Frequently Asked Questions
General Gameplay:
I never received the email with the activation code
Help! It said my account could not be activated!
I cannot login!
Can I delete my account?
The money on my account is running out, how do I get more?
I've seen players with pretty layouts on their homepages, but it says for me "no HTML allowed".
What are catsitters?
How can I change my password?
Cats:
How do I get a cat?
How can I change my cat's name?
How do I get food for my cats?
How do the cats age?
Will my cat ever die?
How do I put my cats up for sale?
How do I buy a cat?
I've put my cat up for sale, but no one is buying it. What do I do?
Why does it say my cat is "refusing"?
Can you add the breed [insert breed here]?
Why is breed X not allowed in this-and-that color?
Why is my cat labelled "mixed breed" even though it fits the standard?
Why does it say "neuter" for both males and females?
What is an Expert Opinion?
How do I get an Expert Opinion for my cat?
How do I get a better EO?
Breeding:
How do I breed my cats?
What age can I breed my cats?
I have a female but I can't breed her!
How long does a pregnancy take? How long does it take until the female gives birth to the kittens?
How many kittens can I get in a litter?
Help! My female was pregnant and then it said she gave birth today but there were no kittens!
Why did I get a mixed breed from two pure parents?
Catshows:
What age can I show my cats?
How can I make a show?
What is "sp"?
How do I get tokens?
How many showpoints are needed for each title?
Other:
i wuz wandering can i b a mod 4 dis sight plz??????????????
What do the abbreviations mean?
Can you make a game for horses/dogs/whatever?
Can I buy a Star account for someone else?
I never received the email with the activation code
- Did you double-check that the email address you signed up with is valid? Many players make a typo in their email address and wonder why they aren't getting any emails. Please make sure the email address you enter is 100% correct. I'm tired of getting complaints about emails not being sent, then check the database, and notice the person's email isn't valid at all, so if that's the case, don't be surprised if your question is ignored by me.
- Is your email server/provider maybe blocking certain types of emails? Maybe the email didn't make it to your account at all because it was filtered out by the server. This applies especially to AOL accounts, but also others.
- Did you check your spam/junk mail folder, if you have any? Maybe your email program filtered the mail out.
- How long did you wait for the email? Don't expect it to arrive the minute you sign up, sometimes the internet can be slow, and it will arrive later. However, sometimes an email does get lost. It happens. If you have waited at least a day and didn't receive it, and you are sure none of the above applies to you, feel free to contact the site admin.
Help! It said my account could not be activated!
- Did your email program maybe cut the URL in two parts, so that you didn't click on the complete code? If you didn't click on the entire URL, the activation link won't work.
- Or did you maybe request a new password (for whatever reason) before you clicked on the activation link? If you requested a new password, the activation link won't work.
- Do you have cookies enabled?
I cannot login!
- Did you activate your account?
- Do you have cookies enabled in your browser?
- Is your computer clock correct (i.e. not set in the future)?
- Are you sure you are typing both username and password correctly? Remember that they are case-sensitive.
- Have you tried requesting a new password?
- Have you tried copy/pasting them instead of typing?
Can I delete my account?
No. If you could, people would just make new accounts to transfer money, and then delete the other account. Once you have two accounts, you're stuck with them.
The money on my account is running out, how do I get more?
You start with $1000 and can receive an additional $1000 from the bank right away. (The money is, of course, only virtual money.) Each week you can go to the bank and withdraw an additional $1000 (for Basic players) or $2000 (for Star players). You also get money if you sell a cat or an item, or win first place in a show (depending on the prize). If you are a Star player, you can also earn a little money from hosting shows or offering expert opinions and catsitting.
Before you adopt cats or breed, you should make sure you will be able to care for the offspring in case no one adopts them. Do you have enough money left to pay for the food and vet bills? If you're running out of money, chances are that you have too many cats.
I've seen players with pretty layouts on their homepages, but it says for me "no HTML allowed".
Only Star Players can add HTML to their homepage. If you have a Star account, go to the 'Edit Userinfo' page and you will find a section near the bottom of the page, where you can add basic HTML.
What are catsitters?
Catsitters are what their name says, they baby-sit your cats if you are away and can't take care of them. You can hire one to feed and vet your cats every day, but you can perform these tasks too, even if the catsitter is hired.
How can I change my password?
Go to the "Edit Userinfo" screen in the left menu.
How do I get a cat?
You can adopt a cat in the following ways:
The rescue shelter
Cats that have been neglected by their owners are sent here. Don't you want to give a poor abandoned kitty a new home?
A breeder
Search for cats for sale via the search function or take a look at the litter announcements board. You can either buy a cat at the sale price the owner specifies, or you can enter a bid. If you bid, you'll have to wait for the owner to accept the bid. Only the highest bid will be shown.
Adopt a stray cat
This option is very limited, to keep them kind of "special". If you're a Star player, you can adopt one stray cat per month (the adoption limit will be reset at the first day of each month). These cats will have more or less random genetics, gender and age, so most of them will be mixed breeds, but they can carry hidden genes that you might be looking for in your breeding project, or maybe you just want some fresh blood in your lines.
Star players can also exchange Tokens for an adoption license to adopt more than one cat per month.
How can I change my cat's name?
You can only change your cat's name in two conditions: if the cat is 7 days or younger, or if the name begins with a "#" sign (like with the ID numbers that cats are given by default if they are not named).
How do I get food for my cats?
Go to the pet store to buy food. You can either buy "Basic Food", which is the cheapest, but doesn't raise any stats besides the cat's fullness. Or you can buy special food, which is more expensive but will also have an influence on your cat's other stats. Remember, you can always buy Basic Food, even if it says the shop is out of stock!
How do the cats age?
They will age by one virtual month each real day.
Will my cat ever die?
No. It can, however, be retired when it's 60 (virtual) months or older. All cats will be automatically retired if they are over 100 months old.
How do I put my cats up for sale?
Kittens cannot be sold before they are 3 days old. Once they get to this age, a box will appear at the bottom left of their page saying 'sale price:'. Type the amount that you want to sell the cat for and then click the 'ok' button next to the box. If you want to put the cat up for bid instead of setting a price (this works well if you want to sell specifically to one of your friends), put $999999 or something similar and then you can accept bids. Once your cat is for sale, the word 'sale' will appear next to its name on your home page.
How do I buy a cat?
If the cat is for sale, there will be a link under the name and breed on the cat's page saying 'Buy or bid'. Click this link and you will be taken to a page where you have the option either to 'Buy' for whatever price the person has set (click the 'Buy' button), or to 'Bid' on that cat by filling a price into the blank box and clicking 'Bid'.
I've put my cat up for sale, but no one is buying it. What do I do?
You can't make people buy your cat, but there are things you can do to help it sell:
Make sure your price is fair. This doesn't mean that you have to sell it for $10 (although this is sometimes necessary with old or completely random mixes), but nobody is going to buy a 1Ex black spotted tabby of a breed, if there is a 6Ex fawn silver mackerel tabby for sale at half the price, so check what other people are selling similar cats for and price accordingly. If you really can't decide on a price, put your cat up for bid ($999999) and let other people decide, but you'll have to do more advertising etc. to get someone to buy.
Advertise well. If you have a cat that is 9/9 of a very rare breed that lots of people are trying for, then you'll probably not need to do much, but most cats aren't, so you need to do a bit more. Post messages on the relevant forum (not in every forum - people will just get bored and angry), make the subject as informative as possible and include in the message any information that will help people to decide to buy your cat. For example, if it is in excellent health, so is ready to breed straight away, then say that. If you know that it carries a desirable trait, say that too. If you have a rare pure (for example an unusual colour) or a cat that is very close to a breed that you know someone is trying for, send a message to people who would be interested - search for that breed in the cattery name field for example. Don't spam people, though, that is not nice and not allowed!
Why does it say my cat is "refusing"? Is it refusing to do something?
Look closely. It does not say "refusing". It says "rufusing". This term is explained in the Dictionary and means a usually undesired reddish/rusty touch on a cat's coat, caused by unknown polygenes in Real Life, and by the rf gene in this game (it's also called "rufism"). The only cat color that rufusing is not penalized for is golden, since this color is based on it (at least in this game -- don't ask me how many different theories on the genetics of goldens there are in RL!).
Can you add the breed [insert breed here]?
First, check if the breed you are looking for is not already in the game, just under a different name. Sometimes, the same breeds or colors are called differently in different associations and countries. I tried to combine these different ideas and ideals as well as possible. If you're missing a breed or two, check the standards -- maybe the breed just goes under a different name here.
If you are sure the breed does not already exist in this game, you can add a new breed by following the steps explained on the new breed info page.
Why is breed X not allowed in this and that color?
Since the Real Life standards that I based the breeds on tend to differ a lot, I have to draw the line somewhere.
Why is my cat labeled "mixed breed" even though it fits the standard?
Chances are that it doesn't. Check if every single trait of the cat matches the standard 100% and the cat's color is one of the colors that is accepted for the breed. Ask in the help forum if you're unsure. If you're completely sure your cat should be a purebred but is labelled as mixed, please contact a mod and they'll have a look at it and fix the cat's breed.
Why does it say "neuter" for both males and females?
"Neuter" is actually the correct term for males and females. Besides, it's less coding.
What is an expert report/expert opinion?
Each breed has a 'standard' that dictates what they should look like, and any cat complying with this standard will be a pure. There is always an ideal point within this standard, though, and some cats will be closer to this than others. On PF, this is shown in the 'expert report', which compares your cat to that 'perfect' point and says how close it is.
For example, a Russian Blue should have a rounded wedge head. A rounded wedge head, though, can be slightly too oval, or slightly too wedge-shaped to be perfect, but close enough to still count as rounded wedge. Because the head shape scale runs from wedge-shaped to round, the expert report uses those terms. So in a Russian Blue whose head is a bit towards oval, it 'could be a bit more wedge-shaped' and if it's head is a bit towards wedge-shaped then it 'could be a bit rounder'.
The expert report has these ratings relating to Body type, Body size, Head shape, Ear size, Nose length and Eye Shape.
How do I get an expert report/expert opinion for my cat?
This depends on whether you are a basic or star player.
For basic players:
1) Go to the 'experts' page and follow the instructions to request an expert opinion from another player. You will be charged the fee of the expert that you select, when they give their opinion.
2) Go to the 'tokens' page and pay 120 tokens to buy a licence to give your cat its expert report.
For star players:
1) As (1) above.
2) Go to the 'experts' page and click the 'Buy five licences for $100' button. Once you have licences available, you will find a link near the "more information" field on your cat's page saying 'expert opinion' that allows you to give the cat its expert report.
How do I get a better expert report?
You can't change the report of a cat once it is set, but you can do breeding that will mean that the expert report of the kitten is better. There are really 3 ways of doing this:
1) Breed your cat to one with 6 Excellents than it has, and it will hopefully have more than your did.
2) Breed your cat with one with the opposite expert report - if your cat's expert report is:
Body type could be a bit more foreign
Body could be bigger
Head could be a bit rounder
Ears could be smaller
Nose could be shorter
Eyes could be a bit rounder
then you want to breed it to one of the same breed whose expert report is:
Body type could be a bit more cobby
Body could be smaller
Head could be a bit more wedge-shaped
Ears could be bigger
Nose could be longer
Eyes could be a bit more almond-shaped
3) Breed your cat with one whose traits are the next step in the direction that your cat's traits need to go, for example:
A Siberian should be:
Body type: semi-foreign
Body size: big
Head shape: rounded wedge
Ears: medium size, straight
Nose: medium length
Eyes: oval
If you have a Siberian whose expert report reads
Body type is excellent!
Body could be smaller
Head shape is excellent!
Ears could be bigger
Nose could be longer
Eyes could be rounder
Then you could breed it with a cat who is:
Body type: semi-foreign
Body size: medium (next step smaller than big)
Head shape: rounded wedge
Ears: big, straight (next step bigger than medium)
Nose: long (next step longer than medium)
Eyes: round (next step rounder than oval)
This could potentially give you a 6Ex, but equally it could just give you mixes - it's a gamble!
None of these methods are fool-proof, however, because these traits work on a linear scale and some sort of probability, meaning that you could end up with a litter of 4 containing one 2Ex, one 3Ex, one 5Ex and one 6Ex, or you could end up with all 3Ex or all 6Ex - there is no way to predict it.
How do I breed my cats?
To breed two cats, go to the male's cat info page and click on "breed with one of my females". This link will only appear if you are the owner of the male, or if he is available for stud (you will be charged the stud fee the owner has set).
What age can I breed my cats?
Un-neutered, un-retired cats can be bred from age 10 months to 80 months.
I have a female but I can't breed her!
You can only breed cats that are not neutered. Cats need to be at least 10 days old to breed and can't have any more children when over 80 days old. If a female has recently had a litter, she has to wait for 13 months (13 real days) before she can be bred again.
How long does a pregnancy take? How long does it take until the female gives birth to the kittens?
Your female will be pregnant for two virtual months (two real days) before a button appears at the bottom of her page saying 'give birth'. You have 3 days to press this button, after which she will miscarry, so the longest she can be pregnant is 5 (real) days, and yes, I did say YOU have to press the button - she doesn't give birth on her own.
How many kittens can I get in a litter?
1-4
Help! My female was pregnant and then it said she gave birth today but there were no kittens!
You haven't cared well for her. During the time she is pregnant, she will eat more than usual and if she gets too sick, there is a chance she might lose the babies. You will not receive an alert on your homepage if your cat lost her babies due to sickness.
You can also lose kittens when two tailless (MM) genes are combined in a kitten, as this is lethal, in Real Life as well as here. However, you will receive an alert in this case that says so.
Why did I get a mixed breed from two pure parents?
Both parents were carrying recessive traits that are not allowed in that breed. For example, two shorthaired cats could be carrying longhair, and if they both gave that gene to the kitten, and longhair is not allowed in that breed, then the kitten would be a mixed breed. The same is true of colours - for example, points are not allowed in Norwegian Forestcats, but two pure NFCs can give birth to a pointed kitten which would be 9/9 for the breed, but would not be pure.
What age can I show my cats?
Cats can be entered in shows from the age of 7 (virtual) months to the age of 80 months.
How can I make a show?
You have to be a Star Player to create a show.
What is "sp"?
Sp means "showpoints". Each time a cat is one of the first five winners in a show, it will win a certain amount of showpoints. If it has earned enough sp, it will get a champion title. The more points it has, the higher the title.
How do I get tokens?
Find yourself a 6Ex cat, keep it fully fed and at 99.99 Health and Condition, and enter it in shows. If you place in the top 5 you will win tokens (1 for 5th, 2 for 4th, 3 for 3rd, 4 for 2nd and 5 for 1st).
How many showpoints are needed for each title?
Champion: 250
Grand Champion: 500
Regional Champion 1000
Grand Regional Champion: 2000
National Champion: 4000
Grand National Champion: 7,000
International Champion: 11,000
Grand International Champion:18,000
World Champion: 22,000
i wuz wandering can i b a mod 4 dis sight plz??????????????
No. Unlike other sites, I don't appoint Mods at random. Mods are usually people I know and trust. Mods should be able to use proper spelling and grammar, know how the game works, and be online often. If I think someone should be a Mod, I will ask them, not the other way round. If you ask to be a Mod, your chances to actually become one will drop towards zero.
What do the abbreviations mean?
EO means Expert Opinion
PF means Pure Felinity
RL means real life
3Ex means that the cat has 3 excellents (for example)
Can you make a game for horses/dogs/whatever?
No. There are enough of those out there. Two games are more than enough work for me.
Can I buy a Star account for someone else?
Yes, you can. Just say it's for UserID# so-and-so in the field where you would normally enter your own UserID.