Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Cato Corp
Entity Central Index Key	0000018255
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-01
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Public Float | $	$ 796,035,939
Common Class A [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (actual number)	26,155,617
Common Class B [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (actual number)	1,743,525