How to Make a Cat Tail for a Costume Without Sewing

6 min read · The Costume Rack

The easiest way to make a cat tail for a costume without sewing is to stuff one leg of old black tights with socks or plastic bags, knot the end, and safety-pin it to your waistband. For a fluffier tail, braid or knot strips of fleece instead. Slide a bendable wire inside either one and your tail curves up instead of dragging on the floor.

If the tail is done but the rest of your costume is not, The Costume Rack finishes the look from what you already own: Start my costume.

What you need

Both methods below use cheap, household things.

You will also need scissors and, for the wire, pliers or strong hands. An adult should help with cutting coat hanger wire.

The tights-and-stuffing tail

This is the fastest answer to how to make a tail for a costume easy, and it gives a smooth, sleek black cat tail.

Steps

1. Cut one leg off a pair of black tights at the top of the thigh. A long black sock works for a short kid's tail.
2. Make the spine (optional). Twist three or four pipe cleaners together end to end, or straighten a wire hanger and bend the sharp ends back on themselves so nothing pokes out. Make it a little shorter than the tights leg.
3. Slide the wire in so it runs down to the toe.
4. Stuff around it loosely with socks, plastic bags or stuffing. Loose stuffing bends; packed stuffing stays straight.
5. Leave the top 4 inches empty and tie a tight knot, or wrap it with a hair tie.
6. Bend the tail into a gentle S-curve or a hook at the end.

That is the whole no sew cat tail. It is also the best cat tail out of tights for kids, because it is soft and light.

The fleece strip tail

This version looks fluffier and more like fur, and it is the base for wolf and fox tails.

Steps

1. Cut three strips of fleece, each about 3 inches wide and about 30 inches long. Fleece does not fray, so no hemming.
2. Knot them together at the top.
3. Braid the strips tightly. Tape the knot to a table so you can pull as you go.
4. Knot the bottom and trim the ends into a point.
5. For extra fluff, snip short fringe cuts along the edges of each strip before braiding.

Want it to bend? Braid a pipe cleaner into the middle strip.

Attaching it so it stays up

Tails flop because of how they are attached, not how they are made. Here is how to attach a tail to a costume so it sits right.

Where to put it

Pin it at the center of your lower back, just above your tailbone, not at the side of your waist. That is where a real tail would come from.

Four ways to fix it

1. Safety pins. Use two large safety pins through the knotted top and your waistband, one above the other, so it cannot swivel.
2. Belt loop. Tie the top of the tail around your back belt loop.
3. Belt. Wear a thin belt and loop the tail over it.
4. Under a layer. Pin it to your leggings and let a top or skirt cover the join.

How to make a tail stand up

• The wire spine is the key. Bend the first few inches upward right at the attachment point.
• Anchor the wire to the waistband with a pin through a loop you bend at its top.
• Keep the tail light. The heavier the stuffing, the more it droops.

Remembering the tail is one thing; remembering the pins, the ears, the collar and the nose on the same night is another. The Costume Rack lists every piece of your costume, marks what you own and runs a one-piece-a-day countdown to October 31. Start my costume

Adapting it for a wolf or fox tail

The fleece method changes animal with color and shape. Here is how to make a wolf tail for a costume, a fox tail or even a dog tail.

Fox tail

• Use orange fleece for two strips and white for one.
• Make it thicker at the middle and pointed at the end.
• Glue or wrap a band of white fleece around the tip, which is the signature fox detail.

Wolf tail

• Use gray and a darker gray or brown.
• Make it bushy: snip lots of fringe before braiding, then fluff it up.
• Hang it lower and straighter than a cat tail. Wolves do not curl theirs.

Dog tail

• Short, thicker and curled upward.
• Match it to your dog breed, like brown for a lab or white with black spots for a dalmatian.

Wolf tails pair perfectly with the werewolf costume, and our guide to making cat ears without a headband includes a wolf and fox ear chart to match.

Adding a bell or bow

The last touch is what makes it look intentional.

• A bow near the tip in red, pink or velvet black. Tie a ribbon and glue it in place.
• A small jingle bell tied to the bow. It matches a bell collar and jingles when you walk.
• A white tip for a cat with a white-tipped tail.

Then build out the rest: our guide to a black cat costume without ears shows how the tail, collar and nose work together.

Get the full costume around your tail

A tail is one piece. The Costume Rack takes your vibe and closet, matches you to a black cat, werewolf or another of its sixteen costumes, and lists every piece with a closet version, a no-makeup build and a "Find it" link for anything missing.

Start my costume

FAQ

How do you make a cat tail out of tights?

Cut one leg off old black tights, slide in a pipe cleaner or wire spine, stuff loosely with socks or plastic bags, and knot the top. Safety-pin it to the back of your waistband.

How do you make a tail for a costume without sewing?

Use stuffed tights or braided fleece strips; both need only knots, pins and scissors. Fleece does not fray, so there is no hem to worry about.

How do you make a costume tail stand up?

Put a bendable wire inside it and bend the first few inches upward right where it attaches. Pin it firmly at the lower back with two safety pins so it cannot swivel.

How do you make a fox tail for a costume?

Braid orange and white fleece strips, make it thicker in the middle, and finish with a white tip. Snip fringe along the strips for a bushy look.

What is the easiest cat tail for kids?

A long black sock stuffed with other socks and knotted at the top. It is soft, light and takes about ten minutes.