Virtual Cat Care Guide: Needs, Routine and Growing Up

By Nesim Razon, independent Android developer

Nuzzlings is a calm virtual cat game. You adopt a kitten, feed it, wash it, play with it and watch it grow up. This guide explains the bars, the buttons and a relaxed daily routine, so you always know what your cat needs.

Adopting your kitten

At the start you see three kittens. Tap one, give it a name and press Adopt. Names can be up to 14 characters, and you can change the name later in Settings. If you do not like the three kittens, press the dice button labeled Others to see new ones. Every kitten has its own coat color, pattern, eyes, ears and tail, so take a moment to choose.

The four needs

Four small bars sit at the top of the home screen. Each bar has an icon:

• Meat icon: food. This drops fastest, so it is the one you will visit most.
• Soap icon: cleanliness.
• Ball icon: fun.
• Moon icon: energy.

A bar is green when the need is fine, yellow when it is getting low and red when your cat needs you soon. Under the cat's name you also see its stage, its level and a short mood word: very happy, happy, okay or sad. The mood mixes all the needs together, plus affection. Affection has no bar. Petting and playing raise it, and it slowly drops while time passes.

What each button does

• Feed: fills the food bar. If your cat is already full, it tells you so and nothing is wasted.
• Bath: makes your cat fully clean and clears any messes. Cats do not love baths, so fun drops a little.
• Play: a lively game that raises fun and affection. It uses a little energy and a little food. If your cat is too tired, it says it needs sleep first.
• Sleep or Wake: puts your cat to bed or wakes it up. Feeding, washing or playing also wakes a sleeping cat.
• Touch and hold the cat: this is petting. Your cat purrs and your phone vibrates gently in rhythm. Let go and it stops.
• Tap a little mess on the floor: this cleans it up. Messes build up after your cat eats, and leaving them makes cleanliness drop faster.

Each care action gives a little experience. When your cat levels up, you see a small celebration with confetti.

A simple daily routine

You do not need to check in all day. A short visit a few times a day is enough.

• Morning: look at the bars, feed your cat and tidy any messes.
• Midday: play for a while and give some petting.
• Evening: wash your cat if the soap bar is low, then feed it once more.
• Bedtime: if the moon bar is low, tap Sleep and let your cat rest.

There are no timers or deadlines. Your cat's needs change gently in real time, so a calm routine works better than constant tapping.

Sleep and night

Energy goes down while your cat is awake and goes up while it sleeps. When energy gets low, you will see a hint that your cat is getting sleepy. Tap Sleep and the room turns dark and quiet, with stars in the window. A sleeping cat shows a rough time until it wakes up. When its energy is full, it wakes by itself. While asleep, the other needs drop much more slowly, so a good nap does not leave your cat hungry. Young kittens get tired faster, but they also rest up faster than adult cats.

Growing up

Your cat starts tiny with a big head. It grows over about two weeks. The label under its name shows the stage: Kitten during the first days, Young after that and Adult once it has fully grown. Kitten sounds are used in the first days as well. As the weeks pass, you will notice that your cat is bigger and calmer. Caring for it also raises its level.

Reminders and being away

Nuzzlings keeps going while you are away, but it is gentle about it. Time that passes while the app is closed counts for at most ten hours, so a long break does not punish you. Your cat never gets sick, never runs away and never disappears. At worst it is a bit sleepy or sad, and it cheers up quickly after some care.

You can also turn on friendly reminders. You get at most one when you leave the app, for example when your cat is hungry or wants to play. No reminders arrive between 22:00 and 08:00. You can switch them off in Settings.

Reading your cat

Your cat talks through small messages and moves. If you press Feed when it is full, a note appears saying it is full right now. If you press Play when it is too tired, a note says it needs sleep. These are not errors. They simply tell you which bar to look at next.

When nothing is happening, your cat does little things on its own. It may stretch, lick its paw or roll onto its side after a few seconds of quiet. Take a moment to watch. It is part of the fun, and it shows that your cat feels relaxed.

Tips for a happy cat

• Check the lowest bar first. A red bar matters more than a green one.
• Wash your cat when messes pile up, because messes pull cleanliness down faster.
• Pet your cat often. Petting is quick and keeps affection up, and the mood word improves.
• Let your cat sleep when it is sleepy. Rested kittens are livelier in play.
• Name your cat something you enjoy saying. You will see the name every day.

Common mistakes

• Tapping Feed again and again. A full cat simply says no, so check the food bar first.
• Playing with a tired cat. Let it sleep, then play.
• Forgetting the floor. Messes make your cat less clean over time, so tap them away.
• Expecting a game over. There is none, so you can relax.

Settings and your progress

Tap the gear icon to open Settings. There you can turn sounds, vibration and reminders on or off, change your cat's name and open the privacy policy. The option to start with a new cat deletes your current cat and all progress, and it asks you to confirm first. Your cat is saved on your phone. With Google Play Games cloud save, your cat can follow you to a new phone. The game works offline and needs no account.