Smiling baby wearing a gray crochet cat hat with round ears, a white muzzle, a pink nose, and whiskers in a bright neutral nursery.

Crochet cat hat pattern

ByMelissa Hassler

This crochet cat hat pattern is a beginner-friendly animal hat worked from the top down in the round using worsted weight yarn. With baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes, it features simple cat face pieces sewn on at the end for a fun, cozy hat that’s great for gifts, costumes, and everyday wear.

Quick answer
This crochet cat hat pattern is a beginner-friendly hat worked from the top down in the round using worsted weight yarn (#4) and an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook. It includes baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes and is finished with simple cat face pieces like the snout, nose, eyes, and ears.

Best for: Beginners
Style: Top-down animal hat with sewn-on face pieces
Includes: 4 sizes, written instructions, gauge, and finishing notes

Why you’ll love this pattern

  • Cute cat design — Fun face details make it extra playful
  • Four sizes included — Baby, toddler, child, and adult
  • Beginner-friendly — Uses basic stitches and simple rounds
  • Great for gifts — A fun handmade hat for cat lovers of all ages
  • Cozy and wearable — Soft yarn and a comfortable fit for everyday use

How the hat is constructed

This cat hat is worked from the top down in the round. You’ll increase to shape the crown, then work even rounds for the body of the hat. The face pieces are crocheted separately and sewn on at the end.

Crochet cat hat pattern details

Here’s a quick overview of the materials, sizing, gauge, and pattern notes before you begin.

Skill level

Beginner — Uses basic stitches worked in simple rounds.

Materials needed

  • Crochet hook size I-9 (5.5 mm) — for the hat
  • Crochet hook size H-8 (5 mm) — for the snout, nose, eyes, and ears
  • Worsted weight yarn (#4) — in black, white, gray, and pink
  • Yarn needle — for weaving in ends neatly
  • Scissors — to cut your yarn
  • Stitch markers (optional) — helpful for keeping track of rounds and stitch counts

Finished size

This cat hat pattern includes four sizes.

  • Baby — 14–15 inches (36–38 cm) head circumference, 6 inches tall (15 cm)
  • Toddler — 18–19 inches (46–48 cm) head circumference, 7 inches (18 cm) tall
  • Child — 19–20 inches (48–51 cm) head circumference, 7.75 inches (20 cm) tall
  • Adult — 20–23 inches (51–58 cm) head circumference, 8 inches tall (20 cm)

Need help with sizing? Check out my crochet hat sizing guide to measure head circumference, use negative ease, and adjust crown diameter and hat height for the best fit.

Gauge

15 stitches and 9 rows = 4 inches (10 cm)

If your swatch has too many stitches, try a larger hook.
If your swatch has too few stitches, try a smaller hook.

Crochet abbreviations

Pattern notes

  • Use an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook for the hat
  • Use an H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook for the snout, nose, eyes, and ears
  • Rounds 1-5 of the hat are the same for all sizes
  • The pattern is worked in the round from the top of the hat down
  • Repeat the instructions between the asterisks (*) for the rest of the round
  • Unless otherwise stated, the face pieces are the same for all sizes
  • The pattern is written in US crochet terms
Pinterest pin for a crochet cat hat pattern by Lovable Loops. The pin shows a crochet cat hat on a light background. Text on the pin reads “Crochet cat hat pattern,” “Baby to adult sizes!,” “beginner-friendly,” and “FREE.”

Quick links

Rounds 1-5
Baby size
Toddler size
Child size
Adult size
Cat snout
Cat nose
Cat eyes
Cat ears
Smile and whiskers
Finishing

Crochet cat hat pattern instructions

Rounds 1-5 are the same for all sizes.

Rounds 1-5

Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 11 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (11 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st, join (22 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next st*, join (33 stitches)
Round 4: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 2 sts*, join (44 stitches)
Round 5: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 10 sts*, join (48 stitches)

Baby size

Rounds 6-14: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (48 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Toddler size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Rounds 8-17: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (56 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Child size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Rounds 9-18: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (60 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Adult size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Round 9: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 14 sts*, join (64 stitches)
Rounds 10-19: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (64 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Cat snout

Use white yarn.

Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 11 hdc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (11 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 hdc in each st, join (22 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 hdc, hdc in next st*, join (33 stitches)
Round 4: Ch 2, *2 hdc, hdc in next 2 sts*, join (44 stitches)

Sew the snout to the front of the hat. Make sure it is centered.

Cat nose

Use pink yarn.

Round 1: Ch 5, 2 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, 4 hdc in last ch, you will finish the round by working in the backside of the chs, hdc in next ch, 2 hdc in last ch, join (10 stitches)

Fasten off and sew the nose onto the snout. 

Cat eyes

Make 2.

Start with black yarn.
Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 6 hdc, join with sl st to the top of the first hdc (6 stitches)

Switch to white yarn. 
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st, join (12 stitches)

Use scrap pieces of white yarn to add the eye sparkle.

Sew the eyes to the hat.

Cat ears

Make 2 using gray yarn.

Row 1: Ch 10, hdc in 3rd ch from the hook and in each rem ch, turn (8 stitches)
Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in each st, turn (8 stitches)
Row 3: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc in 4 sts, hdc2tog, turn (6 stitches)
Row 4: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc in 2 sts, hdc2tog, turn (4 stitches)
Row 5: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc2tog, turn (2 stitches)
Row 6: Ch 2, hdc2tog, turn (1 stitch)

Single crochet around the entire shape and fasten off. Sew the ears onto each top side of the hat.

Adding the smile and whiskers

Use black yarn to stitch a smile and whiskers onto the hat. 

Finishing

Weave in all of your ends.

Gray handmade crochet cat beanie with ears, a white snout, pink nose, and whiskers on the front.

Printable PDF pattern

If you prefer an easy, print-friendly version of this crochet cat hat pattern, a printable PDF is available in my Etsy shop. The PDF includes the full pattern instructions in a clean, ad-free format, making it perfect for printing or saving on your device.

More free crochet animal hats

Love cute animal hats? You’re in the right place! This collection of free crochet animal hat patterns includes fun designs for every season and personality, from sweet farm animals to wild zoo favorites.

Each pattern is beginner-friendly and written in baby to adult sizes, so you can make matching hats for the whole family. They’re great for gifts, dress-up, photo props, school spirit days, and everyday cold-weather fun.

Looking for more cute designs? Explore my full collection of crochet animal hat patterns.

Let’s connect!

I’d love to see what you’re making! Share your finished project and follow along for more free crochet patterns and tutorials.

📌 Don’t forget to pin this pattern for later!
Happy crocheting! 🧶
— Melissa

Pinterest pin for a crochet cat hat pattern by Lovable Loops. The pin shows a crochet cat hat on a light background. Text on the pin reads “Crochet cat hat pattern,” “Baby to adult sizes!,” “beginner-friendly,” and “FREE.”