Pet emoji maker: turn your dog or cat into custom emoji
A pet emoji is a small, expressive cut-out of your dog or cat that you can drop into any chat instead of 😂 or ❤️. Here is what a good pet emoji maker does, which formats each app needs, and how to get a full set from one photo.
Turn your pet into a sticker pack 🐾
Upload one photo of your dog or cat and get 16 or 32 captioned stickers for WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage and Signal, plus a printable A4 sheet. See 4 stickers free first – no sign-up.
$3.99 for 16 stickers · $6.99 for 32 + 4 animated · one-time payment · re-make or refund within 14 days.
Emoji vs stickers – what's the difference?
Strictly speaking, emoji are the standard Unicode characters every phone shares; nobody can add their pet to that list. What people mean by "pet emoji" is a set of small reaction images – technically stickers or custom emoji – that look and behave like emoji: one face, one feeling, readable at thumbnail size. Telegram, Discord and Slack even call them custom emoji. The good news is that one set of well-made 512 px images covers all of them.
What a good pet emoji maker should do
- Keep the likeness. Markings, ear shape and eye colour must survive the cartoon style, otherwise it is just "a dog".
- Cut out cleanly. Transparent background and a white outline so the emoji works on dark mode and light mode.
- Cover real emotions. Happy, laughing, sad, angry, sleepy, hungry, shocked, love – the reactions you actually send.
- Export per app. Every messenger has its own size and file rules (see table).
- Let you see before you pay. A free preview avoids paying for a style you don't like.
Format cheat-sheet by app
| App | What it needs | From a PetMagi pack |
|---|---|---|
| 512 × 512 WebP, <100 KB, 3–30 per pack, 96 px tray icon | whatsapp_pack_*.zip | |
| Telegram | PNG/WEBP, one side 512 px, ≤512 KB, via @Stickers | stickers_png.zip |
| iMessage | Any transparent PNG saved to Photos (iOS 17+) | stickers_png.zip |
| Signal | PNG/WebP ≤300 KB, up to 200, via Signal Desktop | stickers_png.zip |
| Discord / Slack | Small PNG custom emoji (servers/workspaces resize on upload) | stickers_png.zip |
How to make pet emoji from one photo
- Choose a sharp photo of your pet's face – one animal, no people.
- Upload it on PetMagi pet stickers and pick a style (cartoon, chibi, realistic, watercolour, pixel or line art).
- Check the 4 free preview stickers. If the likeness is off, try a clearer photo – it is free.
- Unlock 16 emoji-style stickers for $3.99 or 32 plus 4 animated for $6.99. Captions (hi, LOL, no, good night…) come in English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese.
- Import them using the steps for your app in the import guide.
DIY or a maker?
You can make pet emoji yourself: iPhone's Photos app lifts a subject from a photo and saves it as a sticker, and free sticker apps can cut out a picture. That route is free and fine for one or two reactions. The work starts when you want a consistent set – 16 different expressions, matching style, readable captions, and correctly sized files for three apps. That is the time PetMagi saves: one upload, a matching set, files already in each app's format, plus a printable A4 sheet.
Tips for emoji that read at tiny size
- Faces beat full bodies. At 30 px on a phone only the face is visible.
- Bold expressions beat subtle ones; exaggerated eyes and mouths read best.
- Short captions (1–2 words) or none at all.
- Test in dark mode – the white outline is what keeps a black cat visible.
Privacy
Your pet photo is used only to make your pack. Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 7 days, and photos with human faces are refused.
Turn your pet into a sticker pack 🐾
Upload one photo of your dog or cat and get 16 or 32 captioned stickers for WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage and Signal, plus a printable A4 sheet. See 4 stickers free first – no sign-up.
$3.99 for 16 stickers · $6.99 for 32 + 4 animated · one-time payment · re-make or refund within 14 days.
FAQ
Can I add my pet to the real emoji keyboard?
No. Unicode emoji are the same for everyone. You can add your pet as stickers or custom emoji in WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Signal, Discord and Slack.
Do pet emoji work in dark mode?
Yes, if they have a transparent background and a white outline. PetMagi stickers have both.
Is there a free pet emoji maker?
Free tools can cut out a single photo. PetMagi shows 4 stickers free; the full matching set is $3.99 (16) or $6.99 (32 + 4 animated).
How long are my photos kept?
PetMagi deletes uploads and generated files after 7 days.