Spend your first coins in Kitty Kaboom on Mochi’s four-kitten upgrade (150 coins) and Boomer’s bigger blast (150 coins). Both cats show up in most lineups from world 2 on, and both upgrades change what a single launch can hit. After that, upgrade the cat each world is built around: Yowl in Suds Works, then Zippy and Gizmo in TidyBot HQ. Hats are purely cosmetic, so buy them when you’re comfortable with your upgrades, or whenever one makes you laugh.
Everything in the shop costs in-game coins. There’s nothing to buy with real money, so the only question is order.
Every cat upgrade and what it costs #
Each cat has three upgrade tiers, and you buy them in order. Prices come straight from the game:
| Cat | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pounce | +10% heft (100) | +15% bounce (250) | +20% heft (500) | 850 |
| Boomer | +15% blast radius (150) | +20% blast force (350) | Mega kaboom (700) | 1,200 |
| Mochi | 4 kittens (150) | +25% spread (350) | 5 kittens (700) | 1,200 |
| Chonk | +25% slam speed (200) | Slam shockwave (400) | Bigger shockwave (800) | 1,400 |
| Yowl | +25% yowl radius (200) | +30% push force (400) | Cracks structures (800) | 1,400 |
| Zippy | +25% dash speed (200) | Dash twice (400) | Dash three times (800) | 1,400 |
| Gizmo | +25% pull radius (200) | +30% pull force (400) | Pulls everything (800) | 1,400 |
Maxing every cat costs 8,850 coins. Beyond the listed perk, every tier also makes that cat a little heavier, and the second tier adds some bounce. That’s why Pounce’s upgrades are simply heft and bounce: she has no power to improve.
Upgrades apply everywhere you use that cat, including the daily challenge.
Which upgrades should you buy first? #
Here’s a sensible order for most players, cheapest and most useful first:
- Mochi, tier 1: four kittens (150). One more kitten means one more target per launch. Cheap, and useful on almost every level where she appears.
- Boomer, tier 1: +15% blast radius (150). He’s in nearly every lineup from Rooftops onward. A wider blast catches that one extra robot.
- Yowl, tier 1: +25% radius (200). Buy it when you reach Suds Works. A bigger yowl shatters more glass and soap and dazes more robots.
- Zippy, tiers 1 and 2: dash twice (600 total). In TidyBot HQ, a second dash lets you fix a bad angle in mid-air.
- Chonk, tiers 1 and 2: slam shockwave (600 total). The shockwave adds a small blast when he lands hard, so he takes out robots next to the impact.
- Mochi, tier 3: five kittens (after 350 for tier 2). A big jump for spread-out levels.
- Boomer, tier 3: mega kaboom (after 350 for tier 2). Worth it once you’re chasing Gold Paws.
Upgrades to leave for later #
- Pounce’s tiers. Heft helps a little on every Pounce shot, but Pounce has no power, so the gain is smaller than a new ability.
- Top tiers at 800. Yowl’s structure cracking, Gizmo’s pull-everything and Zippy’s third dash are strong, but they cost as much as some hats combined. Buy them when you’re stuck on specific TidyBot HQ levels or chasing Gold Paws.
Want to know what each cat does before you spend? Read our Kitty Kaboom cats and powers guide.
Are hats worth buying? #
Hats don’t change how any cat plays. They’re cosmetic. They do show up on your cats during gameplay, not only in the menu, and that’s the fun of them: Chonk in a Viking helm slamming through a roof. When you buy a hat you choose which cat wears it first, and you can swap hats between cats afterward.
| Hat | Price | The game’s description |
|---|---|---|
| Party Cone | 150 | It is always someone’s birthday. |
| Big Bow | 150 | Fierce AND adorable. |
| Cozy Beanie | 250 | For chilly rooftop raids. |
| Box Helmet | 300 | If it fits, it protects. |
| Chef Toque | 400 | Cooking up destruction. |
| Pirate Hat | 500 | Yarrr. The treats are ours. |
| Wizard Hat | 650 | You shall not sweep. |
| Viking Helm | 800 | Valhalla has sunbeams. |
| Top Hat | 1,000 | Destruction, but classy. |
| Halo | 1,200 | Technically an angel. |
| Royal Crown | 1,500 | Ruler of the backyard. |
| Veteran Crown | Not for sale | For heroes of the robot wars. |
All eleven buyable hats together cost 6,900 coins. The Veteran Crown can only be earned: the game gives it to players whose device had a save from the older Robot Revenge or Cyberpunk Revenge versions. Our post on what happened to Robot Revenge explains how that works.
A reasonable balance: buy the two 150-coin hats early for fun, then save the expensive ones for after your first round of upgrades.
How do you earn coins faster? #
| Source | Coins |
|---|---|
| Each new star on a campaign level | 25, plus a score bonus of up to 60 |
| Replaying a finished level with no new stars | Up to 20 |
| First Gold Paw on a level | 50 |
| Hot Paws (3+ wins in a row) | 1.5x on the whole level payout |
| Double coins (optional ad after a win) | 2x the payout |
| Daily challenge | 50 per star |
| Daily gift (optional ad, title screen) | 100 + 10 per day of daily streak |
Some things follow from those numbers:
- New stars are worth the most. Going back to two-star levels for a third star pays better than replaying levels you’ve already maxed.
- Keep Hot Paws going. Three wins in a row multiplies everything, Gold Paw bonus included. Restart a level that’s going badly instead of losing it, because a restart doesn’t break the streak.
- Play the daily every day. It pays up to 150 coins, and the streak raises your daily gift. See the daily challenge guide.
- Hunt Gold Paws on easy levels. Glass and cardboard levels give an easy 50 each. The Gold Paw guide lists them.
All of this is free in Kitty Kaboom. Coins, upgrades and hats are all earned by playing, and they’re saved on your device.
Frequently asked questions #
Are Kitty Kaboom hats just cosmetic? #
Yes. Hats don’t change weight, power or anything else about how a cat plays. They appear on the cat during levels, which is their whole point.
Can you buy coins with real money in Kitty Kaboom? #
No. The game has no in-app purchases. Coins come from playing, plus optional ads that double a level’s coins or give you the daily gift.
Do you have to buy upgrade tiers in order? #
Yes. Each cat’s tiers go 1, 2, 3, so to get Zippy’s second dash you first buy his 200-coin speed tier.
What happens to my upgrades if I reset progress? #
They’re cleared. Reset progress in Settings wipes coins, upgrades and hats along with your stars. Players with the Veteran badge keep the badge and the Veteran Crown, but not the veteran coins.
Do upgrades work in the daily challenge? #
Yes. Any upgrade you’ve bought applies whenever that cat appears, including in the daily challenge’s lineup.