For the one who already runs the house
Custom cat portraits from your photo
A cat in Renaissance velvet does not look like a cat in costume. It looks like a portrait that was always going to be painted. Send one photo, see 8 versions within 24 hours, and change anything until it is right. Digital from $29.99.
Styles that suit a cat
Any of the full collection can be made for a cat. See also Maine Coon portraits, memorial portraits and how a photo becomes a portrait.
Photographing a cat who will not cooperate
The single most common worry, and the least founded. You are not staging a photo shoot. You are looking for one frame where the face is lit and sharp, and you very likely already have it.
Where the good photo usually is
- Asleep or settled near a window in daylight
- Looking down at you from a shelf or the stairs
- The moment after you say their name
- Anything from your camera roll, however old
What to avoid
- Flash, which flattens fur and lights the eyes strangely
- Shooting down from standing height
- A wide room shot with the cat small in it
- A screenshot of a photo rather than the photo
Questions cat owners ask
- My cat will not sit still. How do I photograph them?
- You do not need a posed photo. A cat asleep on a windowsill, looking up from the floor, or sitting on the stairs all work, as long as the face is lit and in focus. Daylight helps more than anything else. Most people find they already have the right photo somewhere in their camera roll, taken months ago without thinking about it.
- Do cat portraits work as well as dog portraits?
- Yes, and in some styles better. A cat's face carries a natural composure that suits royal and Renaissance costume: the stillness reads as dignity rather than as a pet dressed up. Long-haired cats do particularly well because the coat gives the artwork texture to work with.
- Will the portrait capture my cat's markings?
- It is built around your cat's actual face from your photo, so markings, colouring and eye colour carry through. A tabby's forehead pattern, a tuxedo's white bib, the asymmetry in a calico coat: these are the things that make it recognisably your cat rather than a generic cat in a costume. If the first versions miss something, say so and we redo it.
- Can you do two cats in one portrait?
- Yes. Send a photo with both in frame, or a clear photo of each. Some styles are built for a pair and work better for this than others, so say what you are hoping for when you order and we will tell you if a different style suits it.
- What does a custom cat portrait cost?
- A digital download is $29.99 and prints cleanly up to 16x20 inches. Poster prints start at $39.99, premium canvas at $69.99, and framed prints at $79.99. Every tier gets the same proof and the same revision rounds.
- Can I have a portrait made of a cat who has died?
- Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people order. Any photo you have is enough, including an old or imperfect one. There are memorial styles designed for this, and you are welcome to choose any other style instead if it suits them better.
One photo is enough
8 versions within 24 hours. Revisions until it is right. Nothing prints until you approve it.