Some people say that cat lovers have some of the coolest decorations. We can’t say whether that’s true or not, but these cat tattoos that we’ve seen posted make a very strong case. From minimalist to vibrant and all flavors in between, you won’t believe these incredible examples feline-inspired body art.
1. Coffee, tea, kitty?
This simple tattoo is one of the most adorable on this list. In four images or panels, it shows a black kitten peeking out of, then spilling out of a tea cup. The kitten’s expression in the last part is our favorite. What do you think? Is this the best part of waking up?
2. Cat as far as the eye can see
This clever tattoo depicts a cat dangling a paw over the side of something. But then you look closer and catch the details, from how the arm is built of trees and the cat’s eye is the moon. This combination of a nighttime outdoorsy scene to create a cat is both fun and beautiful. Wouldn’t you agree?
3. The four phases of the cat
This tattoo combines two amazing topics with a lunar theme and a cat theme. The cat, designed to look like the moon, grows and twists as it waxes and wanes. The full moon image is especially lovely since the cat is just so happy. You have to love the small additions of stars.
4. A whole lot of style
This tattoo features a contemporary art style to deliver a fun scene of cats with different personalities. With bright colors and well defined shapes, it’s easy to lose yourself in the detail. Everyone seeing this tattoo inevitably chooses one cat to be their favorite. Which one’s yours?
5. A leg up on this cat
This simple tattoo has a lot of personality. The black cat you can see has big wide eyes that seem to be surprised or embarrassed. Maybe it was drawn that way so make you smile when you see it.We love the style.
6. A sunny cat
This tattoo shows off an idyllic summer day as seen through a window. It almost feels like peeking into a southwestern town with adobe style buildings. But then you pull back and see the cat for the scenes. It’s a clever design, without a doubt.
7. PAWS
We’re not sure if this shark will star in a blockbuster horror movie, but we still wouldn’t mind seeing it. Not only does the tattoo show a really cute and cartoony image of the cat, but it just has a neat design that you can’t help but love. Check out how noodley the legs are and just picture seeing this sweet shark chasing after you.
8. The perfect likeness
This tattoo may look like it has a wild fur design until you look at the cat that inspired it. Both kittens have a wild windswept look to their fur that you can’t ignore while still having a sweetness that’ll make you smile. This tattoo just proves that sometimes you don’t have to look sleek, to look adorable.
9. Scaredy-Tat
This tattoo is so dynamic it’s actually a little scary. Showing off a scared black cat with its fur on end, we have to wonder what inspired the design. Does the owner have a scaredy-cat feline at home or do they just like the visual image of an alarmed kitty. This has to be the perfect Halloween tattoo.
10. Draw the line
This tattoo depicts one cat sitting and watching as another clambers up to a line. The line could be anything, from a shelf to a table and anything in between. We love the detail work that makes each cat look and feel different from the other while maintaining the sleek and sharp theme.
11. Straight from springfield
Longtime Simpsons fans may remember the crazy cat lady character. It’s a popular image and joke when talking about cat-lovers. But this cat-owner wants to take the term back and show off their cat-pride with this homage tattoo. What’s not to love?
12. Don’t step across this line
This cool cat tattoo is a very simple work using what looks like a single flowing line. It’s amazing to think how little detail you need to get the point acrss as this work of ink shows. We would love to know how long this tattoo took to make, but we’re sure this was one of the simplest cool projects around.
13. Adam meets cat meets God
This fun tattoo combines Michelangelo’s famous fresco painting with a doughy cat design. Look at how detailed the hands are and compare them to the simpler work done on the cat. But this cat isn’t the strange one, at least considering the facial expression it gives to the hand approaching its face.
14. Water-bending cat style
This tattoo is really neat showing a magic wand unleashing a water-cat that’s ready to pounce. We bet that this tattoo had to be a lot of fun to sketch and ink and a real challenge to make the cat look and feel like a creature of water. Bet this cat would be very useful if fire-mice ever existed. What an incredible design.
15. That’s all folks!
This might look a bit grisly, but we think it’s a lot of cute. This simple tattoo depicts a cat sticking their way out of a hole. If you have a fence with a whole in it, you’ve llikely seen cats do this same thing.
16. Put ‘er there, pal
Don’t blink or you might meet the tiny paw giving their part of a hi-five. Both paw and hand are detailed in a beautifully simple style that gets the point across without a lot of unneeded details. What a fun cute image to share with the world?!
17. Which witch is which?
This fun tattoo shows three cats on their way while riding atop a broom. The big cat in the lead has a tell tale witch’s hat while the rest look like they’re just enjoying the ride. Was this one done for Halloween? Who knows, it’s still a great fun picture!
18. Two cats are better than one
This tattoo shows a highly detailed image peeking from behind a square, while another cat looks on. The simple square divides the two kittens, while keeping them tied together in this fun work of ink mastery. We wonder if this is based around TV at all?
19. A pair of portraits
This cat-owner loves their fuzzy pals and wanted to take them wherever they go. So they took pictures of their feline companions and got tattoos depicting them sitting next to each other. When you look at the pictures it’s clear the tattooist really captured them well.
20. All about you too, cat
This sweeping image brings cat and owner together in an amazing stylized way. We love how the hair looks like grain, water, and musical notes all at once and how the image sweeps your eye around until you spot the kitty next to the woman’s face. It shows much you can do with ink to create a gorgeous image.
21. Red and blue for two mews
This tattoo has a very cool distinctive style to show a fun scene you might see in a children’s cartoon. The heart balloon is lifting the red cat off the ground while the blue one is trying to get them back down with little success. Both cats are off for an adventure though so maybe it’s not so bad after all.
22. Cats on parade
This reminds us of the marching scene from The Aristocats, featuring a colorful cast of kittens. The cats are all posed individually and look like they’re having fun playing their choice of instruments. We don’t know about you, but we’d love to see this parade go through our town.
23. A shot of inspiration
We know cats like to knock things off shelves, but have you ever seen one drop music? Well that’s the idea behind this kitty inspired tattoo. The cat bats away at a bottle of something inspirational and sits while musical ideas flow forth in a bold distinctive note. This has to belong to a musician!
24. More than a mouthful
This tattoo mixes two of our favorite things; a great slice of pizza and a cat. The kitty certainly looks surprised to be a part of this costume design, but we bet its owner doesn’t mind. Check out the detail work on the toppings and tell us if this ink makes you want to pet a kitten, order a pizza, or both.
25. Not quite alone
On first glance, you might wonder why this intimately candid picture of a woman sitting and watching is part of this list. But then you look to the outer edges and see the first of several black cats. It’s an increidbly inventive use of shadows and color to hide the cats from casual view, while making sure they are prominent when you see them.
26. Two halves of a whole
This design looks so cool. It’s two crescent moons designed out of two very different cats. The creativity and coordination to make these tattoos come to life and feel connected is nothing short of amazing.
27. Meow Armstrong? or Fuzz Aldrin?
This fun design shows a cat in a fully realized spacesuit exploring the galaxy. Its paw reaches out to an astro-fish that looks on with curiosity. The entire piece is just this really fun and chill cartoony design that you can’t avoid loving. Houston, we have adorable.
28. Winking or sleepy?
This simple tattoo shows a cat in the middle of winking at the viewer. We love the detail on the fur but have to wonder if they were going for a sleepy kitten face or a winking one. It’s still a nice neat and simple way to show love for their fuzzy pal.
29. The family cat circus
We love how tired this loving cat mom looks in this one. Every cat is just milling about the scene minding their own business while the poor woman in the center struggles to figure out what’s next. You can tell this tattoo is drawn with love and pokes fun at living with many cats. Do you ever feel like she does, though?
30. Charlie Brown’s cat
This Halloween season, why not sit at your favorite couch and imagine the famous Charlie Brown holiday special, but with cats in all the main roles. You might miss out on your favorite Peanuts characters, but it will be at least 20% cuter. As for this tattoo though, how many cats get balled up under sheets and pillow cases if you don’t keep an eye out for them?
31. Moon cat reporting in
We love the colors on this one. The cat looks vibrant and lively with a semi-realistic style as they explore the cosmos in their cat-friendly space suit. We can just imagine the cat getting lost in all the colors of this brightly lit galaxy as quickly as we get lost in this design.
32. Mirror universe paws
These two cat tattoos mirror one another in an interesting way. A black paw reaching for a white heart and a white paw reaching for a black heart. We bet this represents two cats the owner owns and was designed to show the pair as being a part of the owner’s family in a big way.
33. A bippity-boppity-cute
This tattoo design goes back to Halloween in a fun and vibrant way. A cat in a witch hat is having the time of its life while its steed, a noble beast indeed, is just trying to not crash into anything. It reminds many of that one wild friend that they might have who always lived life by the seat of their pants. The colors are absolutely gorgeous too.
34. Babushka and Babushcat
This lovely image shows a woman with a strong personality sharing her feelings with anyone who doesn’t think her cat is lovely. We’re sure many cat owners have similar reactions to anyone who insults their cute little fur-babies. The big cat in the picture is simply enjoying the affection of its owners and reminding everyone to take a moment to smile.
35. Mars needs mittens
One look at this tattoo, even with the censoring, tells you what really matters to this tattoo owner. It might sound harsh, but cats are at a whole level above humans in cuteness and love. It’s a fun alien design that makes you wonder if astral visitors would really come down to get their own fuzzies. Quick! Someone get Roswell on the line.
36. Tie the knot
We love this simple tattoo design. At first, you’ll see the cat on the right walking across a thin line. But then you notice the knot tied on the left side and realize what’s been done. You can just wonder what happens if you could somehow tug out that knot while the cat’s walking and realize the cat would tumble down into the back of its owners pants. That’s the kind of image that would make for a great short animation project.
37. The horned cat
The first name that came to mind for this devilish cat is Meowzebubl. You have to wonder what inspired this wicked looking tattoo design. The cat is simply so detailed we can only guess that it’s the owner’s actual real life cat. Can you imagine this cat being slipped into a heavy metal album cover?
38. Cathulhu F’taghn!
Do you think Lovecraft would be proud of this strange and fascinating cat? With it’s wild tentalce bottom and it’s well defined feline top it’s an incredible blending of the cute and bizarre to create something mindblowing. What would you do if you saw this cat swimming towards you or getting close to your fishing line?
39. The alien cat
Do you see this cat showing up in the next Aliens movie? We certainly could. From where it’s positioned on the woman’s body to the intricate design work all over, it’s such a cool and unique look. Not sure if we’d want to take this cat home, but you can’t argue with the clear skill it took to create.
40. The colors of the whiskers
This bright and colorful design looks like the effects you get when you drop a bit of tye-dye coloring into a pool of water. The image is still well-crafted to show a distinctive feline face while still capturing so much vibrancy. It’s simply something you can’t ignore.
41. The Paws of Egypt
This cool cat has an Egyptian flair to it that’s visible from the wings and headdress all the way down to it’s paws. It provides such a sharp and regal image that you almost think back to how the Egyptians considered cats to be some of the most important animals around. Fans of Egyptian cultures and cat-lovers alike have plenty to love here.
42. A pair of cuties
This simple cat tattoo shows two felines sitting side by side. The detail work is so good that you might wonder if the tattooist simply found a way to transfer a photo directly to the owner’s skin. It’s amazing what shading can do to add so much to a piece.
43. Spooky scary cat-skeletons
Cat tattoos don’t always have to be cute and cuddly. Take this piece for example that removes everything down to the bone to show off what’s inside of every cat. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this skelecat is definitely going to be popular around the spookier holidays.
44. A hunk of kitty love
What’s a few extra ounces when a cat is this cuddly and lovable. This body-positive tattoo is all about showing that not all cats have to be skinny and sleek to be cool and loved. The pose is just all kinds of fun too as it makes you want to rub the kitty’s belly and hear it purr.
45. Black cat, lovely flower
This simple tattoo shows a distinguished black cat staring on while a flower blooms right beneath it. It’s almost as if the piece is comparing beautiful cats to the loveliest parts of nature. If that’s the case, then the artist nailed it as cat and flowers both have amazing work done to them.
46. Meowmetry 101
Ever wonder what you’ll do with math after school? Then look no further than this incredible use of geometry to create an incredibly math-friendly cat tattoo. It’s neat seeing how the cat peeks out from the math shapes and designs without feeling oddly placed. Big credit to the tattoo owner and artist for their design work on this one.
47. Catlactus
This galactic themed tattoo takes an ordinary cat and uses astral colors and themes to make it a creature from out of this world. The bright colors add so much visual flair to what would otherwise be an ordinary cat cleaning itself. The heart shape around the tail also adds a lovely addition to the picture that’s sure to bring smiles.
48. The jewel of tattoos
Check out the detail work on this lovely Mandala inspired tattoo. The cat might not even be the center piece when you see how much work was put in to the individual jewels and gems surounding it. It creates this unique design that you simply won’t find from most tattoo shops around the corner. Whomever had this one done got more than their money’s worth!
49. A regal cat
This cat tattoo is both sharply detailed and simplistic. It simply is a cat’s handsome profile as it looks on from its owners skin. There’s a small little smile that you can see that makes this one peaceful and warm to look at.
50. Samurai cat
This last cat tattoo shows a cat in a traditional samurai’s kimono wielding a katana in a seriously cool pose. The owner has to be a fan of modern and classic samurai films or just loves that cool Japanese aesthetic. As you watch the cat reaching for its sword, we can just hear our favorite parts of every samurai action scene ever. Be honest, do you hear the kabuki “Yoooo” sound as well?
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