Cat Coloring Pages (Free Printable PDFs)

What’s in this cat coloring collection

This set has 24 original cat coloring pages in one easy kawaii style: round heads, dot eyes, whiskers and thick outlines. Kittens, a mama cat, a cat family, a cat in a Christmas stocking, rows of cat faces, cat toys, cat treats and three lettering pages.

Hi, I’m Niks. When parents ask me for cat pages, the real question is “which one won’t frustrate my kid?” So I counted the spaces on every page and gave each a paw rating. Want them all? The all-pages PDF has the whole set.

The paw scale: how busy are these cat coloring pages?

The paw rating comes from the measured number of spaces to color. One paw is a quick win for small hands. Three paws means a longer sit with colored pencils, not a harder page.

Toddler and big sister at the same table? One gets a 1 paw page, the other a 3 paw page.

Our favorite cat coloring pages

Chubby Kitten on a Polka Dot Cushion

A round kitten with tabby stripes sits on a puffy polka dot cushion next to a ball of yarn, with hearts and sparkles around it. It’s the cover of the set, and every dot can be a different color.

Mama Cat Cuddling Two Kittens

A striped mother cat lies on a grassy patch, holding two striped kittens against her side, with a heart and a daisy. At 36 spaces it’s a sweet one for preschoolers.

Nine Cat Faces with Different Markings

Nine round faces in three rows of three, each with its own look: stripes, patches, spots, a fluffy ruff, stars, a bow or a flower. I tell kids to color each face like a cat they know.

Cat Nap in a Cozy Bed

A cat sleeps curled up in a round bed with a heart pillow and a zigzag blanket, under the words CAT NAP in bubble letters. Only 25 spaces. Tape it to a door at naptime.

Kittens Playing on a Cat Tree

One kitten waves from the top platform while the other reaches for a ball of yarn dangling on a string. Rope scratching posts and all, it has 84 spaces, so I save it for a patient eight-year-old.

Cat Face Flower Mandala

A cute cat face in the middle of a simple round flower mandala with big petals, small hearts and dots. If a grown-up asks me for a cat page, this is the one I hand over.

Which cat coloring page is right for your child?

Pick by spaces to color. Fewer spaces for younger hands, more for kids who like to take their time.

What colors are real cats?

Any page here can become a portrait of a real cat. My neighbor’s orange tabby, Biscuit, has been colored more times than I can count.

Kitten coloring pages in this set

Eight of these cat coloring pages star kittens, from the Chubby Kitten on a Polka Dot Cushion and Three Kittens in a Basket to the Kitten with an Umbrella in the Rain and the Kitten in a Christmas Stocking. The Cat Family Portrait has two grown cats and two kittens.

On the family portrait, give each kitten one color from each parent. Kids find the “genetics” hilarious.

Cat coloring pages for adults who want to unwind

Every page here is easy, which is the point for a tired grown-up. My picks: the Cat Face Flower Mandala, the Calico Cat in a Flower Garden and the Cat Stretching on a Yoga Mat (yes, a cat doing yoga). Choose three colors first and use only those.

How to color cat pages: 5 tips

1. Make stripes a darker shade, not a new color

Color the whole cat in its base color, then go over the stripes with a deeper shade of the same color. That’s how real tabby stripes look.

2. Don’t use pure black

A black crayon covers the outlines and the dot eyes, and suddenly your cat has no face. Dark gray, deep blue or brown still reads as black.

3. Add pink in three places

Inner ears, the tiny nose and the cheeks. It works on every coat.

4. Color around a white cat

A white cat vanishes on white paper, so give the background a strong color.

5. Match the tool to the child

Chunky crayons for 1 paw pages. Colored pencils for the small shapes on 3 paw pages like the stocking wreath. Markers need heavier paper.

A few cat facts to share while you color

Cat trivia for the coloring table:

1. Kittens are born with their eyes closed and usually open them at about one to two weeks old.
2. A group of kittens born together is called a litter.
3. Most cats have five toes on each front paw and four on each back paw.
4. Almost all calico cats are female, because the genes for orange and black fur sit on the X chromosome.
5. Many tabby cats have a dark “M” shape on their forehead.
6. Siamese cats grow darker fur on the cooler parts of the body: ears, face, paws and tail.

Cat classroom and party ideas

I tried these at a rainy-day library session with very loud seven-year-olds:

• Paw sorting. Kids sort a mix of pages into 1, 2 and 3 paws.
• Cat words. Whiskers, litter, tabby, calico, kibble, scratching post. Kids label each one they find.
• Counting. Four Cat Faces and Six Fish is ready-made addition. The Kawaii Cats and Hearts Pattern has five rows of four, a first taste of multiplication.
• A cat’s day. Line up Kitten Chasing a Butterfly, Curious Cat and a Goldfish Bowl and Cat Nap in a Cozy Bed, then tell the story from morning to bedtime.
• My cat book. Staple the all-pages PDF into a coloring book, or fold the I Love My Cat Heart page into a card.

Our free classroom license covers printing for a whole group.

Printing tips for the best results

• Print the whole set at once. The all-pages PDF is a free 24-page cat coloring book.
• Use black and white with “Fit to page.” These cat coloring pages are pure line art, so you won’t use color ink.
• Use cardstock for markers. It stops bleed-through.

How I made and checked these pages

Every one of these cute cat coloring pages is an original ColorTheDay design that I checked before it went live: bold, closed outlines, simple enough for a preschooler, and a title that says what’s drawn. Eleven went back for a redraw, mostly for a second tail or an extra ear. A cat in a cardboard box kept coming back with two tails, so I cut it. The paw ratings are my own, and the spaces to color are counted, not guessed.

More furry friends live in our animal coloring pages, including the horse coloring pages. Cute-style fans should try our kawaii coloring pages. Then scroll up, pick your favorite free cat coloring pages and tap Download PDF!