Cat MOC Blueprint Review: 5 Brick-Built Cats Compared

Cats may be the hardest animal to capture in brick. The body is simple enough — the whole character lives in the face. Swap one curved slope and the build stops reading as a cat and starts reading as a dog. Cat MOC blueprints have multiplied over the past couple of years, so I picked five to compare side by side: a sitting cat, a stretching cat, a sleeping cat, a walking cat and a head bust. The focus throughout is on facial expression and how each design handles coat colour.

Design Fundamentals of a Cat MOC

Feline Body Proportions

A cat's silhouette is elegant and light, and different breeds carry distinctly different proportions in brick:

• Head: round or wedge-shaped, depending on breed
• Ears: triangular; position and size are the main breed tells
• Eyes: large and round — the core of any cat's expression
• Body: supple and long, with smooth muscle lines
• Tail: long and flexible, the main channel for mood

Breed Differences

A cat MOC has to commit to a breed before the first brick goes down:

• British Shorthair / American Shorthair: round face, round eyes, short nose, sturdy build
• Siamese: wedge face, blue eyes, slender body
• Persian: flat face, long fur, rounded body
• Orange tabby: rounded build, warm colour palette
• Black cat: mysterious and elegant, all black

Reviews of Popular Cat MOC Blueprints

Blueprint 1: Sitting British Shorthair Blue

Blueprint source: popular BrickPlans design Part count: about 280 Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ Finished size: about 12 cm tall

Design highlights:

• Classic British Shorthair sitting pose, round and charming
• Curved bricks and round plates build the round face
• Large round eyes use printed parts for a blank, endearing stare
• Short tail made from 1x1 round bricks

Breed accuracy: ★★★★☆ This brick cat nails the British Shorthair traits — round face, round eyes, short nose, solid body. The blue-grey coat is reproduced accurately through the colour mix of the bricks.

Build experience: The steps are clear: start from the base and legs, then work up through the body, head and details. The head is the real work — the curved bricks have to be laid out exactly as drawn to get that round British Shorthair face. Expect roughly two hours of building.

Best for: cat people and brick beginners

Blueprint 2: Stretching Siamese

Blueprint source: original MOC designer Part count: about 380 Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Finished size: about 18 cm long

Design highlights:

• An elegant stretching pose that captures the Siamese attitude
• Technic joints in the body allow the pose to be adjusted
• Precise facial features — wedge face, blue eyes, dark mask
• Articulated tail with dark bricks at the tip

Breed accuracy: ★★★★★ This blueprint is outstanding on accuracy. The Siamese wedge face, large ears and almond blue eyes are all reproduced precisely. The coat gradient — pale body shading into dark points on the legs, tail and face — is handled perfectly through clever colour blocking.

Build experience: The Technic joints make this more involved than a pure brick build. The joints have to go together in the right order so they stay both posable and stable. The finished model holds several poses and photographs beautifully.

Best for: builders with some experience and cat lovers

Blueprint 3: Sleeping Orange Tabby

Blueprint source: BrickPlans community design Part count: about 220 Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Finished size: about 10 cm long

Design highlights:

• An adorable curled-up sleeping pose
• Heavy use of curved bricks for a soft, rounded shape
• Closed eyes rendered with curved bricks
• Budget-friendly, low part count

Breed accuracy: ★★★★☆ The sleeping pose is completely true to life — you want to reach out and pet it. The orange coat uses orange and light orange bricks with a white belly. The curl is achieved through careful stacking.

Build experience: Very simple. Even a complete beginner finishes in under an hour. The parts are mostly basic bricks that are easy to source. A good family build or gift project.

Best for: brick beginners, families building together, cat lovers

Blueprint 4: Walking Black Cat

Blueprint source: advanced BrickPlans blueprint Part count: about 500 Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Finished size: about 20 cm long

Design highlights:

• A walking pose full of motion
• All four leg joints move, so the gait can be adjusted
• Predominantly black bricks with small amounts of white and green for the eyes
• Flexible joint pieces let the tail curl

Breed accuracy: ★★★★☆ The black cat's shape is simple but full of power. The long body, strong legs and raised tail convey the confidence of a cat on the move. The green eyes are the finishing touch and bring the whole model to life.

Build experience: Moderate difficulty. The main challenge is giving the all-black body clear structure and depth. Because the colour is uniform, you have to follow the blueprint closely to avoid mistakes — build in good light.

Best for: intermediate builders who like cats, black cat fans

Blueprint 5: Cat Head Keychain

Blueprint source: creative BrickPlans blueprint Part count: about 80 Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Finished size: about 5 cm

Design highlights:

• Miniature scale, works as a keychain or bag charm
• Several colourways available (orange tabby, black, white, calico)
• Uses a keychain ring part for easy carrying
• Cheap enough to make in batches

Breed accuracy: ★★★☆☆ The size limits how much detail is possible, but the essentials are all there — pointed ears, round face, whiskers. It is a chibi-style design, built for cuteness rather than realism.

Build experience: Extremely simple; 15-20 minutes per cat. Make a handful in different colours as small gifts.

Best for: anyone, especially builders wanting cat-themed little gifts

Cat MOC Building Techniques

Shaping the Face

The expression makes or breaks a brick cat:

1. Eyes: printed parts or stickers for different looks — round (surprised), half-lidded (lazy), narrow (alert)
2. Nose: a small pink triangle piece or a 1x1 pink round plate
3. Mouth: curved bricks arranged in a "W" for the classic cute cat mouth
4. Whiskers: bar pieces or thin rods inserted on both sides of the muzzle

Coat Colour and Texture

• Solid colours (black, white, grey): use several shades within the same family to create depth
• Two-tone cats (black and white, orange and white): watch the boundaries and transitions between colour patches
• Calicos: mix three colours at random to imitate the patchy pattern
• Tabbies: use striped bricks, or arrange bricks to create a stripe effect

Articulation

• Neck: ball joints for head rotation and tilt
• Limbs: Technic pins for forward and back swing
• Tail: bead pieces or flexible tubing for curling and swishing
• Ears: hinge pieces so the ears can rotate and signal mood

How to Choose a Cat MOC Blueprint

By Breed

• British / American Shorthair: pick a round-faced design
• Siamese: pick a wedge face and slender body
• Orange tabby: pick a rounded design
• Black cat: pick a long, elegant design

By Purpose

• Display piece: a sitting or standing cat at a moderate size
• Play and posing: a blueprint with more moving joints
• Gift: a mini keychain or small cat design
• Family build: a low part count and low difficulty

Final Thoughts

Half the fun of cat MOC blueprints is matching the build to your own cat. Keep a British Shorthair? Build the sitting one. Siamese person? Go for the stretch. Orange tabby devotee? Straight to the sleeping pose. Across all five, the thing that really separates them is the face, not the body.

The community has plenty more animal MOC blueprints, from cats and dogs to wildlife. Pick a cat blueprint, get building, and put it on your desk — visitors will do a double take.