About

At The Cat Lab, we create custom pet gifts and keepsakes designed to feel as personal as the pets that inspire them. From cocktail napkins and golf towels to mugs, blankets, and home decor, each piece begins with your pet and is created specifically for you.

Every order is made specifically for the customer who places it. Artwork is created by a real artist, customized using the details provided with each order, and reviewed with customers before production. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece designed to celebrate the pets that are part of the family.

Where it started

The Cat Lab is based in Chicago, Illinois and was founded by Catherine (Cat) Nicholson, an artist, pet lover, and lifelong believer that the little details matter.

The idea started with a simple frustration. Most personalized pet products felt either sentimental or stylish, but rarely both. Cat wanted pieces that celebrated the pets people love while also feeling thoughtfully designed and at home alongside the rest of their decor.

What began as creating custom artwork from customer photos quickly grew into The Cat Lab, a business built around helping people turn favorite pet photos into meaningful gifts, keepsakes, and everyday pieces that are both personal and beautifully designed.

Since launching, Cat has created custom artwork for thousands of pet parents across the United States.

The process

Every piece starts with your photo. From there, the artwork is carefully illustrated to capture not only your pet's likeness, but the small details that make them recognizable to the people who love them. Expression, markings, posture, and personality are all considered throughout the design process. Once the artwork is complete, it is thoughtfully incorporated into the final product with attention to layout, scale, personalization, and overall design. Every design is reviewed, refined, and customized by a real person. Many customers choose to provide feedback and revisions along the way, creating a collaborative process that helps ensure the final piece feels exactly right.

More than a product

The Cat Lab's products are often purchased to celebrate meaningful moments.

Sometimes it's a gift for a dog mom, a cat dad, a friend, a partner, or a client. Sometimes it's a way to include a beloved pet in a wedding, holiday, or special event. Sometimes it's a memorial piece created after saying goodbye to a companion who meant everything.

Whatever the reason, there is intention behind every order.

From the first sketch to the final design, the goal is always the same: create something that feels personal, thoughtful, and worth keeping. Something that captures a memory, starts a conversation, or simply makes someone smile every time they see it.

At its core, The Cat Lab is about celebrating the connection people share with their pets through artwork that feels personal, meaningful, and uniquely theirs.