Three cats, three levels of carving
The sitting cat is a single black silhouette: cut it out in one piece and the candle lights the whole shape. It is the easiest of the three and suits a first carving or a small pumpkin. The tail ends in a blunt tip that stands clear of the body, so the gap between them stays open and the cat needs no bridges at any size in the menu, from Small (4 in) to Extra large (10 in).
The cat face fills the front of the pumpkin with pointed ears, almond eyes, a nose and whiskers. The whiskers are thin strips, so pick the medium or large size to keep them wider than about ⅛ inch, and cut them last, when the rest of the face is done.
The cat and moon uses all three tones: the cat is cut through, the moon behind it is shaved, and two small stars are cut. On the lit pumpkin the cat shows as a bright silhouette inside a dim orange disc. Shaving takes patience, so give yourself extra time.
Tips for cat stencils
Ears and tail tips are where carvings break. Cut toward the point from both sides instead of sawing out along it, and leave those parts for last so you aren’t pressing on them while you work elsewhere. For a cat on a small pumpkin, choose the Small size and check the preview: the summary under it counts the holes you’ll cut and any bridges that were added.
For a cat of your own, the Photo tab turns a picture into a stencil in your browser. The photo isn’t uploaded.
The designs on this page
| Design | Difficulty | Tones | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat face | Medium | Cut only | More pieces or curves; may need a bridge or a shaved area |
| Sitting cat | Easy | Cut only | Large shapes, few pieces, nothing floating |
| Cat and moon | Medium | Cut and shave | More pieces or curves; may need a bridge or a shaved area |
All designs were drawn for this site. Every other design is one click away under All in the picker, and the pumpkin stencil maker also turns photos into stencils.