The colors cats can see
Cats are red-green colorblind, so the critters glow in the blues, whites, and yellow-greens a cat sees best. Never red, the one color they'd miss.
For cats · iPhone & iPad
Enrichment
worth chasing.
Glowing critters dart, freeze, and bolt across the screen to grab your cat's attention. Every scene has its own look and its own custom-tuned, high-pitched sounds, so there's sure to be one that hooks your furry friend.
How it works
Your cat taps. It reacts.
As your cat taps the screen, the critter reacts, dashing away from their paw to avoid getting hit. This keeps your cat fully engaged in tracking down the critter.
- Reactive critters. Every tap sends them darting out of reach.
- Worth the chase. After enough taps, your cat catches the critter and gets the thrill of the catch.
Built for a cat's senses, not ours
The world looks different through a cat's eyes.
Cats have a sharp eye for motion but little for fine detail, so we skip the flashy graphics on purpose and pour everything into the bold, high-contrast movement a cat can't resist.
Movement over detail
Cats notice motion far more than detail, so the critters dart, freeze, and bolt. That's what flips on the stalk-and-pounce instinct.
Bright thing, dark scene
Every scene stays deliberately dim, so the one bright, moving thing on the screen is always the critter worth chasing.
120 frames a second
Cats catch flicker that we can't. On screens that support it, everything runs at 120fps, smooth and real, never a stutter your cat can spot.
Somewhere new every time
A place for every hunt.
A starlit sky. A moonlit meadow. The sunlit deep, a misty swamp, the far edge of space. More than twenty hand-crafted scenes, each dim and alive so the critter stands out.
Firefly
A swarm of fireflies drifts through the warm dark, blinking on and off.
Butterfly
A glowing butterfly flutters beneath the moon, over a meadow of tiny lights.
Fish School
A shimmering school glides and scatters through shafts of light and swaying kelp.
Three of more than twenty scenes. We're adding new ones all the time.
Get to know your cat
Every cat is one of a kind.
Keep a profile for each of your cats, see which scenes really get them going, and celebrate their best hunting streaks.
Cat profiles
Add each of your cats, with their own photo, favorites, and play history.
Play insights
See taps, catches, playtime, and which scenes your cat actually chases.
Achievements
Little milestones that celebrate your cat's best hunting streaks.
Yours alone
Private by design.
Fully on-device and offline. No accounts, no ads, no analytics, and nothing leaves the device.
Tuned by real cats
If our cats don't chase it, it doesn't make the cut.
Every scene is tested on actual cats, from the movement to the sounds. The scenes your cat gets are the ones ours couldn't resist.
Meet the team
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Leo
Feather WandPounces first, asks questions later.
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Nova
Mouse ChaseFinally leaves my computer cursor alone. Mostly.
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Arlo
Aurora RibbonTaught himself to unlock the iPad and start it solo.
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Pudding
Firefly FieldPrefers to watch, not tap. A true firefly connoisseur.
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Cleo
Critter BurrowAmbushes the critter the second it pops up.
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Nola
Not her thingHonestly? She'd rather watch the birds fly by.
And yes, even our cat Nola would rather watch the birds fly by. No app is for every cat, and we'd never pretend otherwise. Tappy Paws is free to download, so you'll know within minutes whether yours is a chaser.
Ready in under a minute
Setting up for the hunt.
A few small things make a big difference, for your cat and for your screen.
Turn on Guided Access
One tap locks Tappy Paws open, so excited paws can't swipe out of the app or into your settings.
Lay it flat
Set your iPad or iPhone on the floor or a low, flat surface. Cats play best pouncing down onto the screen, not up at a propped-up one.
Pick a scene
Open Tappy Paws, choose a scene, and let your cat take it from there.
We recommend a non-tempered-glass screen protector to guard your screen against the occasional enthusiastic claw.
Good to know
Things cat people ask.
Is Tappy Paws free?
Yes. It's free to download and start playing, with scenes you can enjoy at no cost. If your cat is hooked, you can unlock more with a one-time purchase. No subscriptions, ever.
What do I need to play?
An iPhone or iPad. That's it. No account to make, and no internet connection once it's installed.
Will my cat scratch the screen?
Cats play with their paws, so scratches can happen. We recommend a screen protector, laying the device on a flat surface, and keeping playtime supervised. Short, watched sessions are best for your cat and your screen.
How is this different from cat videos online?
A cat video plays the same clip no matter what your cat does. Tappy Paws reacts to every paw: the critters flee from a pounce, dart and freeze like real prey. No ads, and no autoplaying videos to pull your cat (or you) somewhere else.
My cat ignored it. Is something wrong?
Not at all. Not every cat is a screen cat (even our cat Nola would rather watch the birds fly by). Try a few different scenes, or play when your cat is most in the mood to hunt. Since it's free to start, it costs nothing to find out.
Is my data private?
Completely. Tappy Paws is fully on-device, with no accounts, no ads, and no analytics. Nothing you or your cat does ever leaves your device.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. Once it's downloaded, Tappy Paws works fully offline. The only time it ever goes online is the App Store, for the optional unlocks.
Still curious? Read the Privacy Policy and Terms, or email us.
Simple, honest pricing
Free to start. Yours to keep.
Download Tappy Paws and start playing for free. If your cat can't get enough, unlock more with a one-time purchase. No subscriptions, no ads, no tricks.
A single scene
$0.99
Unlock any one scene your cat loves. One time, yours forever.
The whole collection
$4.99
Every scene we've made, plus every new one we ever add. A single payment.
The chase is on.
Tappy Paws is coming to iPhone and iPad. Be there when the critters start moving.
Coming soon to the App Store
Right now it's in testing with real cats. The public release isn't far off.