Kitty Kaboom has seven cats. Pounce has no special power and wins on weight. The other six each have a power you trigger by tapping the screen while they’re in the air: Boomer explodes, Mochi splits into kittens, Chonk slams straight down, Yowl lets out a glass-shattering yowl, Zippy dashes forward, and Gizmo turns into a magnet.
Each cat joins your roster when you finish a specific campaign level, and each world’s puzzles are built around the newest one. Here’s what every cat does, where it shines, and how to use it well.
All seven cats at a glance #
| Cat | Tap power | Joins after | First level with it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pounce | None, just heavy | Start | 1-1 | Toppling posts, shoving robots |
| Boomer | Explosion | Finishing 1-15 | 2-1 | Clusters, batteries |
| Mochi | Splits into 3 kittens | Finishing 2-5 | 2-6 | Spread-out targets |
| Chonk | Slams straight down | Finishing 2-15 | 3-1 | Roofs, anything below him |
| Yowl | Sonic yowl | Finishing 3-7 | 3-8 | Glass, soap, boss robots |
| Zippy | Rocket dash | Finishing 3-15 | 4-1 | Tall walls, far targets |
| Gizmo | Magnet | Finishing 4-7 | 4-8 | Metal, batteries, perched robots |
You can reorder the cats in a level’s lineup by tapping one in the queue at the bottom of the screen, which swaps it onto the slingshot. The daily challenge draws from the full roster, so it can hand you cats you haven’t earned in the campaign yet.
Pounce: the dependable tabby #
Pounce is the starter and the only cat without a tap power. The game describes her as heavier than she looks, and she is: she’s denser than Boomer, Mochi, Yowl or Zippy. That weight makes her good at shoving posts over and knocking robots off ledges.
How to use her: aim at the base of a tower or at the side of a post, so the fall does the damage. The whole first world is Pounce-only, and it’s designed to teach toppling. Topple 101 (1-4) and The Shelf (1-9) are both about knocking support out from under a robot.
Upgrades: +10% heft (100 coins), +15% bounce (250), +20% heft (500).
Boomer: tap to KABOOM #
Boomer is a round black cat with a short fuse. Tap and he explodes, throwing everything nearby outward and damaging whatever the blast reaches. Damage is highest at the center and fades toward the edge. The blast by itself breaks glass, cardboard and wood near its center, while brick and metal can survive it. The pieces it flings often break when they land, though.
How to use him: tap just as he reaches the target, not when he’s still far out. He also stays live after he lands until the scene settles, so a quick tap right after he wedges into a tower still works. Aim him at batteries whenever you can, because a battery explosion adds its own blast and can set off the next battery.
Upgrades: +15% blast radius (150), +20% blast force (350), mega kaboom (700).
Mochi: one cat in, three kittens out #
Tap and Mochi splits into three smaller kittens that fan out from where she was. The kittens keep her speed but are lighter, so they’re best against light materials and spread-out robots.
How to use her: tap earlier to spread the kittens wide across a row of targets, later for a tight cluster. Litter Storm (2-6), the level that introduces her, puts three robots on three separate cardboard boxes, and a well-timed split can reach all three.
Upgrades: four kittens (150), +25% spread (350), five kittens (700). The first upgrade is one of the best-value buys in the shop.
Chonk: an absolute unit #
Chonk is the biggest and heaviest cat, and he barely bounces. Tap and he nearly stops moving forward, gets much heavier, and drops straight down.
How to use him: lob him high, then tap when he’s directly above the target. He’s built for roofs and anything you can’t reach from the side. The Drain (3-13) has a hint that says it all: straight down the middle. Duck & Cover (3-10) pairs slippery soap legs with heavy metal roofs, which is Chonk’s kind of level.
Upgrades: +25% slam speed (200), slam shockwave (400), bigger shockwave (800). The shockwave tiers add a small blast when he lands hard, which helps him take out robots next to the impact.
Yowl: the opera diva #
Yowl’s power is a sonic yowl that hits everything within range. It shatters glass and soap blocks outright, shoves loose pieces away from her, and dazes robots. A dazed robot drops to one hit point, so the next hit pops it, even a Tidy Prime boss.
How to use her: tap when she’s in the middle of the glass or next to the robots you want dazed, then follow up with any cat. Opera Night (3-8) is her introduction: three glass panes and three robots. On boss levels, Yowl first means even a glancing follow-up finishes the Prime.
Upgrades: +25% yowl radius (200), +30% push force (400), cracks structures (800). The last tier also weakens tougher blocks in range, so brick and metal break more easily afterward.
Zippy: lemon lightning #
Zippy is the smallest cat and among the bounciest. Tap and he rocket-dashes forward, faster and on a flatter line than his arc.
How to use him: tap near the top of his arc to fly flat over a tall wall, or later in the flight to punch hard into something far away. Firewall (4-6) has a wall too tall to lob over, and the hint tells you to dash over the top. A base-level Zippy gets one dash per launch.
Upgrades: +25% dash speed (200), dash twice (400), dash three times (800). Extra dashes let you correct a bad angle mid-flight.
Gizmo: the magnet cat #
Gizmo wears a magnet collar set to “yoink.” Tap and she pulls metal blocks, battery packs and robots toward her, and robots get pulled harder than blocks.
How to use her: fly her past a robot on a perch and tap, and the pull can drag it off onto the ground. She’s also good at yanking a battery into a robot, or a loose metal block out of a fortress wall. Magnet School (4-8) is her introduction.
Upgrades: +25% pull radius (200), +30% pull force (400), pulls everything (800). At the top tier she attracts every loose block, not just metal.
Which cat should you upgrade first? #
Coins are limited early, so spend them on the cats you use most in the world you’re playing. A sensible order for most players:
- Mochi’s four kittens (150 coins). Cheap, and one more kitten is a real difference.
- Boomer’s blast radius (150). He’s in almost every lineup from world 2 on.
- Yowl’s radius (200) once you reach Suds Works, so more glass and more robots fall inside the yowl.
- Zippy’s second dash (400) for TidyBot HQ.
Every upgrade tier also makes that cat a little heavier, and the second tier adds some bounce, so upgrades help even on plain hits. We compare upgrades and hats in the best Kitty Kaboom upgrades to buy.
Matching cats to the job #
A quick rule for picking a cat: think about what you need to reach and how, then pick the cat whose power does that.
- Glass or soap everywhere: Yowl, or Mochi’s kittens
- Tight clusters and battery chains: Boomer
- Roofs and anything hidden behind walls: Chonk from above, or Zippy over the top
- Robots on high perches: Gizmo’s pull, or a bounce off a pink cushion
- Posts and towers to topple: Pounce, or Chonk for a heavier hit
- A Tidy Prime boss: Yowl first, then anything
For shot-by-shot advice, see our Kitty Kaboom tips and tricks. To keep your cat count low enough for three stars, read how to get three stars in Kitty Kaboom.
All seven cats come free with Kitty Kaboom. Nothing in the game is sold for money, so every cat and every upgrade is earned by playing.
Frequently asked questions #
How do you get new cats in Kitty Kaboom? #
Finish the right campaign level. Boomer joins after 1-15, Mochi after 2-5, Chonk after 2-15, Yowl after 3-7, Zippy after 3-15 and Gizmo after 4-7. Players who had the older Robot Revenge game on the same device get Boomer from the start.
Which cat is the strongest in Kitty Kaboom? #
It depends on the level. Boomer is the most flexible because his blast hits several things at once, but Yowl is the best answer to glass and to Tidy Prime bosses, and Chonk is the only cat that can hit straight down.
Does Pounce have a special ability? #
No. Pounce is the only cat without a tap power. She makes up for it with weight, which makes her good at knocking over posts and pushing robots off ledges.
Can you choose which cat to launch? #
Yes. Tap any cat in the queue below the slingshot and it swaps places with the cat that’s loaded. You can’t add cats that aren’t in the level’s lineup.