| App | What it does | Reacts to | Price | Get it from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puff (ours) | A menu bar creature with 11 moods | CPU, fans, heat, memory, battery, disk, frozen apps | $4.99 one-time | puff.qubixcode.com |
| RunCat Neo | A cat that runs in your menu bar | CPU usage (runs faster as it rises) | Free, with in-app purchases | Mac App Store |
| Pets Therapy | Pixel pets roaming your desktop and windows | Your screen and windows | Free (37 pets); more for $12.99 lifetime or $5.99/year | Mac App Store |
| Desktop Goose | A goose that causes mischief | You, especially if you poke it | Name your own price | itch.io |
| Bongo Cat | A cat that taps along as you type | Your keypresses | Free | Steam |
| Keybit | Mechanical keyboard sounds, with a smiling keyboard mascot | Your typing | $4.99 one-time | trykeybit.com |
1. Puff: a pet that feels your Mac
Disclosure: we make Puff. Puff lives in your menu bar and turns your Mac's real sensor readings into moods instead of numbers. It sweats when the fans spin up, panics when the CPU has been maxed out for a couple of minutes, naps when you're idle, shivers on low battery, munches through big downloads and gets dizzy when an app freezes. Click it for a plain-English reason, and the raw numbers if you want them.
Good: reacts to seven kinds of sensor, not just CPU; four creatures (Blob, Cat, Egg, Robot); a shareable "today's mood" card; no subscription. Not so good: it's paid, and it's a pet, not a detailed system monitor.
2. RunCat Neo: the classic running cat
RunCat Neo, from developer Takuto Nakamura, is "the next generation of RunCat". A cat runs endlessly in your menu bar, at a speed that matches your CPU usage. Its App Store listing says it also shows CPU usage, memory pressure, storage capacity, battery status and network connection status, and supports customisation and your own metrics.
It's free to download, with in-app purchases listed at $3.99 and $19.99.
Good: free, instantly readable, and genuinely useful numbers. Not so good: the animation mostly tells you one thing: how busy the CPU is.
3. Pets Therapy: pets that roam your screen
Pets Therapy, from Csquared Digital, puts pixel pets on your desktop. Its site says animals walk along window borders and birds land on them, and you can import your own sprites. 37 pets are free; a lifetime purchase ($12.99) or a yearly one ($5.99) unlocks the rest.
Good: lots of pets and a generous free tier. Not so good: the pets react to your windows, not to how your Mac is doing.
4. Desktop Goose: pure chaos
Desktop Goose by samperson (Mac version by Jesús A. Álvarez) is less a pet and more a menace. In its own words, the goose will "nab your mouse, track mud on your screen", leave you messages and deliver memes. It supports macOS 10.10 and later, and you name your own price on itch.io.
Good: hilarious, and free if you want. Not so good: it actively gets in the way of work, which is the joke.
5. Bongo Cat: a cat that drums along
Bongo Cat, from Irox Games, is free on Steam and supports macOS 11 and later. Every time you press a key, the cat taps along, and you can unlock hats as you go.
Good: free, and satisfying while you type. Not so good: it needs Steam.
6. Keybit: a toy for your keyboard
Keybit isn't a pet, but it's the same kind of joy: it plays crisp mechanical keyboard sounds as you type in any app, controlled from a menu bar icon with a smiling keyboard mascot. It costs $4.99 once, from trykeybit.com.
Good: makes typing feel great. Not so good: it's about sound, not about how your Mac is doing.
How to choose
- Want to know when your Mac is struggling? Puff, or RunCat Neo if CPU is all you care about.
- Want company on your desktop? Pets Therapy.
- Want to prank someone (or yourself)? Desktop Goose.
- Want typing to feel fun? Bongo Cat or Keybit.
How we checked
Every price and feature above comes from the app's own page (its Mac App Store listing, official website, Steam or itch.io page), checked on 1 October 2026. Prices can change, so check the developer's page before you buy. We make Puff, so read its entry with that in mind.