How To Draw A Cat — Realistic And Cute Cartoon Kittens, Ahead! (VIDEOS)

When it comes to pets, some of us rest squarely in the camp of “cats rule and dogs drool.” With cats, there are no long walks. No incessant barking. And despite the unfriendly rumors canines have spread about felines so that they take over the house, some cats are particularly loving. Dare we say cuddly even? Sure, they start crying the minute they can see the bottoms of their food bowls. Yes, they’ll likely claw into and ruin the corner of any brand new couch. Still, we wouldn’t trade our cats for all the money in the world. Now, if only we could learn how to draw a cat (ideally well enough to teach our kids, too).

It turns out it’s not as hard as we thought. Cats are, in essence, just a bunch of overlapping circles and triangles. We know this because we found tons of super-useful and fun video tutorials to help us draw pictures of and for our feline gods and goddesses. These are our absolute favorites and the ones we found most helpful.

How to Draw a Cat: The Whole Cat

There’s a lot to consider, even when you narrow down your cat-drawing-tutorial-search to “the whole cat.” From cute cat cartoons to something more realistic to even how they’re sitting, standing, or laying down, your inspo cup runneth over, right? We found three really easy tutorials to walk you through drawing an entire feline — nose to tail. Which of these drawings of fluffsters do you want to see pinned to your fridge?

Simple and Cartoonish Cats

You don’t need to go all out on your cat drawings. Sometimes the ones that look more like cartoons are actually cuter than the realistic drawings. And they’re certainly more fun, right?

Realistic Cat Drawing Help

There’s something special and therapeutic about being able to take your time and really create a masterpiece. If you want to draw more lifelike cats — something that looks more like art and less like a doodle — we’ve got your back. This is our absolute favorite tutorial on how to draw a whole, realistic-looking sleeping cat.

How to Draw a Cat Face

Any cat owner (or cat’s human) will tell you that felines have very expressive faces. Nailing their love, indignance, or hunger might be hard at first. But starting with these videos on how to draw any cat face is the first step.

Cute Cartoon Cat Face

Realistic Cat Face Drawing Tutorial

How to Draw a Cat Eye

No, this isn’t a makeup tutorial. But, real talk, it’s just as challenging to master. In fact, drawing a cat eye might be one of the hardest parts of drawing your feline friend.

Eye: Fast Tutorial

This video is speedy. However, we think there are a ton of really useful techniques inside. Thank goodness for pause, rewind, and replay!

Draw a Cat Eye: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

Looking to slow it down and get some more in-depth tips on drawing a cat’s eye? This is the way to go.

Drawing Cat Paws

We all mastered the circle collection of cat paw logos when we were wildcats, right? These videos take how to draw cat paws one step further.

How To Draw A Cat Paw: Cartoon-ish, Easy

Those toe beans, though! This cat paw isn’t any harder than the one we learned in middle school, but it’s so much cuter. We just wanna squish ’em.

Drawing Cat Paws: More Realistic

If you want to up your game further, this video is the trick. It’s easy to follow and offers some great pointers for how to make those claws look like they’re really coming out of the fur. Take note: This video offers excellent, actionable advice for drawing paws on many different animals. So, you can tackle your favorite dog breeds next and have a head start!

Drawing Materials

Where would an artist be without their art tools? These drawing materials are especially helpful if you’re interested in drawing a realistic cat.

• Quality drawing pencils (like 2B, and 4B pencils)
• Gum eraser
• A pencil sharpner (Keep your tools in tip-top shape for those fine details)
• Charcoal
• Blending stumps

How to Draw Garfield

Garfield the cat has taught us many things, like how to hate Mondays before we even had jobs or responsibilities. If you’re looking to draw your favorite greedy lasagna-obsessed tabby (who looks like a chubby tiger), we found a step-by-step video that will help you bring this character to life with just a marker.

Funny Quotes About Cats

Cats are fantastic creatures, and if you love drawing them, you probably love everything about them. Well, the feline fun doesn’t stop at art. We have more cat-tastic content below! Keep reading for hilarious quotes about cats.

“Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.” — Pam Brown

“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” — Winston Churchill

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music, and cats.” — Albert Schweitzer

“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.” — James Herriot, James Herriot’s Cat Stories

“What greater gift than the love of a cat?” — Charles Dickens

“In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats.” — Unknown

“A lie is like a cat: You need to stop it before it gets out the door, or it’s really hard to catch.” — Charles M. Blow

If you’re looking for more animal-inspired art activities, check out our coloring pages on fish, foxes, puppies, and more.