This origami cat stands up on four legs with pointed ears and a tail that curls up behind it. It folds from one square of paper with no cuts and no glue. The channel Easy Origami and Crafts folds it in orange on a black table, slowly enough to follow. Fold the same model in black paper and you have a black cat for Halloween, ready for a mantel, a party table or a trick-or-treat bowl.
Paper for an origami black cat
The video uses a 20 cm (about 8 inch) square of standard origami paper, 70 to 80 gsm. Bigger paper is easier for a first try, since the head folds get small. For a black cat, pick paper that is black on both sides, or black on one side and white on the other. Two-sided black looks cleaner because no white shows at the ears and tail. Kraft paper and good copy paper cut square also work. Avoid card stock. It cracks at the collapse in step 7.
Origami terms used here
- Crease: fold, press flat, and often unfold. The line it leaves guides a later fold.
- Reference crease: a fold you make and undo only to mark a point.
- Collapse: folding several existing creases at once so the paper closes flat.
- Reinforce: run a fingernail or bone folder along a crease to sharpen it.
New to folding? Start with how to make origami or a classic like the origami crane. Both teach the habit of sharp, exact creases this cat depends on.
Tips for a clean fold
- Line up corners and edges before you press. A crease that is a little off in step 2 grows by the end.
- Work on a hard, flat table, not your lap.
- Step 8 is the tricky one. The folder says so too. Watch that part of the video twice before you try it.
- Black paper hides creases. Fold under a bright lamp, or tilt the paper so the light catches the lines.
How hard is it?
The folder rates it accessible to advanced beginners. Most steps are plain valley folds to a line you can see. Two steps ask more of you: the collapse in step 7 and the head in step 8. Plan on 20 to 30 minutes for your first cat. The second takes half that, because your hands remember the sequence. Children around 9 and up can fold it with a grown-up nearby for the head. Younger kids can do the first four steps, hand the paper over for the tricky part, then draw the face at the end.
Finishing touches
Once the cat stands, curl the tail by wrapping it around a pencil. Give a black cat a face with a white or yellow gel pen: two eyes, a tiny nose, whiskers. Glow-in-the-dark paint on the eyes is fun for a spooky shelf. If the cat leans, pinch the legs flat and widen its stance.
Ideas for your paper cats
Line up a row of black cats along a windowsill with Halloween window silhouettes. Add paper bats overhead and a few paper pumpkins at their feet. Folded in other colors, the cat makes a sweet place card, a gift topper, or a desk buddy for a cat lover.
