Custom Cat Portraits From Your Photo

Yes — every one of our nine themes works from a cat photo. The portraits below were made from ordinary photographs of three very different cats, with nothing changed but the photo we started from.

Real cats, real photos

Each pair below is the original photo on the left and the finished portrait on the right. Look at the eyes.

Tabby cat with blue eyes, the source photo used for a custom cat portrait — **A tabby with blue eyes.** The striping across the forehead, the white blaze and chest, the pink nose — and those blue eyes — all carry through.

Custom cat portrait of a blue-eyed tabby in a royal renaissance gown, canvas print — **A tabby with blue eyes.** The striping across the forehead, the white blaze and chest, the pink nose — and those blue eyes — all carry through.

Black cat with green eyes, the source photo used for a custom cat portrait — **A black cat.** This is the one people ask about most. Black cats are notoriously hard to photograph — they often come out as a flat silhouette with no visible features. Here the face keeps its structure and the green eyes stay green.

Custom cat portrait of a black cat in renaissance dress with a lace ruff, canvas print — **A black cat.** This is the one people ask about most. Black cats are notoriously hard to photograph — they often come out as a flat silhouette with no visible features. Here the face keeps its structure and the green eyes stay green.

Odd-eyed white cat, the source photo used for a custom cat portrait — **An odd-eyed white cat.** One yellow eye, one blue — kept on the correct sides. If your cat has something unusual about them, that is usually the thing you most want the portrait to get right.

Custom cat portrait of an odd-eyed white cat in red brocade with a crown, canvas print — **An odd-eyed white cat.** One yellow eye, one blue — kept on the correct sides. If your cat has something unusual about them, that is usually the thing you most want the portrait to get right.

Photographing a cat is harder than photographing a dog

Dogs will sit and look at you. Cats will not, and most cat photos are taken indoors in poor light, from above, of a cat who has just decided to leave. A few things make a real difference:

Get down to their level. A photo taken from standing height looks down on the top of their head. Crouch so the camera is level with their eyes.
Use a window. Daylight from the side gives their fur texture and puts a catchlight in the eyes. Overhead ceiling light flattens everything.
Wait for the settled moment. A cat loafing on a windowsill will hold still far longer than one you are trying to pose.
Eyes open, looking towards you. More than anything else, this is what makes a portrait look like them.

If your cat is black, avoid backlighting — a bright window behind them turns the face into a shape. Put the light in front and slightly to one side, and expose for the face even if the background blows out.

Which themes suit cats

All nine work, but some land differently on a cat than on a dog:

The Masterpiece — royal and renaissance. The most popular for cats by a distance; cats already carry themselves like this — and they had to wait a long time for it, since cats arrived in European painting late, and badly.
Do Not Disturb — cosy and half-asleep. If your cat’s defining trait is sleeping fourteen hours a day, this is the honest one.
Domestic Diva — for a cat with strong opinions about the household.
The Usual Suspect — a mugshot, for cats with a documented history.
Head of the Kitchen — for the one who supervises every meal.

Or see all nine themes.

What it costs

A custom cat portrait starts at $59 for a ready-to-hang stretched canvas and $89 framed, in thirteen sizes, with free tracked shipping. You see your portrait before you pay anything — upload a photo, pick a theme, and only order if it looks like them.

Common questions

Will it work if I only have one decent photo?

Usually, yes — one clear photo is all we need. If you are unsure whether the one you have is good enough, try it: the preview is free and costs you nothing if it does not work out.

Can I get both my cats in one portrait?

Each portrait is made from one cat. If you have two, upload a photo of each and you get two portraits — many people hang them as a pair in the same theme.

My cat is black. Honestly, will it look like anything?

Yes, provided the photo has some light on the face. The example above started from an ordinary indoor photo. What does not work is a silhouette against a bright window — if that is all you have, take one more near a window with the light in front of them.

What if it arrives damaged?

Free replacement or a full refund, and you do not need to send the canvas back. Because each portrait is printed for one specific order we cannot take change-of-mind returns, which is exactly why the preview comes first and costs nothing. Full details are in our return policy.

Start your cat’s portrait →

Source photographs used for the examples above: tabby by Bruno Cervera (CC0); black cat by Frank C. Müller (CC BY-SA 3.0); odd-eyed white cat by Keith Kissel (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.