Public Domain Cat Drawings

Caitlin Dempsey

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Bookplate shows a cat looking at an open book.

These drawings of cats are all in the public domain. The backgrounds and other features have been removed to isolate just the drawings of cats.

Feel free to use and reuse these images with no restrictions.

Cat looking at a book

Bookplate shows a cat looking at an open book.
This drawing of a tan cat looking at a book is from a bookplate that the artist Edward Penfield created in the early part of the 20th century. Source: loc.gov.

A black cat with a collar with a pendant that says “5 cents”

The cover illustration for the December issue of “The Black Cat” from the late 19th or early 20th century featured a black wearing a collar that carries a charm inscribed with “5 cents.

The cover illustration for the December issue of "The Black Cat" features a feline of black hue, adorned with a collar that carries a charm inscribed with "5 cents".
A black cat drawing from the late 19th century or early 20th century. Source: loc.gov.

Black cat and a rabbit playing banjos together

This March 1896 magazine cover for “The Black Cat” shows a rabbit and black cat playing banjos together.

A drawing of a rabbit and black cat playing banjos together
A drawing by Nelly Littlehale Murphy of a rabbit and a black cat with musical instruments. Source: loc.gov.

A pen and ink drawing of a mother cat and a kitten drinking from a saucer of milk

A pen and ink drawing of a mother cat and a kitten drinking from a saucer of milk.
Domestic cat and kitten drinking milk from a saucer. Lithograph: Joseph Brodtmann after Gottfried Mind, sometime between 1820-1860. Print: loc.gov: pga 05431 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.05431

A tabby cat fights a harlequin cat lying on the floor with its ears back

A tabby cat fights a harlequin cat lying on the floor with its ears back.
Two domestic cats fighting. Lithograph: Joseph Brodtmann after Gottfried Mind, sometime between 1820-1860. Print: loc.gov: pga 05434 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.05434

A pen and ink drawing of a mother cat on a chair reaching down to play with her three kittens under the chair

A pen and ink drawing of a mother cat on a chair reaching down to play with her three kittens under the chair.
Domestic cat on a stool playing with three kittens. Lithograph: Joseph Brodtmann after Gottfried Mind, sometime between 1820-1860. Print: loc.gov: pga 05432 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.05432

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About the author
Caitlin Dempsey
A lifelong cat owner, Caitlin currently has three rescue cats: an orange tabby, a gray tabby, and a black cat. An avid researcher of feline topics, Caitlin holds both a master's in Geography from UCLA and a Master of Library and Information Science.