---
title: "What to Get a Cat Lover for Christmas: 7 Ideas | Retro Reverence"
url: https://retroreverence.com/almanac/what-to-get-a-cat-lover-for-christmas
description: "What to get a cat lover for Christmas: a portrait of their own cat, plus six thoughtful ideas for cat moms, cat dads and the cat person who has everything."
lang: en
---

← The Almanac · Gift Help (https://retroreverence.com/almanac)

# What to Get a Cat Lover for Christmas

By Amy, Retro Reverence · Updated October 5, 2026

Image: Custom cat portrait of a cat curled on a velvet reading chair beside an open book, framed and hanging on a wall at home (https://retroreverence.com/product-images/HT-030-cat-stole-reading-chair/room.jpg)

The best Christmas gift for a cat lover is one that is about **their** cat, not cats in general. The most personal options are **a portrait of their own cat** from a photo, **a vintage style travel poster** starring that cat, or **a weekend of cat sitting**. The cat will pretend not to care. The cat lover will not.

Every scene for cats (https://retroreverence.com/cat-portraits) is made from your photo, and the holiday ones live in Christmas pet portraits (https://retroreverence.com/christmas-pet-portraits).

## What is the best present for a cat lover?

Something that shows you have actually met the cat.

Cat people are used to gifts with a cartoon cat on them. What they rarely get is a gift about their particular cat: the one who sleeps in the bathroom sink, the one who walks across the keyboard in the middle of every video call, the one who has decided the Christmas tree is a personal climbing gym. Get that cat right, and the gift is a hit.

## Seven ideas for a cat lover, from most personal to least

### 1. A portrait of their own cat

A custom portrait from Retro Reverence is digitally illustrated from your photo, then retouched and approved by artist Amy Oliver, so the coat, the markings and that particular look of mild disapproval are their cat’s own.

For Christmas, a few holiday scenes:

- The Ornament (https://retroreverence.com/shop/custom-cat-portrait-cat-christmas-tree): a cat nestled deep in the branches of a lit tree, wearing the tinsel like they paid for it.
- The Real Gift (https://retroreverence.com/shop/custom-cat-portrait-cat-gift-box): a cat settled into a torn-open gift box amid the shredded paper. The cat always believed they were the present.
- The Culprit: one paw extended toward an ornament that is about to learn how gravity works.

The everyday scenes stay up long after the tree comes down. Technical Support (https://retroreverence.com/shop/custom-cat-portrait-cat-on-keyboard) is stationed exactly where the work was supposed to happen. The Occupant is curled up in the bathroom sink. Quality Control lies dead center on the freshly made bed. The Bookend has personally rearranged the classics.

Those are the ordinary moments everyone with a cat knows by heart: the sink, the keyboard, the bed. They are funny now, and they are the ones people end up missing most.

### 2. A travel poster for their cat’s favorite destination

The Pet Atlas travel posters (https://retroreverence.com/custom-pet-travel-posters) are vintage style travel posters for the only places a cat cares about, with their own cat as the star. Cardboard Kingdom (https://retroreverence.com/shop/custom-cat-travel-poster-cardboard-kingdom), the most exclusive resort in the recycling pile. Sunbeam Shores, where the warmest stretch of windowsill is permanently reserved. Countertop Cliffs: not recommended, wildly popular anyway.

Image: Custom cat travel poster: Cardboard Kingdom, Luxury accommodations. No reservation required. Retro travel poster art of a cat. (https://retroreverence.com/product-images/PA-002-cardboard-kingdom/artwork-1.jpg)

### 3. A weekend of cat sitting

Cat lovers often skip trips because nobody else knows which bowl, which treat and which hiding spot. Write it as a promise in a card: “One weekend, any weekend. I will refill the water fountain and report back with photos.” It costs nothing and it is genuinely useful.

### 4. A framed print of their best cat photo

Ask a family member which picture they love most. It is rarely the posed one. It is the cat asleep in a laundry basket, or glaring from inside a grocery bag. Print it, frame it, done.

### 5. A better window seat

A cat lover’s home is arranged around the cat’s sunny spots. A sturdy window perch or a soft bed for the favorite sill is a gift for both of them, and the cat will use it, eventually, after sitting in the box it came in.

### 6. Something with the cat’s name on it

A tag, a food bowl or an ornament with the cat’s name. Small, specific and much better than anything that says “Cat Mom” in a font.

### 7. A donation in the cat’s name

Many shelters and rescues post holiday wish lists. Fill one in their cat’s name and tell them in the card. The cat gets the credit, which the cat already assumed.

## What to get a cat person for Christmas if they have everything?

They have the mug, the socks and the tote bag. What they almost never have is their own cat on the wall. Pair a portrait with something small from the list above, like an ornament with the cat’s name, and you have covered the heart and the tree in one go.

## What to get a cat mom for Christmas

For the cat mom whose plants survive in spite of the cat, The Horticulturist shows a cat sunning on a windowsill among terracotta pots, one paw on the basil. For the cat mom who never gets the bed to herself, Quality Control says it for her.

If the gift is going to be “from the cat”, there are card lines and ideas in gifts from the dog or cat (https://retroreverence.com/almanac/gifts-from-the-dog-or-cat).

## What to buy a man who loves cats?

The same thing, with less explaining required. A portrait of his cat on the bookshelf (The Bookend) or at the keyboard (Technical Support) suits a study or an office. A Pet Atlas poster suits a den. Most cat dads are quietly delighted to have their cat taken this seriously.

Shopping for a dog person too? See what to get a dog lover for Christmas (https://retroreverence.com/almanac/what-to-get-a-dog-lover-for-christmas). For a household with both, there is Christmas gifts for cat and dog lovers (https://retroreverence.com/almanac/best-christmas-gifts-for-cat-and-dog-lovers).

## Is a pet portrait a good gift?

For a cat lover, usually yes, as long as it looks like their cat. That is why each Retro Reverence portrait is checked against your photos for coloring and markings before it reaches you. Each portrait stars one cat.

If you are not sure which scene to pick, choose the spot where the cat is always found. That is the one they will recognize from across the room.

## When should I order for Christmas?

| What you are ordering | Order by |
| --- | --- |
| Custom portrait or travel poster, digital file | December 17 (arrives by December 22) |
| Custom digital file, with the Rush upgrade | December 21 |
| Custom portrait or travel poster, print or canvas | December 5 |

A digital portrait costs $19 and arrives within 3 business days of receiving your photos. A fine art paper print starts at $59 and a gallery canvas at $95, with shipping included. Prints and canvases take about 1 to 2 weeks, because you approve a proof first.

If the gift is a surprise, ask someone in the house to send the original photo straight from their phone. A clear face in good light is enough.

**Read next:** Gifts From the Dog (or Cat): What to Give “From” Your Pet (https://retroreverence.com/almanac/gifts-from-the-dog-or-cat)

## Questions

What is the best present for a cat lover?

Something about their own cat. A portrait of their cat in its favorite spot, a framed print of their best cat photo, or a promise of cat sitting will mean more than anything printed with a generic cat.

When should I order a custom cat portrait for Christmas?

Order a custom digital portrait by December 17 (it arrives by December 22), or by December 21 with the Rush upgrade. Order a custom print or canvas by December 5, because you approve a proof before it is printed.

Can I get a portrait of a cat that will not sit still for photos?

Usually, yes. A clear photo of the face in good light matters most, and it does not need to be posed. A cat asleep on the windowsill often makes the best reference.

What if they have more than one cat?

Each portrait stars one cat, so every cat gets the whole scene to themselves. Two portraits hung side by side make a good pair, which is the only arrangement most cats will accept anyway.

Shop Cat Portraits: https://retroreverence.com/cat-portraits
Shop Christmas Pet Portraits: https://retroreverence.com/christmas-pet-portraits

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