line down, then two small arcs to the right and left — the famous cat smile.
- 7) Whiskers: three straight lines coming out of each side of the face. Light and long — that's the secret of the cute look.
- 8) Front legs: two vertical lines coming down inside the body, with a small oval paw at the end of each.
- 9) The tail: a long curved arc coming out of the side of the body and curling upward — like a sleeping question mark.
- 10) Review your drawing: darken the lines you love, erase the extras, and add your personal touches — little fur strokes on the chest or a collar with a bell.
What Are the Common Cat-Drawing Mistakes — and the Instant Fixes?
We've watched hundreds of children draw their first cats, and these four stumbles repeat every time — each fixable with a single guiding sentence:
- Ears in the middle of the head instead of on top: remind your child the triangles "stand on the surface of the circle," they don't float inside it.
- Body much smaller than the head: say "the cat is sitting on a big cushion" — they'll widen the oval automatically.
- Eyes too close together: teach the "imaginary third eye" trick — leave enough space between the eyes to fit a third one.
- Whiskers short and thick like fingers: ask for whiskers "long like spaghetti," drawn with a light touch.
And the golden rule for any mistake: don't grab the pencil and fix it yourself; draw the correct version on your own paper and let the child compare and adjust with their own hand.
How Do We Color the Cat So It Becomes Truly Theirs?
Here's where the real fun begins — color is what makes your child's cat truly theirs:
- The orange tabby: color the body light orange, then add short dark-orange stripes on the head and tail.
- The elegant gray cat: light gray with a white chest and green eyes — an aristocat!
- The party cat: let imagination loose — purple with yellow dots? Why not! In drawing, all colors are allowed.
- The finishing touch: two small pink cheeks under the eyes give the cat an irresistibly shy look.
Also try the "cat family" game: after mastering the first cat, draw a small kitten next to it using the same steps at a smaller size — and you'll have a mother and her kitten in one picture.
A quick comparison of the two cat poses before the bonus exercise:
| Pose | Steps | Base shape | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitting cat | 10 | Circle head + upright oval body | The main lesson |
| Sleeping cat | 4 | One big curled circle | Easier — after mastering the first |
Bonus Exercise: The Sleeping Cat in Just Four Steps
Once your child masters the sitting cat, surprise them with this easier, even cuter version — a cat curled up asleep:
- 1) Draw one big circle — this time it's the entire curled-up body.
- 2) At the top of the circle, draw a small bump of a half-circle — the head resting on the body.
- 3) Add two small triangle ears above the head, and two simple closed curves for the eyes — sleeping shut.
- 4) A tail wrapping along the bottom edge of the circle up toward the face, and one or two little Z letters above the head — the cutest snore symbol!
This exercise teaches a golden idea: the same animal can be drawn in different poses by rearranging the same shapes — the first step toward drawing freely from imagination.
The Bottom Line
A circle, two triangles, an oval, and ten small steps — that's all that separates your child from the first cat they draw themselves and feel proud of. Repeat the lesson two or three times during the week and you'll notice a steadier hand and a more confident cat. And if your child loves this numbered, simple-shapes style, the Rasm Kids course is built entirely on it: animals, characters, and full scenes, one video lesson after another.
And if your child wants variety after the cat family, our list of 15 easy drawings for kids with steps is ordered easiest to hardest and lasts for weeks.
After the cat, your child will find the rest of the animals ordered from easiest to hardest in our animal drawing guide for kids.
FAQs About Drawing a Cat with Kids
From what age can my child draw this cat? From age five up they can genuinely follow all ten steps on paper — younger children join in with you alongside and simplified details.
What do we need before starting? White paper placed vertically (the sitting cat is taller than it is wide), a pencil, an eraser, and any colors you have — nothing more.
The eyes always come out too close together — what's the fix? The "imaginary third eye" trick: leave enough space between the eyes to fit a third one, and the spacing corrects itself.
Should I fix mistakes directly on my child's drawing? Never take the pencil and correct it yourself; draw the correct model on your own paper and let them compare and adjust with their own hand — that's how real learning happens.
What comes after mastering the sitting cat? The sleeping cat in four steps, then the "cat family" game: a small kitten beside the big cat using the same steps at smaller sizes — a mother and her kitten in one picture.
