There's a place for cats even in the apocalypse. You can now crossbreed, upgrade, and assemble your fluffy gang that will bring you joy with its very presence as well as useful finds.

🐱 Where do I begin?
The Cat Playpen is the main place where you can crossbreed and feed them, as well as manage your collection. Build it at your home base, place a kitten from a box in your inventory inside the same way as you do with puppies, and select your pet's name. Each kitten has a growth timer, which starts automatically the moment it appears. This timer determines when the kitten will become an adult. You can speed up the process by feeding it.
The playpen has two key interaction points. The first one opens the crossbreeding menu, where you breed cats. The second one lets you access the list of all the cats and kittens, where you can manage and feed them. The basic playpen can fit up to 10 pets. Cats sent to the Cat Tree are marked with a special icon.

🥫 Cat Food is Key
The cat feeding system is a bit different from the usual mechanic used for dogs. In this case, food is important not only to keep the cats taken care of but also to speed up their growth.
Hitting the feeding button opens the food bowl menu, where you can select a specific kitten and view its timer and the food available. You can add food manually from your inventory.
The quality of food will directly affect a kitten's growth. You can view types of cat foods and the number of hours by which their growth will be sped up in the "Food Efficiency" tab by hitting the ℹ️ symbol in the upper right corner of the food bowl menu. You can feed cats food from your inventory or chests at the base. We recommend you determine how much food to take based on the time remaining, because if you don't, you won't be able to put extra food back in your inventory.

🧬 Crossbreeding
Select a couple of pets in the playpen's main menu. Crossbreeding works the same way as it does with dogs: parents run away, and you obtain a new kitten with unique abilities.
The outcome depends on the parents' features, but it does involve the element of chance. You can obtain a rare cat with strong skills or just a regular one.
You can choose the coat color that your cat will inherit and its rewards for the Cat Tree or keep both parameters randomized.
The kitten's experience is equal to the sum of its parents' experience. You can get a kitten of a higher rank as a result of the crossbreeding.

🏠 Cat Tree
Cats are not just a decoration for your base. They help you acquire resources, and the higher the cat's rarity and level, the more tangible its usefulness.
You can only put adult cats on the Cat Tree. Select a pet with suitable features and send it on a scavenging run. To do so, you need to feed that cat fish.
The cat will come back later carrying rewards. The list of all possible rewards and the chances of getting them can be viewed in a separate menu.
Note: the cat remains attached to the house until you collect all the rewards — you can't move or use it for crossbreeding. You need to claim its finds first, and only then will you be able to control the pet.
The Cat Tree can be upgraded, and with each new level, it adds one more spot available for a cat.

❓ Will the cats disappear when the "Metal & Mud" event ends?
The cat mechanic will remain in the game, and all your progress will be saved.
❓ Why does the cat look one way on the avatar and another way in the actual game?
The avatar reflects the cat's type, but its final appearance is formed as a result of crossbreeding, which is why they don't always match.
❓ Why don't I ever get a rare cat or skill?
The outcomes are partially determined by chance and partially by the parents' features. You have a bit more control over the skills, but you still can't predict the outcome.

In a world where every day is a fight for survival, even minor details like cats become part of the strategy. Some view them as just cute pets, but others — as reliable helpers. Crossbreed, experiment, and assemble your perfect team of fluffballs. And while you're surrounded by destruction and danger, you will always have someone to come home, bringing you useful finds. 🐾