A desktop pet that slaps its paws whenever you press a key or click a mouse button. Frameless, always-on-top, draggable. Tracks slap count, grows a daily plant companion based on slap count, builds combos, and unlocks achievements as you use it.
This fork removes sounds and associated dependencies, adds slap history by day saved in slap_history.json, and adds plant progress saved in plant_state.json in %AppData%/BongoCat.
Grab a pre-built release for your platform:
- Windows:
BongoCat-windows-x64.exe(unsigned, SmartScreen warns first launch) - macOS:
BongoCat-macos.dmg(unsigned, right-click → Open first launch) - Linux:
BongoCat-linux-x86_64.AppImage(chmod +xthen run)
Latest: https://github.com/animagr/bongocat/releases/latest
Requires Python 3.9+ (built with PySide6 / Qt6).
git clone https://github.com/animagr/bongocat.git
cd bongocat
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m bongo_catIf your system Python is too new, use a virtual environment with an older version:
Windows (assuming Python 3.11 is installed alongside a newer version):
py -3.11 -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m bongo_catmacOS / Linux:
python3.11 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m bongo_catSame path CI uses (run inside the venv if applicable):
pip install -r requirements.txt "pyinstaller>=5.0" "Pillow>=10"
pyinstaller --clean --noconfirm bongo_cat.specOutput lands in dist/ as BongoCat.exe, BongoCat.app, or BongoCat depending on platform.
Linux needs xcb runtime libs first:
sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libxcb-icccm4 libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 \
libxcb-randr0 libxcb-render-util0 libxcb-shape0 libxcb-sync1 libxcb-xfixes0 \
libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-xkb1 libxkbcommon-x11-0 libfuse2Hover the cat → ⚙ Settings opens the GUI. Click 📄 to open the ini directly.
Config file lives at:
- Windows:
%APPDATA%/BongoCat/bongo.ini - macOS:
~/.config/BongoCat/bongo.ini - Linux:
~/.config/BongoCat/bongo.ini
| Key | Effect | Default |
|---|---|---|
hidden_footer |
hide footer until you hover | true |
footer_alpha |
footer opacity (0–100) | 50 |
always_show_points |
always show total slaps | false |
floating_points |
"+1" animation per slap | true |
invert_cat |
mirror horizontally | false |
startup_with_windows |
autostart on login | false |
max_slaps |
counter cap (0 = unlimited) | 0 |
current_skin |
active skin folder name | default |
Drop a folder under skins/:
skins/your-skin/
├── skin.json
├── cat-rest.png
├── cat-left.png
└── cat-right.png
skin.json:
{
"name": "Your Skin",
"author": "you",
"version": "1.0.0",
"images": {
"idle": "cat-rest.png",
"left": "cat-left.png",
"right": "cat-right.png"
},
"rotation_degrees": -13
}PNGs with transparency, any size (default art is ~200×200). All three poses required. Restart, then pick it from Settings.
Daily slap counts are tracked automatically and saved to slap_history.json in the same directory as the config:
- Windows:
%APPDATA%/BongoCat/slap_history.json - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/BongoCat/slap_history.json - Linux:
~/.config/BongoCat/slap_history.json
History is saved when you quit the app. Format is {"2026-05-15": 42, "2026-05-16": 108}.
Bongo Cat includes a small sunflower companion to the right of the cat. The plant grows from today's slap activity and resets to a seed each new day.
Growth stages are saved separately in plant_state.json next to the config and slap history files. The plant does not use the lifetime slap count, so long-running installs still get a fresh daily growth loop.
The app loads species from subfolders in the plant/ directory and picks a random species each day. To add another companion plant, create a new folder under plant/ with the same stage image names as the existing sunflower species, and include an optional sparkle.png overlay:
seed: 0 daily slapsseedling: 1,000 daily slapsgrowing1: 2,500 daily slapsyoung: 5,000 daily slapsgrowing2: 8,000 daily slapsgrowing3: 12,500 daily slapsmature: 16,000 daily slapsflowering: 20,000 daily slapsseed-bearing: 25,000 daily slapssparkle.png(optional overlay shown on stage transitions)
Restart the app after adding a new plant folder so it can be discovered. You can also change the daily growth thresholds in bongo_cat/models/plant.py by editing PlantManager.STAGES.
Stage changes show a brief sparkle animation. Watering, wilting, harvesting, and multiple species are not implemented yet.
70 unlockables, saved to achievements.json next to the config.
- Slap count: 1, 7, 8, 12, 32, 42, 46, 99, 100, 128, 206, 212, 314, 366, 460, 500, 767, 1,000, 1,024, 1,618, 1,760, 3,220, 3,959, 5,000, 5,280, 6,022, 6,371, 7,917, 8,760, 10,000, 10,080, 14,700, 24,901, 25,000, 27,182, 31,415, 32,768, 50,000, 65,536, 86,400, 100,000, 186,282, 238,855, 384,400, 524,288, 1,000,000, 1,048,576, 1,618,034, 2,718,282, 3,141,593, 5,280,000, 5,865,696, 10,000,000
- Combos: 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 500, 1,000
- Hidden and special: late-night, early-morning, weekend, launch-count, overload, speed, and marathon achievements
Cat ignores keys or mouse. Global hooks need permission:
- Windows: run as Administrator.
- macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, allow the app.
- Linux: add yourself to the
inputgroup.
pyinstaller not found. Install it (pip install "pyinstaller>=5.0") or invoke via python -m PyInstaller.
Bug report. Open an issue: https://github.com/animagr/bongocat/issues
Fork, branch, open a PR. Run python -m unittest discover tests -v before submitting. Pushing a v* tag triggers .github/workflows/release.yml, which builds and publishes all three platforms.
MIT. See LICENSE.
Inspired by the original Bongo Cat meme. Not affiliated with its creators.