The Quick Answer
The photo advice for choosing a great custom kit photo is the same for any pet: clear, well-lit, close up. What's different is what happens once that photo gets mapped into a numbered canvas. A short-haired tabby and a long-haired golden retriever convert very differently, and knowing why helps you pick the right colour depth and get a result you're genuinely proud of.
If you've browsed our custom paint by numbers page, you've probably noticed most of the example photos are dogs. That's not a deliberate snub to cat owners, it's just how the orders have skewed so far. But dogs and cats are genuinely different subjects to paint, and if you're trying to decide what to expect, or how to get the best possible result for your specific pet, the differences are worth understanding before you upload a photo.
This isn't a guide to choosing or photographing your pet's picture; we've already covered that in detail in our complete pet photography guide. This is about what happens after that photo becomes a canvas, and how dogs and cats genuinely differ in that process.
Dogs make up the majority of custom pet orders, but cats convert into a canvas just as beautifully when the right colour depth is chosen.
Why Dogs and Cats Convert Differently Into a Canvas
When your photo is mapped into a numbered canvas, the software is essentially identifying zones of similar colour and tone and assigning each one a number. The more gradual and subtle the transitions in your pet's coat, the more numbered sections that area needs to look accurate rather than blocky. This is where dogs and cats start to genuinely differ.
🐕 Dogs
- Fur length varies hugely by breed, from short and smooth to long and feathered, which changes how much detail is needed
- Many breeds have multi-tone coats (tan and black, brindle, merle) that benefit from a higher colour count
- Larger overall body size in-frame often means more surface area to map, but also more forgiving section sizes
- Floppy or upright ears, snout shape, and expression are usually the areas that carry the most personality
🐈 Cats
- Shorthair cats often have very fine, subtle colour shifts (especially tabbies) that need more colours to avoid looking flat
- Solid black or solid white cats are deceptively tricky, with almost no colour variation to anchor detail, so lighting in the source photo matters enormously
- Eyes tend to carry most of a cat's expression, and getting catchlights and iris colour right makes a huge difference to likeness
- Whiskers and fine facial detail are easy to lose if the canvas size is too small
Neither pet is harder to paint in general. The honest answer is that the specific coat, colouring, and photo you're working with matter more than whether it's a dog or a cat. But there are real patterns worth knowing before you order.
Choosing the Right Colour Depth for Your Pet
This is the single most useful decision you can make for either pet, and it's specific to coat type and colour, not just personal preference.
| Pet Type | Recommended Colours | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solid black cat or dog | 36 colours minimum | With almost no colour variation to work with, extra colours capture subtle highlights and prevent the coat from looking like a flat silhouette |
| Tabby or multi-coloured cat | 36 to 48 colours | Tabby striping and colour-point patterns rely on fine gradient transitions that lower colour counts tend to flatten out |
| Short-haired, single-colour dog | 24 to 36 colours | Simpler coats convert cleanly even at lower colour counts, leaving budget to spend on canvas size instead |
| Long-haired or multi-tone dog | 36 to 48 colours | Feathered fur and colour blends (brindle, merle, tri-colour) need the extra detail to avoid looking muddy |
| Solid white cat or dog | 36 colours minimum | White coats rely entirely on subtle shadow and warmth tones to show shape, which gets lost at lower colour counts |
If you're still deciding between canvas sizes as well as colour depth, our guide to 24 vs 36 vs 48 colours covers the general principles in more depth.
Ready to Turn Your Pet Into a Canvas?
Upload Your Photo and Choose the Colour Depth That Fits Your Pet
Every custom kit is reviewed by a real designer before production, never left to software alone.
Start Your Custom KitSpecific Photo Considerations by Pet
The general photo rules (sharp focus, soft natural light, simple background) apply to every pet equally, and we cover those in full in our photo selection guide. But a few things are worth knowing specifically for dogs versus cats.
For Dogs
Dogs are often easiest to photograph outdoors, where there's space for them to sit still in natural light. The challenge tends to be motion blur from an excited dog, so a calm moment, just after a walk, mid-nap, sitting for a treat, usually gives the sharpest result. If your dog has a multi-tone or patterned coat, try to capture the photo in even, shadow-free light so the colour transitions read clearly rather than getting lost in shadow.
For Cats
Cats are usually easier to photograph indoors near a window, since getting them to sit still outdoors is its own challenge entirely. For black or very dark cats specifically, our guide on photographing black pets is essential reading, since lighting makes or breaks whether any detail survives the conversion at all. For cats with striking eye colour, getting a photo with their eyes open and catching some natural light is one of the single biggest factors in how much the finished portrait actually looks like them.
Can You Paint Two Pets in One Kit?
Yes, and it's one of the most popular custom requests we get, especially from households with one dog and one cat. The same colour-depth guidance applies, if your two pets have very different coat types (say, a black cat and a light-coloured dog), we'd generally recommend going with the higher colour count needed for whichever pet has the more complex coat, so neither one ends up under-detailed in the final piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it harder to paint a custom portrait of a cat than a dog?
Not inherently. The real factor is coat colour and pattern, not species. A solid black cat and a solid black dog present almost identical challenges; both rely heavily on lighting and colour depth rather than anything specific to being a cat or a dog.
Will my cat's eye colour show up accurately in the finished kit?
Yes, provided your source photo captures clear, well-lit eyes. Eye colour and catchlights are some of the most important details for any pet portrait, but especially for cats, where the eyes often carry most of the personality and likeness in the finished piece.
What's the best canvas size for a detailed pet portrait?
A 40×50 cm canvas is the most popular choice and gives enough room for genuine detail in fur and facial features. For pets with very intricate coat patterns or for a more ambitious wall piece, a 50×60 cm canvas gives even more room for fine detail to come through clearly.
Do I need more colours for a multi-coloured pet than a solid-coloured one?
Generally, yes, but not always for the reason people expect. Multi-coloured coats (tabby, brindle, tri-colour) need extra colours to capture the pattern transitions clearly. Solid black and solid white coats also benefit from higher colour counts, but for the opposite reason, there's so little natural colour variation that extra colours are needed just to preserve any shape and depth at all.
Can I combine my dog and cat into one custom portrait?
Yes, this is a popular request. We'd recommend a photo where both pets are in focus and reasonably close together in frame, and choosing the higher colour count needed between the two pets so both come through with equal detail in the finished canvas.
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