Download DesktopCat
Free macOS desktop pet. No account, no trial, no strings attached.
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 β Privacy & Security β scroll down β click "Open Anyway."
macOS 15 Sequoia path:System Settings β Privacy & Security β DesktopCat β "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 β same reason. Your input text is never stored or uploaded.
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 β they are never stored or sent anywhere.
Release notes β v1.0.0
v1.0.0 Β· 2026-06-22
- Initial release with Mochi (ragdoll) character
- 31 animation states Β· 143 frames
- Typing, wandering, sleeping, petting, dragging interactions
- Local .desktopcat file import and switching
- Apple Silicon native + Intel Rosetta 2
Updating the app
There is no automatic updater yet. To update, download the new DMG from this page and drag it over your existing install. Your character files and settings are preserved. You may need to re-grant permissions after overwriting.