Black Cat Paper Plate Craft -

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Super fun black cat paper plate craft, perfect for Halloween!

I love this black cat paper plate craft!

Are you a fan of all things Halloween? Then you will also love the black cat paper plate craft.

History of the Black Cat

I love tying crafts to a learning experience whenever possible.

If you just want the craft (I totally get that, we are busy people) just scroll on down to the bottom.

But, if you want to learn a little bit about the history of cats, keep on reading.

While getting the craft ready I wondered why how the black cat became a spooky symbol of Halloween. So I started doing some digging.

My search led me to the CatChannel.com, which makes sense. What I discovered was while many people have serious spooky superstitions about the black cat, in several areas of our world, they are considered good luck.

In North America and some parts of Europe, the black cat became associated with folklore about witches. But, in other cultures, cats are a symbol of good luck.

And because of their independent nature, cats in general are considered to be easy companions.

So are black cats bad luck?

No way! The best cat I ever met was my best friend’s cat, Max. Max was a black cat, and he was seriously super sweet. If you are in the market for a cat, don’t shy away from these dark-haired beauties.

Books About Cats

Again I love connecting crafts to a learning experience and there is no better way to do that than with a book about black cats.

Check out my favorite books about cats that will pair perfectly with this paper plate craft. Just click on the picture to read more about each book.

From the same author that brought you “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” comes “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. This adorable book will pair really well with this cat craft.

A fun book that pairs a cat character with autumn. Perfect for fall.

Kids will enjoying hearing about the shenanigans of adorable little Fuzzball.

This is a rhyming book that follows five brave cats on a spooky adventure.

A non-spooky Halloween book about a black cat named Moonlight.

An award winning book about how perspective shapes what we see.

Black Cat Paper Plate Craft Supplies

What you will need:

You probably have most of these materials in your home already. If not, you can quickly grab them from Amazon. I included a link to help you find them easily.

7-inch paper plate (dessert size)– This pack comes in 50. If you aren’t doing this craft with a small class then that might be a bit much. Save the extra plates for New Years or other crafts like maybe a bat craft.
Black pom pom balls (1 inch size)– If you are making more than one black cat paper plate you may need a couple of bags of these pom-poms. You could also use tissue paper along with the pom-poms if you run out. Just be sure to mix them in with each other.
2 googly eyes– Kids love these eyes and they come in handy for many other craft projects.
2 black chenille stems AKA pipe cleaners
Red & pink cardstock– I recommend getting a variety pack so you will have some handy for different projects.
Black foam sheet– These foam sheets are perfect for the cat’s ears. Black cardstock will work too!
Quick-dry tacky glue, glue dots, or school glue

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Glue the pom-poms to the paper plate.

black cat paper plate craft, glue on pom-poms

In this step, you can use glue dots like the picture shown above. They can be a little tricky, and young kids might find them challenging. If so, allow them to practice using the glue bottle. Remember the jingle “Dot, Dot. Not a lot.”

Since the plate is black, you can glue the pom-poms to the center of the plate. If you are using a white paper plate or just want full coverage, go ahead and glue the edges.

Step 2: Cut a black chenille stem into thirds.

Did you know that pipe cleaners are actually called Chenille Stems? I was today years old when I found out. At any rate, twist the three stems together in the middles and fan them out like cat whiskers.

Glue the twisted spot into place in the middle of the paper plate. Then glue two pom-poms over the ends for the cat’s snout.

Step 3: Complete the Face

Cut out a small piece from the red cardstock to make the cat’s tongue. You can copy the shape above or make it unique with your own tongue design.

Under the the cat’s snout glue the red cardstock tongue into place.

Next, glue the wiggly eyes into play just above the nose.

Step 5: Make the Tail and Ears

With the remaining black chenille stem, create a twisting tail. Glue into place on the back of the paper plate so the tail wraps around the side. Set it aside. Since it is a little more delicate, you will add the tail in the final step.

To create the ears, cut two triangles from the black foam. You can make the ears as small or large as you want.

Cut the two smaller triangles from the pink cardstock. You will want them large enough so that the top of the triangle reaches a little more than half of the black part of the ear.

Attach the pink triangle to the black triangle using glue or a glue dot. Glue the black triangles to the top edge of the paper plate where the ears would normally be positioned.