How to Make Cat Ears Without a Headband
You can make cat ears without a headband in three main ways: twist your hair into two small buns high on your head, glue felt triangles onto hair clips, or add ears directly to a hood or beanie. Hair buns cost nothing and take five minutes; clip-on felt ears work with any hair length; hood ears are the most secure for a long night.
If you have the ears sorted but not the rest of the costume, The Costume Rack matches you to a full cat look (or another of its sixteen costumes) from your closet: Start my costume.
Why skip the headband
Headband ears are everywhere, but plenty of people want cat ears without a headband:
- Pressure headaches. Tight bands behind the ears get sore fast.
- Glasses clash with the arms of a headband.
- They slide back on silky or thick hair.
- Photos. The band shows across the top of your head; clips and buns hide.
- Cosplay accuracy. For cosplay, ears that seem to grow from your head look far more real.
Hair-bun cat ears
This is how to make cat ears with hair, and it is the classic cat ear hairstyle.
Steps
- Brush your hair and split it into two sections with a center part.
- Make two high pigtails, placed where cat ears would sit: up near the crown, a few inches apart.
- Twist each pigtail tightly, then wrap it around its base.
- Pinch the top of each bun into a point as you wrap. This is what turns a round bun into a triangle.
- Pin it in place with three or four bobby pins crossing each other.
- Spray with hairspray and re-pinch the points.
Tips for making cat ears out of hair
- Slightly dirty or texturized hair holds shape better than freshly washed hair.
- Use a little dry shampoo or texture spray first if your hair is very smooth.
- Small, tight buns look more like ears than big, loose ones.
Cat ears for short hair
If your hair will not reach buns, use small sections from the top only, or skip to clip-on ears below. A mini bun made with a hair donut can also help.
Clip-on felt ears
This is the best option for any hair length, and it is the way most people learn how to make cat ears with felt.
What you need
- Stiff felt in black (or your fur color) plus pink or white for the inner ear
- Two alligator clips or snap clips
- Hot glue or strong craft glue
- Optional: thin cardboard for extra stiffness
Steps
- Cut four triangles of black felt, about 3 inches tall with slightly curved sides.
- Cut two smaller triangles in pink for the inner ears.
- Glue the inner ears onto two of the black triangles.
- Sandwich a clip between each front and back piece, with the clip's jaw sticking out of the bottom edge. Glue the pieces together.
- Pinch the base of each ear slightly as it dries so it cups forward.
For stiffer ears, glue a cardboard triangle inside the sandwich; that is basically how to make cat ears with cardboard without anything showing.
Turning them into wolf or fox ears
The same method works for other animals:
| Animal | Shape | Colors |
|---|---|---|
| Cat | Short, pointed, slightly curved | Black or any fur color, pink inside |
| Fox | Taller, sharper points | Orange with white inside, black tips |
| Wolf | Larger, wider base | Gray or brown with lighter inside |
If you want to know how to make wolf ears on a headband, glue these same felt ears onto an old headband instead of clips.
Ears on a hood or beanie
For an all-night party or trick-or-treating in the cold, ears built into what you wear on your head are unbeatable.
Hoodie ears
- No-glue method: pinch a small triangle of fabric at each top corner of the hood and hold it with a safety pin on the inside.
- Felt method: glue two felt triangles (from the clip-on steps, minus the clips) to the top of the hood.
Beanie ears
Pull a black beanie on, push the two top corners up and stitch or pin them, or glue felt ears on. Cat ears on a beanie also keep you warm, which matters if you are outside on October 31.
Keeping them on all night
This is where most DIY cat ears fail: they look great at 7pm and are lopsided by 9. A checklist:
- Cross your bobby pins in an X. Two pins crossed hold far better than two pins side by side.
- Clip into a small braid. Make a tiny braid where the ear goes, then clip into it for grip.
- Use hairspray on the root before you clip, not just after.
- Pack spares. Two extra clips and four bobby pins in your pocket.
- Check in the bathroom mirror once an hour.
Tracking the small stuff (spare pins, the tail, the collar, the nose) is the part that slips through the cracks. The Costume Rack breaks your cat costume into single pieces and gives you one a day on the countdown to October 31, so nothing is missing on the night. Start my costume
Other cat details
Ears are only one clue. For a complete black cat costume, add at least one of these:
- A tail. See how to make a cat tail for a costume without sewing.
- A bell collar on a velvet ribbon.
- A nose and whiskers with eyeliner.
- Gloves as paws.
And if ears are simply not happening, our guide to a black cat costume without ears shows six ways it still reads.
The rest of your cat costume, in two minutes
The Costume Rack takes your vibe and what is in your closet, matches you to a black cat or another costume, and lists every piece with a closet version, a no-makeup build and a "Find it" link for anything you still need. Share the group link so your friends can claim theirs.
FAQ
How do you make cat ears out of hair?
Make two high pigtails, twist each one and wrap it around its base, pinching the top into a point. Pin with crossed bobby pins and set with hairspray. Texturized hair holds the shape best.
How do you attach cat ears without a headband?
Glue felt ears onto alligator or snap clips and clip them into your hair, ideally into a tiny braid for grip. You can also pin or glue ears to a hood or beanie.
How do you make cat ears with cardboard?
Cut two cardboard triangles, cover each side with felt or paint them black, and add a pink inner ear. Glue them to clips or a headband. Covering cardboard with felt stops it looking like a school project.
How do you make cat ears for cosplay?
Clip-on felt ears with a cardboard or foam core look the most natural, because they seem to come out of your hair. Match the felt to your wig or hair color and angle them slightly forward.
Can you do cat ears with short hair?
Yes. Use small sections from the top of your head for mini buns, or skip buns and use clip-on felt ears, which grip even short hair when clipped into a tiny braid or pinned with crossed bobby pins.