Cute Cat-Theme Kid's Birthday Party

Satisfy your little one's feline fancy with a birthday party featuring her favorite pet. We've got a cake, decorations, party favors and more.

A bit of elastic, simple tags, and jingling bells make for a cute cat collar. Write fun feline names, such as "Fluffy," "Boots," and "Lucky" to complete the craft.

Decorate balloons to look like your furry friends.

What you'll need: Balloons, scissors, lightweight craft or crepe paper (4 colors), glue dots, yarn

Make it: Cut cat features from template from craft or crepe paper and attach them to an inflated balloon with glue dots. Cut 3 thin strips of paper for whiskers and a 6 inch piece of yarn for a mouth; secure in place with glue dots.

Add whiskers, eyes, and ears to basic paper cups to enhance the theme.

What you'll need: Paper cups, scissors, craft paper, glue, coffee-cup jackets, pencil, pink adhesive-backed felt

Make it: Trim inner and outer ears from craft paper. Assemble and glue ears to top of cup jacket, about 1/2 inch apart. Cut eyes from craft paper and draw on pupils, then glue eyes an inch apart under the ears. Cut 4 inch strips of paper, about 1/8 inch wide, to glue under nose as whiskers. Cut a nose out of pink felt and stick to center of whiskers.

Paper plates become feline-friendly with ears and whiskers glued playfully underneath.

What you'll need: 7-inch paper plates, craft paper (3 colors), scissors, tape

Make it: Cut out inner and outer ear shapes from template from craft paper. Stack and tape ears under lip of paper plate, about 2 inches apart. Cut six 5-inch strips of paper, about 1/4 inch wide, and tape them under lip at sides of plate for whiskers.

Cover your little kitten's paws with ankle socks, embellished with adhesive-backed pink felt. As a fun birthday party activity, create an obstacle course with cardboard-box tunnels, homemade scratch posts, and dangling yarn balls.

Turn pixie sticks into whiskers for this easy-to-make kitty-cat party gift.

What you'll need: Felt, scissors, X-Acto knife, pixie sticks, small pink pom-poms, glue

Make it: Trace the template onto felt and cut out. Use template as guide to make six small slits with an X-Acto knife along lines. Weave 3 pixie sticks into slits in an asterisk pattern. Glue small pink pompom to the center as nose.

The kids will be anxious to get their paws on this super-cute cat cake.

Originally published in the May 2010 issue of Parents magazine.