Download DesktopCat
Free desktop pet for macOS and Windows. No account, no trial, no strings attached.
Desktop pet for Mac: compatibility, setup, and everyday use
Want more cats? All currently available paid official cats and every future official cat — US$4.90 once. See the official cats →
Installation guide
- 1
Download the DMG
Click the download button above. The DMG file will save to your Downloads folder.
- 2
Open the DMG & drag to Applications
Double-click the .dmg, then drag DesktopCat into your Applications folder.
- 3
Bypass Gatekeeper (unsigned build)
macOS may warn "developer cannot be verified." Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll down → click "Open Anyway."
macOS 15 Sequoia path: System Settings → Privacy & Security → DesktopCat → "Open Anyway". The old right-click method no longer works on Sequoia.
- 4
Grant Accessibility permission
DesktopCat will prompt for Accessibility access. This is required for the typing animation to react to your keystrokes.
- 5
Grant Input Monitoring permission
A second permission prompt for Input Monitoring — same reason. Your input text is never stored or uploaded.
Once it's running, try these 5 things
- 1
Click its head It perks up happily. Double-click and it hops.
- 2
Press and hold its head That's petting. Let go and it may roll over.
- 3
Drag it by the body It dangles, then falls and lands when you let go.
- 4
Tap its tail It puffs up, annoyed. Tap again quickly and it turns away.
- 5
Right-click it and choose Feed It eats, then looks pleased. The same menu has Tease Mode.
On macOS, all five work before you grant any permission. Only reacting to typing and to clicks elsewhere on screen needs the permissions below.
About permissions
Accessibility
Required for the typing animation. DesktopCat receives key-press and key-release events locally to trigger the typing state. It does not reconstruct what you typed.
Input Monitoring
Required for global mouse tracking so Mochi can react to clicks and cursor position anywhere on screen. Mouse coordinates are used only for animation — they are never stored or sent anywhere.
Release notes — v0.3.1
v0.3.1 · 2026-11-03
- Fixed: the app could fail to start if leftover temporary files couldn't be removed
- Official cats panel in Settings: preview each cat, try one on your desktop for 15 minutes, buy or restore a purchase
- After buying, Open in DesktopCat unlocks your cats, downloads the one you picked and switches to it
- Double-click a .desktopcat file to import it
- Checks for updates automatically and asks before installing
- First-run interactive guide, How to Play in Settings, and a Perform option in the cat's menu
- Standard or Lively activity for each cat
- Mochi (ragdoll) character
- 28 animation states · 133 frames
- Typing, wandering, sleeping, six-zone petting, play-chase, feeding, and dragging
- English & Chinese — follows your system language
- Local .desktopcat file import and switching
- Apple Silicon native
Updating the app
DesktopCat 0.2 and later check for updates automatically and ask before installing. On an earlier version, open Settings → Updates (or the menu bar menu) and tap Check for updates once to download and install the latest version in place. You can also grab the newest build from this page and run it over your existing install. Either way, your character files and settings are preserved.