General - Notes to Financial Statements	3 Months Ended
May 04, 2019
General Dsiclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Account Policies	NOTE 1 - GENERAL: The condensed consolidated financial statements as of May 4, 2019 and for the thirteen-week periods ended May 4, 2019 and May 5, 2018 have been prepared from the accounting records of The Cato Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”), and all amounts shown are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature unless otherwise noted. The results of the interim period may not be indicative of the results expected for the entire year. The interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2019. Amounts as of February 2, 2019 have been derived from the audited balance sheet, but do not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. On May 23, 2019, the Board of Directors maintained the quarterly dividend at $0.33 per share. Subsequent to May 4, 2019, the Company repurchased - shares for $0. Recently Adopted Accounting Policies In 2016, the FASB issued ASC 842, Leases, with amendments issued in 2018. The guidance requires lessees to recognize most leases on the balance sheet but does not change the manner in which expenses are recorded in the income statement. For lessors, the guidance modifies the classification criteria and the accounting for sales-type and direct financing leases. We utilized a comprehensive approach to assess the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and related disclosures, including the increase in the assets and liabilities on our balance sheet and the impact on our current lease portfolio from a lessee perspective. We completed our comprehensive review of our lease portfolio, which includes mostly store leases impacted by the new guidance. We reviewed our internal controls over leases and as a result we enhanced these controls, however, these changes are not considered material. In addition, we implemented a new software platform, and corresponding controls, for administering our leases and facilitating compliance with the new guidance. We elected the transition package of practical expedients that is permitted by the standard. The package of practical expedients allows the Company to not reassess previous accounting conclusions regarding whether existing arrangements are or contain leases, the classification of existing leases, and the treatment of initial direct costs. We did not elect the hindsight transition practical expedient allowed for by the new standard, which allows entities to use hindsight when determining lease term and impairment of ROU assets. We adopted ASC 842 utilizing the modified retrospective approach as of February 3, 2019. The modified retrospective approach we selected provides a method of transition allowing recognition of existing leases as of the beginning of the period of adoption (i.e. February 3, 2019), and which does not require the adjustment of comparative periods. The adoption had a material impact on our financial statements, resulting in an increase of 40% to each of our total assets and total liabilities on our balance sheet, but had no impact to retained earnings as of the beginning of 2019. See Note 12 for further information.

NOTE 1 - GENERAL:

The condensed consolidated financial statements as of May 4, 2019 and for the thirteen-week periods ended May 4, 2019 and May 5, 2018 have been prepared from the accounting records of The Cato Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”), and all amounts shown are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature unless otherwise noted. The results of the interim period may not be indicative of the results expected for the entire year.

The interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2019. Amounts as of February 2, 2019 have been derived from the audited balance sheet, but do not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

On May 23, 2019, the Board of Directors maintained the quarterly dividend at $0.33 per share.

Subsequent to May 4, 2019, the Company repurchased - shares for $0.

Recently Adopted Accounting Policies

In 2016, the FASB issued ASC 842, Leases, with amendments issued in 2018. The guidance requires lessees to recognize most leases on the balance sheet but does not change the manner in which expenses are recorded in the income statement. For lessors, the guidance modifies the classification criteria and the accounting for sales-type and direct financing leases.

We utilized a comprehensive approach to assess the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and related disclosures, including the increase in the assets and liabilities on our balance sheet and the impact on our current lease portfolio from a lessee perspective. We completed our comprehensive review of our lease portfolio, which includes mostly store leases impacted by the new guidance. We reviewed our internal controls over leases and as a result we enhanced these controls, however, these changes are not considered material. In addition, we implemented a new software platform, and corresponding controls, for administering our leases and facilitating compliance with the new guidance.

We elected the transition package of practical expedients that is permitted by the standard. The package of practical expedients allows the Company to not reassess previous accounting conclusions regarding whether existing arrangements are or contain leases, the classification of existing leases, and the treatment of initial direct costs. We did not elect the hindsight transition practical expedient allowed for by the new standard, which allows entities to use hindsight when determining lease term and impairment of ROU assets.

We adopted ASC 842 utilizing the modified retrospective approach as of February 3, 2019. The modified retrospective approach we selected provides a method of transition allowing recognition of existing leases as of the beginning of the period of adoption (i.e. February 3, 2019), and which does not require the adjustment of comparative periods. The adoption had a material impact on our financial statements, resulting in an increase of 40% to each of our total assets and total liabilities on our balance sheet, but had no impact to retained earnings as of the beginning of 2019. See Note 12 for further information.