Prices and lead times checked October 2026.
A black cat gives a portrait almost nothing to work with inside the shape, so the whole thing rests on two elements: the eyes and the outline. Eye colour is effectively the only colour in the finished piece, which makes choosing between green, gold and copper far more important than it sounds. Get those right and a black cat portrait is striking. Sweatshirt £70, cushion £55, lead time 2 to 3 weeks.
Worth saying up front: yes, we stitch cats. We stitch dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds and reptiles, and cat portraits come through the Cambridge studio steadily, even though a pet portrait brand is usually assumed to mean dogs.
Black cats are their own case, and not for the reason people expect. The difficulty is not that black is a hard colour. It is that a black cat is almost entirely silhouette. Where another cat offers markings, shading and contrast to anchor a likeness, a black cat offers a shape, two eyes and whatever light happens to be falling on it. That changes what you should look for in a gift, and it changes which photo you should send.
Key takeaways
- A black cat has almost no internal detail, so the eyes and the outline carry the portrait.
- Eye colour is the only real colour in the piece, so green, gold or copper matters enormously.
- Tell us the eye colour when you order rather than leaving it to the photo.
- Many black cats have faint ghost tabby markings that only show in direct sunlight.
- Decide whether you want those ghost markings kept or left out.
- Shoot in daylight or open shade. Never use flash, which causes eyeshine.
- Avoid a dark background, or the outline disappears along with the cat.
- Go larger rather than smaller. The eyes need room. Sweatshirt £70, cushion £55.
Why is a black cat different from any other cat portrait?
Think about what makes a portrait recognisable as a particular animal. Usually it is a combination of things: the markings, where the white sits, the shading across the face, the colour of the coat as it changes from the ears down to the chest. Those details do most of the work, and the outline is just the container they live in.
On a black cat, almost all of that is gone. There is no pattern to place, no white bib to position, no warm patch on the flank to get right. What is left is the shape of the animal and the eyes set into it. That sounds like a problem and it is really a change of emphasis, because the two things that remain happen to be the two most individual things about a cat.
The outline is more distinctive than people assume. Ear shape and set vary a great deal between cats, from tall and upright to small and rounded with a wide gap. The slope from the forehead down to the nose differs. So does the thickness of the ruff at the neck, the way the whiskers arc forward, the depth of the chest, the set of the shoulders when a cat sits. On a black cat all of that is doing the job that markings would normally do, so it has to be observed properly rather than approximated.
And then there are the eyes, which deserve their own section, because on a black cat they are not a detail. They are the subject.
None of that makes them unusual here. Black cats are among the most common cats we are asked to stitch, second only to tabbies in our own order book. So the difficulty described above is not an edge case we meet now and then, it is one of the jobs we do most often, and that is exactly why the guidance on eye colour below is worth your two minutes rather than a footnote.
Why does eye colour matter so much on a black cat?
Because they are the only colour in the piece. On a tortoiseshell or a tabby, the eyes are one colour note among several, and a slight miss goes unnoticed. On a black cat, the eyes are the entire palette, so the difference between a cool green and a warm gold is the difference between their cat and a cat. Tell us which it is when you order.
Black cats most often have green, gold or copper eyes, and people tend to describe their own cat's eyes more loosely than they realise. Gold and copper in particular get used interchangeably in conversation and are visibly different side by side. Yellow green sits between green and gold and is its own thing again. If you have ever heard someone say a portrait is lovely but somehow is not quite her, an eye colour a shade off is one of the commonest culprits.
| Eye colour | How it reads in daylight | What to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Cool and clear, sometimes with a paler rim toward the outside of the iris | Say whether it is a deep bottle green or a pale, almost grey green |
| Yellow green | Sits between the two, often looking green indoors and yellower outside | Mention both, and which one you think of as her real colour |
| Gold | Bright, warm and light, closer to lemon or honey than to orange | Say gold rather than amber if the eye looks light rather than deep |
| Copper | Deep and orange toned, noticeably darker than gold | Copper is the one most often described as gold by mistake, so check |
| Odd or changing | Kittens' eyes settle over time, and some adult cats sit between shades | Send the photo you want us to match and say it is the current colour |
The practical instruction is simple. Do not rely on the photograph alone to tell us the eye colour, because the light in any given picture pushes it one way or the other. Write the colour in the notes when you order, in your own words. Five seconds of typing removes the single biggest risk on a black cat piece.
What is a ghost tabby, and do you want it in the portrait?
Plenty of black cats are not solidly black. In direct sunlight you can often see faint tabby markings surfacing through the coat, usually stripes or swirls on the flanks and a ring or two on the tail. These are called ghost markings. They are real, they are part of how that cat looks on a sunny windowsill, and whether they belong in the portrait is a decision for you rather than for us.
Owners split on this, and both answers are reasonable. Some people love the ghost markings precisely because they are a private detail you only see if you know the cat well, and having them show up in thread feels like being properly seen. Others picture their cat as solid black, because that is how she looks indoors nine hours out of ten, and markings in the portrait would read as wrong to them.
If you do want them, it helps to know which pattern is surfacing, since the ghost of a classic tabby looks quite different from the ghost of a mackerel. Our guide to tabby cat gifts sets out the four patterns and how to tell them apart, and the same descriptions apply to ghost markings on a black cat.
The thing to avoid is letting the decision happen by accident. If you say nothing and the photo you send was taken in strong sun, the markings are visible and we will treat them as part of the coat. If the photo was taken indoors, they will not be there at all. Either is fine. Choosing is better than discovering.
How should you photograph a black cat?
Daylight or open shade, never flash. Flash flattens a black coat and causes eyeshine, where the eye bounces back as a bright disc and the colour is simply gone, which on a black cat removes the most important thing in the picture. Put the cat against something light rather than a dark sofa or a night window, so the outline survives.
Flash deserves the strongest warning here because of what it does to cat eyes specifically. A cat's eye has a reflective layer behind the retina, which is what makes cats' eyes glow in a torch beam, and a camera flash triggers exactly that. You get two flat discs of reflected light instead of eyes. On a tabby you would still have the markings to work from. On a black cat you have lost both the colour and the expression at the same moment, and there is nothing else in the frame to fall back on.
A sunny window or an open doorway is the best free lighting you have, and it has the useful side effect of showing any ghost markings. Open shade, meaning outdoors but out of direct sun, is the other reliable option.
Background is the second half of the job, and it is specific to dark cats. A black cat on a charcoal sofa, a dark wooden floor or against a window at night has no edge. Since the outline is doing half the work in the finished portrait, that edge needs to exist in the photograph. A pale cushion, a light carpet, a wall, grass or sky all work.
Black cat photo checklist
- Daylight or open shade, and flash switched off before you start
- A light background behind the cat, so the outline and ears have an edge
- Eyes open and looking toward the camera, not half closed in a doze
- Ears and whiskers inside the frame, since both are part of the outline
- Decide about ghost markings: direct sun shows them, indoors does not
- Write the eye colour in the order notes in your own words
- Old and imperfect photos are welcome. Tell us if it is the only one you have
Our longer guide to the best photo for an embroidered pet portrait covers the general rules for every pet. Every photo that reaches us is reviewed by a person before any design work starts. About 70 per cent are approved with no edits, and roughly 1 in 25 need a retake. On a black cat, a retake nearly always means we cannot see the eyes.
Which black cat gifts actually work?
Everything below is embroidered rather than printed, made to order in our Cambridge studio, and designed from a photo of their cat. Prices were correct in October 2026.
| Gift | From | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Sweatshirt | £70 | The usual starting point, and long sleeved, so the free sleeve embroidery applies |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Velvet Cushion | £55 | Stays in the house. Has a pom pom trim, which people either love or do not |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Cotton Linen Cushion | £55 | No trim, natural tones. The quieter of the two cushions |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Hoodie | £80 | The one that gets worn constantly rather than kept for best |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait College Sweatshirt | £75 | Adds the cat's name in large lettering, which gives a dark portrait some company |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait T-Shirt | £55 | Warmer months, or a second piece for someone who already has a sweatshirt |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Christmas Jumper | £75 | December, ordered with the 2 to 3 week window in hand |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Canvas Tote Bag | £50 | The lowest priced bag we make, and a black cat looks excellent on natural canvas |
| Embroidered Pet Portrait Kids' Sweatshirt | £60 | Children who grew up with the cat. Sizes start from 6 months |
| Pet Portrait Embroidered Iron-On Patch | £25 | Our smallest option. See the note below before you choose it for a black cat |
A sizing point specific to black cats. Because the eyes carry the likeness, they need enough room to be eyes rather than two marks. At £25 patch size that is a genuine constraint, so if the budget stretches, a chest sized portrait on clothing or a cushion gives a black cat noticeably more to work with. It is the opposite advice to a heavily marked cat, where a small portrait still reads because the pattern survives being shrunk.
For wider ideas, including things we do not sell, our cat guides go further than this page: what to get someone who loves their cat and Christmas gifts for cat lovers. If the cat is a tabby rather than black, the whole question changes and tabby cat gifts is the one to read instead. The same low contrast problem turns up in a quieter form on a ginger cat, where the markings are real but very faint, and on a British Shorthair, where the coat is flat and the shape has to carry the likeness. Every breed and coat type we have written up is listed on our pet gifts by breed page.
Why does a black cat portrait mean something extra to some owners?
This is worth saying carefully, without making a campaign of it. Black cats are widely reported to be the hardest cats to rehome and the most often passed over in rescue centres. We are not going to put a figure on that, because the numbers that circulate vary and we would only be repeating someone else's estimate. But it is a familiar enough pattern that most people who have adopted a black cat have heard some version of it, often from the rescue itself.
What that means for a gift is quite small and quite real. People who chose a black cat frequently know they chose the one nobody else wanted, and a portrait of that cat, made properly, lands as a kind of quiet correction. The animal who was overlooked is now the thing on the front of a sweatshirt.
That is the whole point and we will leave it there. No cause, no slogan, nothing on the piece that says anything other than their cat. If it resonates, it resonates. If the person you are buying for has simply got a black cat and has never thought about any of this, the portrait works just as well as a portrait.
How long does it take, and when should you order?
The lead time is 2 to 3 weeks depending on how busy the studio is, and the current figure is shown at checkout rather than guessed at here. Everything is made to order.
- Day 0, you orderYou upload the photo at checkout and add the notes that matter on a black cat: the eye colour in your own words, and whether you want any ghost markings kept.
- Within a day or two, we review the photoA person checks it before design work starts. About 70 per cent are approved with no edits. Roughly 1 in 25 come back for a retake, usually because the eyes are not visible.
- Then, the designThe portrait is designed from your photo and sent over for approval. Unlimited revisions, so the eye colour and the outline can be adjusted until they are right.
- 2 to 3 weeks from order, stitched and shippedMade in Cambridge on one of our 29 embroidery machines and shipped worldwide. Free UK delivery over £75, or £3.99 Royal Mail 48 Tracked below that.
For a fixed date, count back 3 weeks and order before that. Long sleeved clothing includes free sleeve embroidery, a small icon such as a paw print or a heart plus a name, which on a black cat piece is also the easiest place for the cat's name to sit.
When is Lucy & Lola not the right answer?
Frequently, and it costs us nothing to say so.
- Your budget is under £25. Nothing custom and embroidered comes in under £25, which is the iron-on patch, and most pieces sit between £50 and £80. Our stocking fillers for pet lovers collection starts at £2, but those are stock designs and small extras rather than their cat, and the selection changes. At that budget, a printed photo in a good frame beats anything we sell.
- You want a figurine, a model or an ornament. We do not make them. A ceramicist or a needle felting maker is who you want, and black cat ornaments are a well served corner of Etsy.
- You need it this week. Made to order means 2 to 3 weeks genuinely is 2 to 3 weeks, and we will not take the order pretending otherwise.
- You want a painting, a print or an illustration. Everything we make is embroidered, apart from a small range of large scale print graphic sweatshirts. A painted portrait is a different craft with its own specialists.
- The only photo is a dark one taken at night with the flash on. We will tell you rather than guess at the eyes. If no better photo exists and none can be taken, this may not be the right product, and we would rather you knew that before ordering than after.
If you have a photo where you can see her eyes, a black cat portrait is about 2 to 3 weeks away, with unlimited revisions before anything is stitched. Over 75,000 pet parents have ordered from us, and we hold a 4.9 average from more than 10,000 five star reviews.
We were founded in 2021 by Lucy and Andy with one embroidery machine and a rescue dachshund called Lola. There are 29 machines now, and everything we make is embroidered rather than printed, apart from a small range of large scale print graphic sweatshirts. We stitch dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds and reptiles, and multi-pet designs are available.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do an embroidered portrait of an all black cat?
Yes, and they are some of the most striking pieces we make, because a black cat reduces a portrait to its two strongest elements: the eyes and the outline. What we need from you is a photo where the eyes are open and visible, and a note telling us the eye colour in your own words. With those two things, a black cat portrait is straightforward. Without them, we are guessing at the only colour in the piece.
Why does eye colour matter so much for a black cat?
Because it is the only colour in the finished portrait. On a cat with markings, the eyes are one note among several and a slight miss is absorbed. On a black cat there is nothing else, so a green eye rendered as gold changes the whole piece. Green, yellow green, gold and copper are all common in black cats and are visibly different from each other, so tell us which one she has.
My black cat has faint stripes in the sun. What are they?
Those are ghost tabby markings, and they are very common. A lot of black cats carry a tabby pattern underneath that only surfaces in direct sunlight, usually as faint stripes or swirls on the flanks and rings on the tail. They are part of how your cat really looks, and whether they appear in the portrait is your call. Tell us which you want when you order, because the photo alone will decide it otherwise.
Why should I not use flash on a black cat?
Two reasons, and the second is the serious one. Flash flattens a black coat, so the shape of the head and the ruff stop reading. More importantly it causes eyeshine, because a cat's eye has a reflective layer behind the retina that bounces the flash straight back. You end up with two bright discs where the eyes should be and no colour at all, which on a black cat removes the single most important part of the picture.
What background should I photograph a black cat against?
Something lighter than she is. A black cat on a charcoal sofa, a dark floor or in front of a window at night has no visible edge, and since the outline carries half of a black cat portrait, that edge has to exist in the photo. A pale cushion, a light carpet, a plain wall, grass or sky all work. Daylight or open shade, with the flash off, does the rest.
What is a good gift for a cat mom with a black cat?
Something with her own cat on it rather than a generic black cat design, of which there are thousands and none of them are hers. The sweatshirt at £70 is the usual starting point and includes free sleeve embroidery, where most people put the cat's name. The cushions at £55 suit someone who would rather have it in the house. Our guide to what to get someone who loves their cat covers more.
Should I choose a smaller or larger portrait for a black cat?
Larger if you can. The eyes are doing most of the work, and they need enough space to read as eyes rather than two marks, which makes the £25 patch the hardest option for a black cat specifically. A chest sized portrait on clothing, or one of the £55 cushions, gives the face room. For a cat with strong markings the same logic does not apply, because the pattern survives being shrunk.
Do you stitch cats, or only dogs?
Cats very much included. We stitch dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds and reptiles, and multi-pet designs are available if there is more than one animal in the house. It is worth stating plainly, because a pet portrait brand tends to be read as a dog brand and plenty of cat owners never get as far as asking.
How long does a black cat portrait take?
2 to 3 weeks depending on studio capacity, with the current lead time shown at checkout. Everything is made to order in Cambridge and shipped worldwide. That window includes the photo review, the design and your approval. If you are buying for a set date, count back 3 weeks and order before then, and allow a little extra if the photo might need a second look.
Can you put a black cat and another pet on the same piece?
Yes, multi-pet designs are available, and a black cat alongside a lighter animal works particularly well, since the two outlines separate cleanly from each other. Send a clear photo of each one rather than a single photo of them together, and include the eye colour note for the black cat as you would for a solo portrait.
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