This cool Leaping Cat takes 15 minutes to fold, but you can then play with it for hours and make it jump all over your desk! It is a relatively easy origami model, just follow the steps below or watch the video tutorial. This jumping cat has the same cute look than Jo Nakashima's origami Neko Cat, but one can never have enough cute cats. :-) As you will see in the video, the structure is in fact very different. My Leaping Cat is a bit bigger than Jo's Neko Cat but I'm sure that they will play well together. :-)
To make a Leaping Cat in origami, please follow the instructions from this video on YouTube:
Here are the step-by-step instructions to fold a Leaping Cat (photo diagram and/or video).
1. Start with a square sheet of paper. If the paper has a white side, put the white side on the bottom.
2. Fold and unfold the square horizontally and vertically.
3. Turn the square to the other side.
4. Fold the top left square horizontally. Mark the fold only at the left of vertical axis.
5. Unfold the fold you just made.
6. Fold the top left square vertically. Mark the fold only at the top of the horizontal axis.
7. Unfold the fold you just made.
8. Fold the 4 corners to the center.
9. Turn the model 45° clockwise.
10. Fold the bottom tip of the top triangle to the center of the square.
11. Fold the tip down. Can you see the cat's face already?
12. Make a crease that goes from the bottom right of the cat's face to the bottom right corner of the model. You need to crease the two layers.
13. Make a similar crease on the left.
14. Turn the model to the other side.
15. Fold the two top corners to the center.
16. Open the top right corner and fold it up so that the crease in the middle of the corner becomes vertical.
17. Then close the right corner and make a symetric fold to the one you just made so that you can flatten the model.
18. Open the model.
19. Open and fold up the top left corner in the same way.
20. Make a symetric fold and flatten the model.
21. Open the model.
22. Fold the top middle tip down between the two ears.
23. Open the model and make a crease from the middle of the right side to the intersection of folds at the right of the face. You need to crease the two layers.
24. Make a similar crease on the left.
25. Fold down the face to make a crease in the middle at the bottom of the face.
26. Open the model.
27. Fold back all the face folds and the two creases that go from the face to the two bottom corners.
28. Turn the model to the other side and unfold the left, right and bottom tips.
29. Fold the top right tip in two. Mark the fold until you reach the perpendicular fold.
30. Unfold the fold you just made.
31. Fold the top left tip in a similar way.
32. Unfold the fold you just made.
33. Put the two back legs together and fold the tail along its axis. Mark the fold only on the tail.
34. Open the model.
35. Fold the right of the tail to the vertical axis. Mark the fold until your reach the horizontal crease.
36. Fold the left of the tail.
37. Open the tail and fold back the left and right bottom tips.
38. Close the tail and fold it down to the bottom of the right rear leg.
39. Mark the fold inside the tail.
40. Similarly, fold the tail down on the left rear leg.
41. And mark the fold inside the tail.
42. Put the tail up.
43. Fold the tail to one side. Mark the fold until the middle of the tail.
44. Fold the tail to the other side. Mark the fold until the middle of the tail.
45. Make a reverse outside fold to put the tail backwards.
46. You can thin the rear legs by folding them inside and squashing the fold.
47. It's a bit difficult but it will help to make the legs more apart.
48. Unfold the front legs a bit and pinch again the fold at their tips to make them stand out.
49. You have finished your cat! The cat can stand on its four legs, and even on its two rear legs and tail. Isn't it a cute cat?
50. Here is the leaping cat, ready to jump in the air to play!
I hope you will like this origami Leaping Cat as much as I do! Please tell me if you fold it, and send me pictures of your cat on my Origami Plus Facebook page, or on Twitter (@Origami_Plus)! And please subscribe to my YouTube channel Origami Plus to be notified when I post new origami video tutorials. It encourages me a lot to create more original models. Thank you!
If you fold this Leaping Cat, please send me pictures of your paper Leaping Cat so that I can show them here.
→ Photos of origami Leaping CatHave you tried this this Leaping Cat origami model? How did it turn out? Please tell me, and send me a picture of your model so that I can add it on this page!
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Origami is the art of folding paper to create animals, plants, objects and geometric forms.
Origami models with easy to follow step-by-step instructions in video and photos.
Diagrams to fold origami models can be difficult to interpret sometimes. For each model we show a photo of each step so that you can easily fold all models. Each origami model also has a video that shows how to fold it.
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