You’re playing Battle Cats for the first time, and you see it. It's a cat. But it has legs that look like they belong on a runway model who hasn't eaten in three weeks. It's Gross Cat, and honestly, the name is spot on. New players usually look at this thing and wonder why on earth they’d spend money on it when they could just spam more Brave Cats or save up for a Giant Titan Cat. But here’s the thing: if you don’t understand how to use Gross Cat, you’re basically playing the game on hard mode for no reason.
It’s one of the "Normal" units, the backbone of your entire army. While it looks fragile and, well, gross, it serves a purpose that almost no other early-game unit can match. We’re talking about range. We’re talking about efficiency. We’re talking about the reason you’ll finally beat those annoying Le'Boins and Teacher Bears that keep wiping your frontline.
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What Gross Cat Actually Does (and Why the Stats Matter)
Most people think of Gross Cat as just a "ranged attacker," but that’s an oversimplification. In the early stages of Empire of Cats, your biggest hurdle isn't damage; it's surviving long enough to deal it. Gross Cat has a range of 350. To put that in perspective, your basic Cat has a range of 140 and Tank Cat sits at 110. Gross Cat stays safely behind your "meatshields" (the cheap units you spam to soak up hits) and pokes the enemy from a distance.
It deals single-target damage. That’s the catch. It’s not an Area Attack unit like the Bird Cat or the Lizard Cat you’ll get later. If there’s a massive swarm of "Those Guys" (the little stick-figure enemies), Gross Cat is going to struggle because it can only kick one of them at a time. However, against high-health bosses with short range, Gross Cat is a sniper. It’s cheap to produce, and it recharges relatively quickly, allowing you to build a "stack."
Stacking is the secret sauce. One Gross Cat is a nuisance. Ten Gross Cats standing in the same spot, kicking in unison? That’s a firing squad.
The Evolutionary Leap: From Gross to Macho
If you think Gross Cat is weird, wait until you hit level 10 and it evolves into Sexy Legs Cat. It’s the same unit, just... wearing fishnets. It’s a classic PONOS joke, but the stat jump is real. Then comes the real game-changer: the True Form.
Once you get your Sexy Legs Cat to level 20 and start pumping in those plus levels from the Cat Capsule, it becomes Macho Leg Cat. This is where the unit goes from "useful" to "god-tier."
- The Shockwave Ability: Macho Leg Cat gains a Level 3 Shockwave. This completely negates the "single target" weakness. Every time it kicks, a wave of energy blasts through the entire enemy frontline, hitting everything in its path.
- Anti-Alien Niche: It gains the "Strong Against" ability versus Alien enemies. If you’re struggling with Into the Future, Macho Leg Cat is your best friend. It takes less damage and deals more damage to those blue nuisances.
- Cooldown Efficiency: For the amount of damage and utility it provides, it’s incredibly spammable.
Most players find that their reliance on Gross Cat actually increases as they get deeper into the game. It’s not a unit you outgrow; it’s a unit you refine.
Dealing With the "Single Target" Problem
Let's be real for a second. In the mid-game, Gross Cat can feel like a liability. You’re facing hordes of enemies, and your Gross Cats are busy kicking a single Snache while a Gory crashes through your defenses. This is why you cannot rely on Gross Cat alone.
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You need to pair it.
The most common mistake is not bringing enough meatshields. If your Gross Cats are being touched by the enemy, you’ve already lost. They are "glass cannons" (though Macho Leg Cat is actually surprisingly tanky for its cost). You should always have at least two cheap units—usually Basic Cat and Tank Cat—constantly being deployed to keep the enemies away from your long-legged strikers.
The Weird World of Cat Combos
One thing most people ignore is the Cat Combo system. Gross Cat is part of some of the most accessible and useful combos in the early to mid-game.
- Macho Leg + Crazed Sexy Legs: If you manage to get the Crazed version, putting these two together is a massive boost.
- The "Beautiful Legs" Combo: This provides a "Strong" effect up, making your units even more durable against their preferred traits.
Basically, Gross Cat isn't just a soldier; it's a puzzle piece. If you look at the top-tier strategies for late-game stages like Uncanny Legends, you'll still see Macho Leg Cat popping up because its efficiency is just that hard to beat.
Common Misconceptions About Gross Cat
I hear this all the time: "Why use Gross Cat when Lizard Cat has more range?"
It’s about the wallet. Lizard Cat (and its evolution, Dragon Cat) is amazing. It has more range (400) and deals way more damage. But it’s expensive. In many stages, especially those with "money tight" constraints, you simply cannot afford to keep a stream of Dragon Cats going. Gross Cat is the budget-friendly alternative that keeps the pressure on while you save up for your Ubers or your heavier hitters.
Also, people think the "Shockwave" on the True Form is just a bonus. It's not. It changes the fundamental mechanics of the unit. It allows you to hit back-liner enemies (like the annoying Sleipnir or Professor A) by hitting the frontline enemies. It’s a tactical tool that requires a bit of timing and understanding of enemy positioning.
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Practical Steps for Mastering the Long Legs
Stop ignoring your Normal Cat tickets. I know it’s tempting to want the shiny Uber Rares from the Rare Cat Capsule, but the "plus levels" on your Normal Cats are what actually determine your progress in the long run.
- Prioritize Leveling: Get Gross Cat to level 20 as soon as possible. Don't worry about the XP cost; it pays for itself in the first three chapters of Empire of Cats.
- Farm the Cat Ticket Stages: Hippoe stages (like "Love, Metal Hippoe") are your best friend. Get those tickets, get those plus levels, and get that True Form.
- Learn the Range: Start paying attention to which enemies have more range than 350. If an enemy has 360 range, your Gross Cat is useless. If it has 340, your Gross Cat is a king. Knowing these numbers is the difference between a win and a "Defeat" screen.
- Use it in Into the Future: The moment you see blue enemies, Sexy Legs/Macho Leg Cat should be the first unit in your lineup. The "Strong Against" buff is mathematically superior to almost any other unit you'll have at that stage.
Gross Cat is weird. It's unsettling. It’s literally "gross." But in the chaotic, meme-filled world of Battle Cats, it’s one of the few things you can actually rely on when the going gets tough. Keep those legs moving.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your current Gross Cat level. If it’s under level 20, spend your next batch of XP there immediately. Then, head to the "Into the Future" stages and practice "stacking"—see how many Sexy Legs Cats you can get on the screen at once before you hit the enemy base. Mastering this timing will carry you through the mid-game and prepare you for the brutal difficulty spikes in Stories of Legend.