# Cat Cross Stitch: 15 Cats and How to Check a Chart Last updated: October 19, 2026 Cat cross stitch goes wrong in a boring place: the numbers on the cat cross stitch chart do not agree with each other. You cut your aida to the stated size, and only then find that the page and the grid disagree about how wide the cat is. A free kitten chart lists its size as 42 x 40 stitches in the details and calls it a 42 x 42 design in the description. A free black cat shows 103 x 67 in one place and 103 x 103 in another. Two of the five free cat charts compared here disagreed with themselves. **Quick answer:** pick the cat by the evening you have, not by the coat colour. Divide the chart’s width in stitches by 14 to get the finished size in inches on 14 ct aida. A cat 36 stitches wide finishes at about 2.6 inches, a cat 200 stitches wide at 14.3. The fifteen cats below run from one colour to twenty-nine, each with its count where the source states it. I stitch cats only from charts that print their stitch count on the file. If you would rather skip the hunting, [cat charts with a stated stitch count and licence](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+cross+stitch+pattern) are one search away. ## What makes a cat read as a cat Three marks carry the whole animal. They are placement, not skill, so you can get them right on a first attempt. - **The ears.** Two triangles with a pointed tip, set well apart on top of the head. Round the tips and you stitch a bear. - **The head sitting low.** A cat’s head is wider than its neck and sits almost on the shoulders. Draw a long neck and the animal stops looking like a cat. - **The tail line.** One curved line, one stitch wide. It is the stitch that tells a viewer it is a cat at all. Everything else is colour, and colour is where the stitch count climbs. The same counting habit applies to other small motifs: my [hearts cross stitch guide](/hearts-cross-stitch-9-ideas-inspiration/) and [star cross stitch guide](/star-cross-stitch-pattern-4-ideas-inspiration/) run the same chart checks on a different shape. You can see all three marks on any chart before you buy floss. [Cat charts with the grid and count shown](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+cross+stitch+chart) make that quick. Ears, a low head and one curved tail line. After that a cat is only a question of how many colours you are willing to buy. ## 1. The loaf cat: the one-evening version A loaf cat is a cat sitting with its paws tucked in, so the body is a single rounded block. That is why it is the easiest cat to count. One free loaf chart with balloons is 36 x 33 stitches, which comes to about 2.6 x 2.4 inches on 14 ct. The designer stitched it on yellow 14 count aida in one sitting. Small is where the saves are: Small Cat Cross Stitch has 599 searches a month on Pinterest and is growing at 5.6%. A [small cat chart that names its colour count in the listing](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=loaf+cat+cross+stitch) spares you a surprise. ## 2. The four colour kitten A kitten is a cat with a bigger head and shorter body, so it fits in less space and asks for fewer rows of body shading. The free yellow kitten is 42 x 40 stitches in 4 colours, 3 x 2.9 inches on 14 ct. Its own description calls it 42 x 42. The difference is two rows, enough to ruin a border you have already planned. ## 3. The one colour black cat This is the lightest cat on floss: a single DMC colour on a light ground, 103 x 67 stitches, about 7.4 x 4.8 inches on 14 ct. The page I checked also lists a 103 x 103 size. A frame sized for the square version leaves wide bare bands around the wide one, so decide which one you are stitching before you buy the frame. ## 4. A beginner black cat in three colours The second black cat is the one I give to people who have never counted a row: 50 x 57 stitches in 3 colours, about 3.6 x 4.1 inches on 14 ct. Black Cat Cross Stitch Pattern draws 1,897 searches a month and is up 4.2%. Three colours is the number I trust a beginner with; two shades of black and one eye colour is as far as the chart needs to go. ## 5. The tuxedo cat The tuxedo is a black cat with a white chest and paws. Tuxedo Cat Cross Stitch is the fastest riser in the cat family on Pinterest, at 560 searches a month and growing 10.0%. ## 6. The orange cat Orange cats bring warm shades that look alike on a screen. Orange Cat Cross Stitch has 671 searches a month, up 4.2%. Print the chart in grey first: if two oranges turn into one symbol, the chart is not usable. ## 7. The sleeping cat A sleeping cat is a curled oval with one ear and a tail across the nose. The free chart in a large cat album is 103 x 87 stitches in 10 colours, about 7.4 x 6.2 inches on 14 ct. A [sleeping cat chart with a numbered colour list](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=sleeping+cat+cross+stitch) shows the ten shades before you buy. ## 8. A mini cat face A cat face is two ears, two eyes and a nose, and nothing else. It is the smallest cat that still reads as a cat. Mini Cat Cross Stitch has 571 searches a month, up 2.7%. A collection of 24 mini cats, with monthly, seasonal and holiday faces, exists as a free set, which makes this the best motif for a row of matching gifts. ## 9. A cat bookmark A cat cross stitch bookmark uses a long narrow strip, so a cat sitting in profile works better than a face. Hem the edges first. A [bookmark chart that states its width in stitches](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+bookmark+cross+stitch) beats a photo. ## 10. Cat alphabet letters An alphabet gives you a cat per letter: a cat as the A, a curled cat as the C, a cat’s tail as the J. It is a long project, so treat it as a series, and check the licence first if you will stitch letters for others. ## 11. Cat and bunny A cat beside a rabbit is a large piece: 200 x 200 stitches, about 14.3 inches on each side on 14 ct, or 36.3 cm. Mark the centre lines in pencil. ## 12. Four cats on a branch A silhouette row of cats is a border more than a picture. One listing of this design is 300 x 170 stitches, about 21.4 x 12.1 inches on 14 ct. ## 13. The Halloween black cat A black cat among potion bottles is a scene, not a motif: 151 x 155 stitches in 25 colours, about 10.8 x 11.1 inches on 14 ct. Most of the colours go to the bottles, not the cat. ## 14. The black cat with flowers The largest chart on this list is a black cat surrounded by flowers: 174 x 218 stitches in 29 colours, about 12.4 x 15.6 inches on 14 ct. It is aimed at advanced stitchers. The cat is one colour and the flowers take the rest, so you finish the cat in an afternoon and the garden in weeks. ## 15. The cat in a tote bag A tabby peeking out of a tote bag is a popular posture because it hides most of the cat. You stitch a face, two paws and a bag, and the bag is a rectangle. ## Why cat charts disagree with themselves Cat charts are everywhere and almost none is checked. One large pattern catalogue lists 212 cross stitch charts with a cat or kitten in the title. Four of them carry a review, and each has just one. The most saved has 135 saves and the middle of the list sits at 12. My rule: no stated count, no needle. The searches tell the same story. Cat Cross Stitch Pattern Free has 3,787 searches a month and is down 1.0%, while Cross Stitch Cat Pattern, the same words reordered, has 1,368 and is up 6.5%. Stitchers are moving away from the word free. Five faults come up again and again: | What goes wrong | How it shows up on your fabric | | Stitch count differs between page and description | You cut the aida for one size and the grid asks for another | | The PDF page is cropped | An ear or a tail is simply blank, and you find out at the last row | | Symbols that only differ by colour | Print it in black and white and two oranges become one symbol | | A floss number no longer made | You are guessing a substitute halfway through the coat | | Colour count unstated | A cat sold as easy turns out to carry twenty-five shades | None of that is about your counting, and you can check it in a minute. Many free cats say nothing about whether you may sell what you finish. That matters the moment a friend offers to buy the hoop off your wall. [Cat charts that print the licence in the listing](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+cross+stitch+pattern+pdf) settle the question before you buy. ## What you need: aida, two strands, one cat - **14 ct aida.** The count every number on this page assumes. You divide your stitch count by 14 for the finished size in inches. - **Two strands of floss** for full crosses on 14 ct. - **The right number of colours:** one for a silhouette, three for a beginner cat, more only when you have finished a cat before. - **The chart on paper**, so you can mark off rows. - **One evening:** the loaf cat or a mini face. - **One weekend:** the kitten, the tuxedo or a black cat in three colours. - **A month:** cat and bunny, or any scene with twenty or more colours. A [beginner cat chart with a numbered colour list](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=beginner+cat+cross+stitch) keeps the shopping list short. Start from the centre and count the first row twice. If you are stitching a house next, my [cross stitch house guide](/cross-stitch-house-12-ideas-inspiration/) sizes 12 designs. ## Check a cat chart before the first stitch You can catch every fault above in about a minute, before your needle goes in. - **Find the stitch count.** Width and height, in stitches, stated by the designer. If the page and the description give different numbers, trust the grid and count it. - **Divide by 14.** You get your finished size in inches on 14 ct. Add two inches each way for your hoop. - **Look at the symbol key in grey.** Print one page without colour. If two symbols now look the same, the chart is unusable, however pretty the preview is. - **Check the page edges.** Every page of the PDF should carry its own grid border. A missing border on one side is how an ear goes blank. - **Count the colours.** A cat that needs twenty-five shades is not a beginner chart, whatever the title says. In my experience, free charts rarely pass more than two of those five. My [sunshine chart guide](/sunshine-cross-stitch-4-ideas-inspiration/) applies them again, and my [space cross stitch guide](/space-cross-stitch-6-ideas-inspiration/) runs the same five checks on a motif that trips people up for different reasons. **Skip the checking and the guessing.** [Charts from a catalogue that states stitch count, colour list and licence on every file](/go/creative-fabrica/) let you buy fabric before you print, and let you sell what you finish. ## Questions people ask about cat cross stitch ### What does ct mean in cross stitch? Count, the number of aida squares per inch. 14 ct has fourteen squares to the inch, so a chart 42 stitches wide finishes at 3 inches. A higher count gives a smaller piece from the same chart. ### What is a good first cat to stitch? A black cat in three colours, 50 x 57 stitches, or a loaf cat at 36 x 33. Both fit in an evening or two, and neither asks you to follow more than three symbols. ### Can I sell what I stitch from a free cat chart? Not unless the chart says so. Most free cat charts are silent on it, and silence is not permission. A [chart with a stated licence](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+cross+stitch+pattern+licence) is the only safe one to stitch for someone else. ### What is the difference between counted cross stitch and cross stitch? Counted cross stitch has you count squares from a chart on evenweave or aida. Stamped cross stitch prints the design on the fabric and you cover it. Every size in this guide is for counted work, where your count decides the result. ### Can you cut cross stitch fabric? Yes, before you stitch. Cut the aida at least two inches larger than the finished size on every side, and fold or tape the edge so it does not fray while you work. ### Where can you download the best free cat cross stitch patterns as a PDF? Free catalogues exist, but check the count, the symbol key and the licence before you print. If you plan to give or sell the finished cat, choose a PDF that states what you may do with it. ## Key takeaways - A cat is ears that lean out, a low head and one curved tail line. The rest is colour. - Your stitch count divided by 14 is the finished size in inches on 14 ct aida. Do not trust a number the page itself contradicts. - Two of the five cat charts I checked disagreed with their own size. Of 212 cat charts in one catalogue, only 4 carry a review. - Pick by evening: 36 x 33 for one night, 200 x 200 for a month. - When you would rather stitch than audit, start from [charts that state count, colours and licence](/go/creative-fabrica/?q=cat+cross+stitch) and keep your checking for the fabric.