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With Halloween quickly approaching, it’s time to start planning out the perfect spooky props for you and your guests.
These adorable DIY Pumpkin Cat carving ideas will combine two of your favorite things for Halloween: pumpkins and kitties!
Continue reading to find both simple cat pumpkin carving and scary cat pumpkin carving ideas to try this season. We have a mix of pumpkin cat carving ideas for all ages and skill levels.
There are a few easy cat pumpkin carving ideas for young or beginner pumpkin artists, while there are some that you can work on with the whole family.
We even have DIY pumpkin cat carving ideas for both indoors and outdoors, and ones that can be stored and used year after year.
11 DIY Pumpkin Cat Carving Ideas
1. Black Cat Pumpkin Family
Materials Needed
- Pumpkin
- Small gourd
- Carving knife or pumpkin carving kit
- A scraper tool or a large spoon
- Felt-tip marker
- Black spray paint
- Black felt
- Orange or green felt
- Hot glue gun
- Wooden skewers
- Newspaper
- Battery-operated tealight
Here, these tiny black cat pumpkins are grouped into a family, but you could make just one or any number of them for your porch or tabletop or to line your front walk.
The heads and bodies are separate little pumpkins with almond-shaped eyes carved into the ‘face’ and perky little upright ears made from felt.
A short-curved gourd for the tail adds contrast and whimsy. Spray-painting the whole thing black makes the eyes pop and gives it a sleek, shadowy look. You can make these any size you want.
What we like about this project is that it combines carving and crafting in a way that’s clever and dead simple.
Instead of cutting away into the pumpkin, you’re building parts into a 3D sculptural form. It’s a nice option for a less messy big Halloween impact.
2. No-Carve Black Cat Pumpkin
Materials Needed
- Black plastic pumpkin or black-painted pumpkin
- White paint pen
- Green paint pen
- Black Sharpie pen
- Chalk stick
The attractive black cat pumpkin design does not require any pumpkin carving work. All you need are some drawing utensils.
With chalk and paint pens, you’ll draw a cartoon kitty face right on the pumpkin. Shaded big green eyes, a tiny white snout, and perhaps even a slobbery cartoon tongue.
The simple joy is in the sketchy hand-drawn style. No two faces will be the same, and that’s the beauty.
We appreciate that this simple project works well for children and offers flexible adaptation options.
For outdoor display use, you can paint the pumpkin with glow-in-the-dark paint after adding lettering to its back whether it’s artificial or real.
It’s a great table topper or porch-welcoming decoration that remains cheerful but not too creepy for your Halloween nights.
3. Glowing Cat Jack O’Lantern
Materials Needed
- Cat face pumpkin carving pattern
- Printer
- Blue tape
- Scissors
- Awl or punch tool
- Ballpoint pen
- Serrated knife
- Paring knife
- Linoleum cutter kit and/or wood carving kit
- Spoon
- Toothpicks (optional)
- Baby oil, Vaseline, or vegetable oil
- Cotton swabs and cotton balls
- Battery-operated candle
This cute and unique Halloween pumpkin design features a carved pumpkin with glowing eyes that shine from within.
Begin by printing a stencil that you’ll trace onto the pumpkin before using the lines as a guide when carving your pumpkin.
The result is a clean, illuminated cat face on the front of a pumpkin that’s full of personality and character. This project works great for decorating the front porch, entryway, and more.
4. No-Carve Foam Black Cat Pumpkin
Materials Needed
- Black foam pumpkin
- Black foam sheet
- Pink felt
- Gray pipe cleaners
- White paint marker
To make this cat pumpkin carving, start with a black foam pumpkin which gets triangle ears and a pink felt nose before getting gray pipe cleaner whiskers and white paint marker eyes.
With its broad eyes, the no-carve cat pumpkin looks friendly and playful instead of frightening.
This Halloween project features layered textures, such as soft felt and flexible pipe cleaners to create your black cat, with no messy cutting required.
Plus, since this no-carve cat pumpkin is made with foam, it’s perfect for apartment dwellers or anyone who wants a reusable Halloween decoration they can enjoy year after year.
5. Cat-Themed Pumpkin Carving
Materials Needed
- Medium to large pumpkin
- Small serrated knife
- Large metal spoon
- Large bowl
- Marker pen
- Tea light
The people at KatKin created this amazing creative pumpkin carving project with a blueprint that follows your favorite feline friend.
The original author has a project for everyone, no matter your carving experience. If you’re just starting you can try carving paw prints.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can carve an entire cat face with almond-shaped eyes, pointed ears, and triangle teeth.
If you’re a master carver you can make a full moon with a black cat silhouette and spooky tree branches.
The best part about this project is that there are no stencil restrictions. You can simply draw your cat with a marker, and carve it out.
Feel free to add your unique touches like a heart-shaped nose or long whiskers. Once it’s illuminated, your pumpkin will cast a warm glow that will show off your unique creation.
6. Carve-Free Black Cat Pumpkins
Materials Needed
- Faux pumpkins
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Black exterior paint
- 2-inch foam paintbrush
- Scissors
- Black craft foam
- Medium-tipped white paint marker
- White craft paint
- Small craft paintbrush
- Gray and light brown pipe cleaners
- Felt (light gray, light brown, or red)
- Black marker
The joy of creating this Halloween craft decoration can be shared with your kids too. You can use paint and craft foam to make happy black cats out of faux pumpkins.
After the pumpkins are coated with black paint, craft foam ears, paint-on eyes, and a nose and whiskers give the pumpkins personality.
The best part of these faux pumpkins is that there’s no carving required. That makes them an easy and fun project for even the youngest children (or adults who don’t want to carve).
And, the best part? Because they’re made of faux pumpkins, they’re reusable for many Halloweens to come.
7. Simple Cat Face Carved Pumpkin
Materials Needed
- Pumpkin
- A small, sharp knife
- Tiny flat screwdriver
This simple-to-carve Jack O’Lantern features a traditional, cat face design and can be completed with a few easy tools and a little time.
First, cut a lid off the pumpkin, scoop it out, and sketch your design. For this Jack O’Lantern, carve out the cat face details before placing a candle inside and enjoying the warm glow.
The beauty of this cat pumpkin lies in its simplicity. No advanced carving skills or special tools are needed, just a bit of patience and a soft spot for cats.
It’s a relaxing activity for a quiet evening and adds a peculiar, handmade touch to your Halloween decor.
8. Drilled Polka Dot Cat Pumpkin
Materials Needed
- Pumpkin
- Power drill
- Wood spade bit (1 inch or larger)
- Pumpkin carving knife
- Scoop or spoon
- Folk Art Outdoor Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrush
The cat pumpkin from Handmade Charlotte is gorgeous, full of fun, and modern. All you need is a drill and some paint.
We love the design because it uses a simple trick, rather than cutting.
Just make a bunch of polka dot holes in the pumpkin with a power drill, then paint it and add a pair of triangle cat ears.
This cat-themed Halloween pumpkin carving is a little different than most because it uses a spade drill bit to form the pattern.
The other huge thing we love about this project is that you can be as loose or detailed with the design as you like.
Feel free to paint it pink for a fun look, give it a modern look, or go classic black for a traditional Halloween theme.
9. Lucky Cat-O-Lantern
Materials Needed
- Medium to large pumpkin
- Pumpkin carving kit knives
- Awl or similar tool for punching holes
- Gouge tool or small flat-head screwdriver
- Masking tape
- Scoop or spoon
- Permanent marker
- Pattern printout or photocopy
We were inspired by the Chinese lucky cat with this pattern from Instructables, we hope you can see that too.
This is a combination of cutting the pattern and marking the pumpkin, which is then hollowed and carved.
You will cut out or print your pattern, then poke or scratch out the pattern onto your DIY pumpkin.
Some parts of the design, such as the medallion and whiskers, are surface carved with a gouge to allow for a soft glow.
Other parts of the design are cut through to allow for a nice bright glow from a candle inside.
The unique aspect of this project is the combination of both deep cutting and surface carving, using multiple techniques of pumpkin carving.
The layering of the techniques gives your completed lantern some dimension and warmth while making this lucky cat special for Halloween.
10. Skeleton Cat Carved Pumpkin
Materials Needed
- Pumpkin
- Skeleton cat printable carving pattern
- Tape
- Sharpie
- Skewer or pumpkin carving tool
- Knife
- Soap or rubbing alcohol
- Battery-powered candle
Inspired by classic drawings, this design features a very stylized, almost cartoony, skeleton cat.
This fun pattern incorporates both cut-through as well as surface-scraping techniques in order to achieve a layered effect featuring luminous bones and a shadowy cat-shaped silhouette.
The completed design stands out as both bold and dynamic while serving as an ideal illumination for Halloween celebrations.
The real standout feature of this project is the amount of detail incorporated.
The intricacy of the skeleton adds dimension as well as personality, lending your jack-o’-lantern a mischievous yet sinister air.
11. Stacked Black Cat O’Lanterns
Materials Needed
- Pumpkins
- Mini pumpkins
- Cucumber
- Felt or black card stock
- Black spray paint
- Tea light
- Knife
- Newspaper
- Floral picks or skewers
- Clay polymer or poster putty
In this cute project, the author stacks pumpkins to create solid black cats with mini pumpkin paws, carved faces, and cucumber tails.
The body pumpkin remains uncarved, and only the smaller pumpkin on top (which serves as the cat’s head) is hollowed out and lit.
When finished, everything is painted black for a fun, sculptural look, ready for your upcoming October 31st celebration.
Conclusion
We hope both carving pros and crafting beginner have found DIY pumpkin cat carving ideas that will suit their Halloween style.
You can go as simple or as creative as you like, some of these projects require only a few splashes of paint, while others are carved and designed to glow from a candlelit interior.
You can even combine several of these easy pumpkin projects to set up your display of feline-inspired pumpkins on your porch, entryway, or dining table.
So, suit up with your favorite tools and materials, and get ready to take your Halloween decor into full meow mode this year.
Further Reading:
29 Halloween Costumes to Do with Your Cat
Laura is the founder of Furs'n'Paws. She is a also a pet writer and expert with more than 20 years of experience of working with dogs and cats. She developed a very strong love for animals at a young age. Her passion led her to establish a thriving pet sitting and dog walking business in Dubai. As an expert in pet training, behavior, and nutrition, Laura is committed to helping pet owners and pet lovers by offering high-quality information on a wide range of topics.
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