You’ve probably spent days, maybe even weeks, staring at an empty Silk Crepe Parasol or a lonely cardboard house, wondering why your yard is full of Snowball and Sunny but completely devoid of royalty. It’s frustrating. You’re checking the app every ten minutes, hoping to see a cat in a tuxedo or a samurai outfit, only to find the same common faces eating your expensive Thrifty Bitz. Getting special cats on Neko Atsume isn't actually about luck, though it feels that way when Tubbs eats all your food for the fifth time in a row. It is a calculated game of furniture placement and menu management. If you don't have the right "goodies" out, those rare cats literally do not exist in your game's code at that moment.
Rare cats—or special cats—are the soul of this game. While the 40-plus common cats are cute, the 20-plus special ones have personalities that actually require a bit of effort to unlock. They don't just wander in for a rubber ball. They have standards.
The Secret Sauce of Rare Cat Spawns
It’s all about the items. Every single special cat is tied to a specific object. If you don’t have that object in your yard, you will never see that cat. Period. But here is where people trip up: they put out the right item but the wrong food.
Take Xerxes IX, for example. He’s that regal-looking Persian cat who sits on the Zanzibar Cushion. You can have that cushion sitting in your yard for a month, but if you're only putting out Thrifty Bitz, your chances of seeing him are slim to none. He has expensive taste. Most special cats on Neko Atsume require at least Frisky Bitz, but many of the "high-tier" ones like Sapphire and Jeeves almost demand Deluxe Tuna Bitz or Bonito Bitz.
Joe DiMeowgio and the Baseball Meta
Joe DiMeowgio is usually the first rare cat players encounter. He’s obsessed with the Baseball. It’s a cheap item, which makes him accessible early on. But Joe is a bit of a lesson in positioning. If you place the baseball in a spot where a common cat is already playing, Joe won't kick them off. Rare cats don't have priority over the "territory" once a common cat has claimed it. You have to keep your yard clear and your food bowls full.
Honestly, the hardest part is the waiting game. You might have the Baseball out, the food topped up, and Joe still won't show for two days. That's just the RNG (Random Number Generation) working against you.
Why Some Special Cats Are Harder Than Others
Some cats are "group" cats. This is a mechanic that catches people off guard. Sapphire and Jeeves are the primary examples here. They are a package deal. You need the Fairy-tale Parasol or the Tower of Treats. But here’s the kicker: they are incredibly snobbish. If you don't have the "Remodel" feature unlocked and you're still using the basic yard, your spawn rates for these two are significantly lower than if you’re using the Zen Style or Cafe Style layouts.
Then there’s Whiteshadow.
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Whiteshadow is a ninja. He doesn't care about toys. He cares about the food. He is the only cat that appears in the background of your yard, often under the porch or on top of a roof, rather than interacting with an item. He only shows up for high-end food. If you see him, do not refill the food bowl. Refilling the bowl or changing the food while he is there will make him disappear instantly. You have to let him finish his "mission" and leave on his own if you want that sweet, sweet memento.
The Problem With Tubbs
We have to talk about Tubbs. Everyone has a love-hate relationship with this guy. He’s a "special" cat, but he’s also a glutton. He shows up for any food that isn't Thrifty Bitz and he will eat the entire bowl.
- He won't climb on things (usually).
- He leaves a lot of fish if you let him leave on his own.
- He is the bane of every other rare cat's existence.
If you are trying to attract special cats on Neko Atsume like Chairman Meow or Saint Purrtrick, Tubbs is your biggest obstacle. If he eats the food, the "attract" timer for the other rare cats resets to zero. Pro tip: Tubbs almost never goes inside. If you have a yard expansion, put your most expensive food in the indoor bowl. Tubbs is too lazy to walk through the door most of the time.
Ranking the Rarest Items
If you're looking to complete your Catbook, you need to prioritize your silver and gold fish spending. Don't just buy what looks cool. Buy what attracts the specialists.
- The Zanzibar Cushion: Attracts Xerxes IX. High yield of gold fish.
- The Kotatsu: This is a powerhouse. It attracts Saint Purrtrick, but it also fits four cats at once.
- The Cardboard House: Attracts Ms. Fortune. She’s one of the most generous cats in the game when it comes to tips.
- The Temari Ball: This brings in Kathmandu. He looks like a traditional Japanese aristocrat and he is very picky about food (he loves Sashimi).
I’ve found that focusing on "verticality" helps. Items like the Cat Metropolis or the Tower of Treats allow multiple cats to occupy the same footprint. This increases the total "slots" available in your yard, which mathematically increases the chance that a rare cat will find an open spot to spawn.
The Myth of the "Right" Remodel
Does the yard style actually matter? Kinda. While the game's developer, Hit-Point, hasn't explicitly stated that certain remodels have higher spawn rates, the community has tracked thousands of visits. The consensus is that the Zen Style layout feels more "open," making it easier to spot cats like Whiteshadow. Meanwhile, the Western Style seems to have a weirdly high affinity for Billy the Kitt (who needs the Cowboy Hat).
It’s mostly aesthetic, but when you’re staring at the screen for hours, the aesthetic starts to matter for your own sanity.
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A Deep Look at the "Commanders"
Chairman Meow and Guy Furry are two of the most iconic special cats on Neko Atsume. They represent the two different "vibes" of the game: the serious and the whimsical.
Chairman Meow requires the Earthenware Pot. He looks like a soldier, complete with a camouflage pot helmet. He’s actually one of the easier rares to get if you just leave the pot out long enough.
Guy Furry, on the other hand, is a chef. You need either the Heating Stove or the Glass Vase. Here’s the nuance: if you use the Heating Stove, he’ll make a pizza. If you use the Glass Vase, he’ll make a sundae. The animations are different! This is the kind of detail that makes Neko Atsume more than just a passive clicker. It’s a tiny, living world.
What Most Players Get Wrong About Mementos
You finally got Kathmandu to visit. Great. Now you want his memento. You might think that more visits equal a guaranteed memento. That's not how it works. Mementos are triggered by a hidden "friendship" variable that increases with each visit, but the amount it increases is random.
I’ve had Ramses the Great (who loves the Tent Pyramid) give me his memento after 4 visits. I’ve had Meowgi (the Samurai cat who loves the Scratching Log) take over 70 visits.
There is no way to speed this up other than keeping their favorite item out 24/7. Don't rotate your furniture if you're hunting mementos. Consistency is the only thing the game rewards in the long run.
Managing Your Economy
You can't attract special cats on Neko Atsume if you're broke. The "Fish Economy" is real.
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Gold fish are the premium currency, but you don't need to buy them with real money. The best way to farm them is to attract cats that pay well. Surprisingly, some common cats are more generous than others. But the rare cats are the whales. Xerxes IX and Ms. Fortune are known for leaving double-digit silver fish or multiple gold fish per visit.
If you're struggling to afford the Fairy-tale Parasol (which costs a whopping 55 Gold Fish), start by placing the Zanzibar Cushion and the Cardboard House. These two will pay for the rest of your collection within a week if you keep the food bowls full.
The Sashimi Strategy
Sashimi is the secret weapon for rare cat hunters. It costs 5 Gold Fish for a pack of three. It lasts for 3 hours. While Deluxe Tuna Bitz are "better" on paper, Sashimi has a higher "pull" for specific Japanese-themed rare cats like Kathmandu and Meowgi. If you're going for a full collection, you'll spend more on Sashimi than on anything else in the game.
Handling the Late-Game Plateau
Once you have about 15 of the special cats, the game slows down. You'll find yourself waiting on the same two or three outliers. For most people, this is Hermeowne or Jeeves and Sapphire.
Hermeowne is unique. She comes for the Nightview Egg (a beautiful purple egg-shaped bed). She only appears at night or in the very early morning hours. If you're only checking the app during your lunch break, you're going to miss her forever. She’s also one of the few cats whose memento actually does something—it can be used to instantly fill your yard with cats, though it has a long cooldown.
Actionable Next Steps for Collectors
If you're serious about finishing your Catbook, stop being "random" with your yard. Pick three rare cats you don't have yet. Look up their specific items.
- Step 1: Clear your yard of all "fun" items that don't attract those three specific cats.
- Step 2: Place their items in the "Indoor" section of your yard expansion to protect the food from Tubbs.
- Step 3: Only use Sashimi or Bonito Bitz. Thrifty and Frisky Bitz are for beginners.
- Step 4: Check the app every 2 hours. If a rare cat appeared and you missed them, don't move the item. They are likely to return in the next "cycle."
- Step 5: Save your gold fish for the Yard Expansion first, then the Remodels. The extra space is more valuable than any single toy.
The game is a marathon, not a sprint. Those special cats on Neko Atsume aren't going anywhere. They’re just waiting for you to provide the right luxury accommodations. Keep the bowls full, keep the cushions fluffed, and eventually, even Whiteshadow will deign to visit your humble yard.
Check your "Gifts" tab regularly. Sometimes a rare cat leaves a massive pile of gold fish that you didn't notice because you were too busy hunting for the cat itself. Those gifts are the fuel for your next big purchase. Focus on one rare cat at a time if you're low on resources, and eventually, the gold fish will start to pile up faster than you can spend them.