Note: This pattern has been updated as of May 2021. The changes include an updated hook size, gauge, and stitch type that creates much tighter stitches. This creates a slightly smaller toy, but ensures that the stuffing doesn’t show through if you are matching the gauge provided.
Meet Meg the Nurse Cat! I was inspired to make this amigurumi crochet pattern when I found out that my friend Meg (a nurse, obvi) has been directly working with patients who have contracted Covid-19. Wanting to make something as a tribute to her and everyone who’s currently working and exposing themselves to risks inspired me to create the Everyday Heroes Collection!
If you have a nurse/doctor in your life, please make sure to thank them for their hard work! I created this Collection because I thought these toys would make a great thank you gift for our everyday heroes.
Video tutorials available at the end of this post!
Gauge
5 Round Circle = 1.5” (Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran) with a 3.25mm (D) hook when working the x-stitch (yarn under sc). If you are working the standard sc, I recommend going down a hook size.
Gauge isn’t super important for amigurumi, but I included it just in case you want to check your gauge. Being a little off should not affect the final product too much. You can learn more about how to measure gauge for amigurumi here!
**Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional costs to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. You can read a little more about that here!
Yarn I Used
I used Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran for this toy; however, you can use any cotton yarn as long as you correspond your hook to the weight of your yarn. For this pattern, I used roughly 30g of Melon Sorbet (> half a skein of yarn), 15g of Marine Blue (< half a skein of yarn), a little bit of: Slate Grey, Misty Grey, Blood Orange and Champagne White.
Free Nurse Cat Stuffed Animal Amigurumi Crochet Pattern
The difficulty level of this pattern is Easy/Intermediate. The plush measures to be about 5.5 inches (14 cm) tall.
This pattern is written in US crochet terminology.
Note: To protect my work, I have disabled right click and printing on my site because I have experienced theft in the past. Please do not copy my patterns in any way. By copying or distributing my patterns without permission, you are making it difficult for designers like me to continue doing what I love. Doing so also discourages me and will prompt me to stop sharing my patterns freely. If you wish to utilize the free patterns, you may do so on my site. Thank you so much for your understanding and for being respectful!
If you have an issue with how I choose to share my free patterns on my site, read this.
If you wish to print out the pattern, you can purchase the ad-free, printable PDF from the shop.
The Nurse Cat Amigurumi printable PDF pattern can be found in the shop on its own ($3 CAD) or in the Everyday Heroes Collection bundle ($12 CAD for four patterns).
By purchasing the printable version, you are also supporting me directly. Your support allows me to continue to create new patterns and maintain the site! 🙂
Please do not reprint, sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to the free pattern on the blog. Please do not copy and post the pattern onto your site.
TERMINOLOGY
st(s): stitch(es)
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
inc: two single crochet in one stitch
dec: invisible decrease, single crochet two stitches together through the front loops only
YO: yarn over
sc2tog: single crochet two stitches together: (insert hook into next stitch, YO, draw up a loop) x 2. You should have 3 loops on your hook. YO and draw through all 3 of the loops on your hook.
BLO: crochet only in the back loops (loop away from you) of each stitch
FLO: crochet only in the front loops (loop closest to you) of each stitch
sk next # st/ch: skip the next number of stitches or chains and work the next step into the st/ch after the ones you skipped
ch sp: chain space, the space you create when you chain and skip stitches
(…) x #: repeat anything in the parenthesis however many times the number indicates
[#]: total number of stitches for that row
#sc: one sc in the following # stitches
turn: turn your work
THINGS YOU NEED
- Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran in Melon Sorbet, Slate Grey, Misty Grey, Blood Orange, and Champagne White
- 3.25mm Crochet Hook
- 6mm Safety Eyes with Matching Backings
- Scissors
- Darning Needle
- Locking Stitch Marker (Optional)
- Pins
- Polyfil Stuffing or Scrap Yarn
- Fabric Glue (This is optional, but I use it to glue down the exposed tail ends from the mask straps and stethoscope)
Head
with Melon Sorbet yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (inc) x 6 [12]
3 (sc, inc) x 6 [18]
4 sc, inc, (2sc, inc) x 5, sc [24]
5-6 sc in all sts [24]
7 (3sc, inc) x 6 [30]
8-9 sc in all sts [30]
10 2sc, inc, (4sc, inc) x 5, 2sc [36]
11 sc in all sts [36]
12 2sc, dec, (4sc, dec) x 5, 2sc [30]
13 (3sc, dec) x 6 [24]
14 sc, dec, (2sc, dec) x 5, sc [18]
15 (sc, dec) x 6 [12]
Fasten off, stuff fully, close hole, and weave the tail in.
Ears
Make 2
with Melon Sorbet yarn
1 4sc in magic circle [4]
2 (sc, inc) x 2 [6]
3 (sc, inc) x 3 [9]
4 sc in all sts [9]
Fasten off, leave a tail for sewing.
Legs
Make 2
with Melon Sorbet yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (inc) x 6 [12]
3 BLO, sc in all sts [12]
4-7 sc in all sts [12]
Fasten the first leg off. Do not fasten the second leg off. You will be joining the 2nd leg to the first leg in the next part.
Body
Continue with the 2nd leg:
1 Ch 1, sl st to any st on the first leg (this doesn’t count as a stitch in the next round), sc into the same st you sl st into, 11sc around the first leg, sc in the back of the chain, 12sc around the 2nd leg, sc in the front of the chain [26]
2 6sc, inc, (5sc, inc) x 2, 6sc, inc [30]
3 sc in all sts [30]
4 (9sc, inc) x 3 [33]
5 5sc, inc, (10sc, inc) x 2, 5sc [36]
6 5sc, dec, (10sc, dec) x 2, 5sc [33]
7 (9sc, dec) x 3 [30]
8 4sc, dec, (8sc, dec) x 2, 4sc [27]
9 (7sc, dec) x 3 [24]
10 sc in all sts [24]
11 3sc, dec, (6sc, dec) x 2, 3sc [21]
12 (5sc, dec) x 3 [18]
13 sc in all sts [18]
Fasten off, stuff fully, and leave a long tail for sewing.
Arms
Make 2
with Melon Sorbet yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (sc, inc) x 3 [9]
3-6 sc in all sts [9]
7 (sc, dec) x 3 [6]
8-11 sc in all sts [6]
Fasten off, stuff lightly, sew the opening shut, and leave a tail for sewing.
Nurse Scrubs
Note: sc2tog and dec are done differently (see Terminology above to differentiate). If you sc2tog when working the right side, the v-neck part of the scrubs will look very bumpy.
with Marine Blue yarn
1 Ch 38, join with a sl st into the first ch to create a circle (this counts as your first st), making sure the chain isn’t twisted, 37sc [38]
2 8sc, dec, 17sc, dec, 9sc [36]
3 5sc, dec, (10sc, dec) x 2, 5sc [33]
4 (9sc, dec) x 3 [30]
5 15sc, turn
Remove your stitch marker if you are using one, you won’t be needing it for the next few rounds.
6 sc2tog, 8sc, sc2tog, 6sc, sc2tog, 8sc, sc2tog, turn [26]
7 dec, 7sc, dec, 4sc, dec, 7sc, dec, turn [22]
8 sc2tog, sc, ch 5, sk next 3 sts, 10sc, ch 5, sk next 3 sts, sc, sc2tog (see first photo below), turn
9 2sc, 5sc into the ch sp, 4sc, dec, 4sc, 5sc into the ch sp, 2sc, 8sc in the v-neck area (highlighted part in second photo below) [31]
Fasten off, seamless join in the round and weave tails in.
Scrubs Sleeves
Work on both sleeve openings.
with Marine Blue yarn
1 Pick up 12 sc evenly around the sleeve holes [12]
2-4 sc in all sts [12]
Fasten off, seamless join in the round, and weave tails in. The sleeves will stick up a bit, but once you put the arms through, it’ll look fine.
Mask
with Marine Blue yarn
1 ch 9, sc in 2nd ch from hook, 7sc, turn [8]
2 BLO, sc in all sts, turn [8]
3 FLO, sc in all sts, turn [8]
4 BLO, sc in all sts [8]
Fasten off, weave tails in.
Mask Strap
with Champagne White yarn
- With the front of the Mask facing you, sl st to the bottom right corner of the mask, ch 10, sl st to the top right corner of the mask. Fasten off and weave tails in. Do this on both sides of the mask.
- Sl st onto the mask strap you have just created and chain 20. Do that on both sides.
- Fasten off and weave all the tails in. I used some fabric glue to secure the exposed tail bits.
Stethoscope
starting with Misty Grey yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
switch to Slate Grey yarn
2 sc in all sts [6]
3 sl st to the first st, ch 24
Fasten off, leave a tail for sewing
Stethoscope Headset
with Misty Grey yarn
1 Ch 13, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, in the rest of the chains: 2 sl st, sk next 2 ch, 2 sl st, sk next 2 ch, 3 sl st
Fasten off, weave tails in. Sew the tubing of the Stethoscope to the centre of the Headset. Fasten off and weave tails in.
Assembly
- Pin the Ears onto the top of the Head and sew into place. The top of my Ears start at Row 3.
- Pin the Body onto the Head and sew together.
- Pin the arms onto the side of the Body. Make sure to leave a 1-row gap between the Head and the top of the Arms and leave a 6 st gap between the Arms at the front of the Body. Sew in place.
- Slip the Scrubs onto the Cat from the bottom up.
- To make it easier to thread the arms through the arm hole, attach a piece of scrap yarn to the hands and pull the yarn through the arm hole.
- With Blood Orange yarn, embroider 3 lines on the top of the Head and 3 lines on either sides of the face.
- With Slate Grey yarn, embroider a nose and a short line below the centre of the nose.
- Place the Stethoscope around your Cat’s neck and tie the Mask Strap behind the Head.
You have just finished your Nurse Cat!
Please leave me a comment down below (or contact me) if you have any questions about this pattern. I would also love to see your creation so don’t forget to tag me (@olliehollycrochet) on Instagram or use the #olliehollycrochet! Please let me know in the comments what you would like to see next!
If you find any mistakes in the pattern, please contact me and let me know! I do my best to catch my mistakes when I edit my patterns but I sometimes miss the little things.
You may sell products made from this pattern in small quantities but please clearly credit the design to me, Abby Sy of Ollie + Holly and provide a link to my blog www.OllieHolly.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!
As a nurse this is just adorable and such a sweet reminder for our heroes.
What size did you use for the eyes?
Hi there Leslie, I used 6mm safety eyes, sorry about the confusion!
Thinking this would also be good for hoSpItalized children right now since they’re only seeing People in masks at the moment and cant imagine how scary that would be.
Ooooh, yes! That’s a great idea 🙂
Lovely creation!
Thank you! <3
I work as a custodian at a veterans’ clinic and I like to leave cute little crochet cupcakes to the nurses and doctors if I hear one of them is having a birthday. Since this pandemic started, it’s really affected the clinic. I want to show my appreciation to the wonderful nurses and doctors still working at the clinic. It’s a scary time right now so hopefully, this will make them smile. thank you so much for sharing this, 😀
Hi Ashley, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment! I’m so glad you like the pattern and I hope the nurses/doctors who receive your gifts will enjoy them as well! 🙂
I work at a med school and saW this pattern and had to make one for me! Thank you so much for sharing! I made mine with white cheeks and a white scrub foR the doctors i work with. I love this!
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for creating this pattern. I’m making several to give to my fellow nurses for Nurses Week.
This pattern, and all of your Hero patterns, are very adorable! They are well written and the pictures help with any confusion. The only question I have is if your Hero patterns are compatible with each other. For example, I have a friend who loves pandas and works in the medical field. Is there any reason I can’t make the panda from the firefighter pattern and put the scrubs from this pattern on it?
Hi Alex! The outfits in the Everyday Heroes collection are interchangeable so you can definitely do that! 🙂
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I look forward to making the patterns and swapping around the tiny outfits!
What a beautiful gift for my daughter in law who is on the front lines!
Would you please please please post this on your you tube channel with tutorial!
Love doing it through video!
Thank you so much
Tiffany
Hi there Tiffany, thank you so much for your message! That is a great idea and I might sit down to film it later this summer (once I’m done with my current to-make list!).
Abby
It’s also incredible for vets! I’m Vet and cat lover too. Congrats for tour criativity and empaty, It gots wonderful!
Thank you Erika, you are too kind! 🙂
So adorable..(=^･ｪ･^=) Thank you for sharing this pattern. It will be a great gift idea for my vet😊
Your kindness and generousity know no bounds. So appreciated.
Thank you so much for this pattern. I am going to make it for my nurse that does my infusions, my veins don’t cooperate bit she always manages to get it done with no pain. Also want to give one to family member of past employer that went to school, became Dr. And has own practice now. He became good friend and stood by us when physically not able to do job. Thanks
You’re welcome! And that’s lovely, I’m so glad that you’ll be gifting these to people who have helped you along the way! 🙂
I fell in love and started to chrochet this cutie right away (mine even has a tail). Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome! 🙂
I live in the UK and over here is a teddy bear, I used to work as a Nurse and I would like to do this to sell and donate the monies to my local NHS surgery as they have bought us patients VISORS to use and keep, even though we use our own face masks.
Hi Georgina,
That is a great idea! An awesome way to say thanks to our essential workers!
Abby
Thanks for the pattern so cute. Iwonder how many I can make to pass out at work for valentine day.
Why is it that it said free but I can not print it out. I would like to have it and make them and take them to the hospital.
Hi there Becky, it says free because I am sharing this pattern on my website without you having to pay to see the pattern. If you would like to print it out, there is a purchasable printable PDF in the shop that could help support me and allow me to continue to share my free patterns on my site with everyone.
Thanks,
Abby
Abby, I am a return to your lovely site from a reminder on the lovely Sharon Ojala on her website. I had no idea you selflessly offered so many for free and I want to thank you and to remind everyone to please keep offering smiles and small gifts like these to help the workers who are still going through a lot. Even though the pandemic is over now they are having to do with so much with as things seem to be changing so fast in all of our lives.
Thank you again Abby. May you be Blessed always <3 <3 <3
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful pattern! I work in the medical field and am planning on making them as gifts. I have not been able to crochet in a few years, now due to an acrylic allergy. I now only use cotton. We love this. I have already made 1 and my coworker is already going to call dibs.