If you’ve spent any time grinding through the Empire of Cats or pulling your hair out over a generic Crazed Stage, you know the feeling of seeing those purple sparks during a 11-draw. You want the heavy hitters. You want Mitama. You want Kasli. But then, out pops Baby Cat Battle Cats. At first glance, he looks like a joke. It’s literally a kitten in a bucket being carried by a larger, slightly confused-looking cat. It feels like a prank.
But honestly? You just pulled one of the most mechanically interesting units in the entire game.
Baby Cat, who eventually becomes the powerhouse Cats in the Cradle, is part of the Dynamites set. For years, this set was the laughingstock of the community. People called them "Dynamites" because they thought the units were duds. That’s changed. Through a series of True Forms and Talent buffs, Baby Cat has evolved from a bench-warmer into a top-tier shockwave producer that can delete entire waves of enemies if you time his deployment correctly.
The Problem With Baby Cat’s First Impression
Let’s be real. In his first form, Baby Cat is basically useless. He has short range. His health is mediocre. He dies if a Squire Meow looks at him funny. Most players see that 140 range and immediately write him off because we’re taught from day one that range is king. If you can’t outrange the enemy, you’re dead, right? Not exactly.
The "Baby" series is built around a high-risk, high-reward philosophy. You’re trading safety for raw, unadulterated damage. When you evolve him into Baby Cats and eventually Cats in the Cradle (his True Form), the stats jump significantly. We’re talking about a unit that suddenly has over 100,000 HP at level 30 and deals massive damage. But the secret sauce isn’t the punch; it’s the wave.
Why the Level 2 Shockwave Changes Everything
The turning point for Baby Cat Battle Cats is the Level 2 shockwave.
In The Battle Cats, shockwaves are a cheat code. They ignore the frontline. When Cats in the Cradle swings his giant mallet (or rather, when the big cat carrying the baby swings), he creates a wave that ripples through the enemy formation. This allows you to hit backline supports like Professor A or Camelle without actually having to reach them.
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It’s satisfying. You watch the wave travel across the screen, and suddenly, those annoying snipers that were picking off your Wall Cats are just... gone.
However, there is a catch. The wave only has a 40% or 50% chance to trigger depending on the form and level. This RNG element is what keeps Baby Cat from being "broken" in the eyes of PONOS, the developers. You have to be okay with the occasional "whiff" where he hits the ground and nothing happens. That’s the gamble.
Talent Investment: Making a Good Unit Great
If you really want to see what Baby Cat Battle Cats can do, you have to look at the Talent shop. This is where the meta gets deep.
A lot of players hoard their NP (Neon Prisms) for units like Balrog or Can Can. That’s fair. But giving Baby Cat the Freeze Immune talent or boosting his Attack/HP turns him into a bruiser that can survive hits from some of the nastiest bosses in the game.
Specifically, the "Knockback" ability is built-in. Every time he hits, he has a 100% chance to knock back Floating and Aliens. In late-game stages like Uncanny Legends or even some of the tougher Into the Future levels, this is a lifesaver. You aren’t just damaging the enemy; you’re controlling the battlefield. You’re pushing the front line back, giving your Bahamut or Ururun Wolf room to breathe.
Comparing Baby Cat to Other Wave Units
- D’artanyan: Obviously, the Fest exclusives are better. They have better range and higher "uptime." But you can’t rely on pulling a 0.5% drop rate unit.
- Crazed Gross/Manic Legs: These are your bread and butter for waves, but they lack the "tank" factor. Baby Cat can sit there and take a beating.
- Hermit Cat: Great for waves, but locked behind the Heavenly Tower.
Baby Cat fills a niche that most other units don't. He's a "Tanky Waver." He walks up, eats a hit from a Bun Bun, swings back, clears the trash mobs with a wave, and stays standing.
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The "Floating" Niche and Why It Matters
Most of the hardest early-to-mid-game bosses are Floating. Think about it. The Face. Bun Bun. Mecha-Bun. Cyclones.
Because Baby Cat Battle Cats has that guaranteed knockback against Floating, he becomes a hard counter to some of the most frustrating walls in the game. Even if his damage doesn't kill the Bun Bun, the knockback resets the enemy’s attack animation. This is huge. It basically means the enemy spends more time "staggering" than actually hitting your cats.
I’ve seen players clear stages they were under-leveled for simply because they timed their Baby Cat spawns to coincide with a boss's approach. It’s all about the rhythm.
Common Mistakes: Don't Let Him Solo
Don't treat Baby Cat like a win button. He isn't Jizo. If you send him out without a meatshield, he will die. Even with 100k+ HP, a group of Sir Seals or Gory Black will shred him in seconds.
The trick is the "staggered" meatshielding. You need a constant stream of 75-cent cats (Macho, Wall, Crazed Wall) to soak up the single-target hits so Baby Cat can get his swing off. His attack animation is somewhat slow. If he gets interrupted or knocked back during the wind-up, the attack resets. You get nothing. No damage, no wave, no knockback.
It’s heartbreaking to watch him raise that mallet only to get sniped by a Sloth at the last millisecond.
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Is He Worth the Experience Points?
Honestly, yes.
If you are in the mid-game (User Rank 2000-5000), Cats in the Cradle should be a priority for your XP. He scales incredibly well. Unlike some Ubers that fall off once you hit the "Power Creep" wall of late-game content, Baby Cat stays relevant because shockwaves are always relevant.
Also, his cost is relatively low for an Uber. At around 3,000 to 3,500 cents (depending on the chapter), he’s easy to spawn even on stages with low money drops. You don't have to wait five minutes to save up for him like you do with some of the 5,000+ cent heavyweights.
Practical Steps for Mastering Baby Cat
To get the most out of this unit, you need a specific workflow. Don't just mash the button when he becomes available.
- Unlock the True Form immediately. The leap from "Baby Cats" to "Cats in the Cradle" is massive. Do not judge this unit based on the first or second form. You need those Elder Catfruit.
- Time the swing. Wait for the enemy "boss" to reach your meatshield line. Deploy Baby Cat so that he reaches the line just as the enemy's attack animation ends. This gives him the maximum window to land his hit.
- Focus on HP Talents. While attack is nice, Baby Cat’s value comes from his ability to survive long enough to proc multiple waves. More HP means more chances to swing.
- Pair with "Slow" or "Freeze" units. If you have Necrodancer Cat or Bishop Cat, use them. A frozen enemy is a sitting duck for a Baby Cat shockwave.
- Watch for Wave-Immune Enemies. This is the big one. In later stages, you’ll encounter enemies with "Wave Shield" or "Wave Immune." When you see those, Baby Cat loses 70% of his value. Know your enemy before you waste the deployment money.
The reality of The Battle Cats is that no single unit wins every stage. But Baby Cat Battle Cats is a specialist that feels like a generalist. He handles mobs, he pushes back bosses, and he ignores the meatshields of the opponent. If you’ve been sitting on him because he looks a little silly, it’s time to spend the XP. Get him to level 30, get the True Form, and watch those waves clear the screen.
Start by checking your current Catfruit inventory. You'll need Epic Catfruit and the specific colored fruits (Green and Purple usually) to hit that True Form. Once you have Cats in the Cradle, take him into a XP stage or a Floating-heavy stage and watch the difference. You won't regret it.