The one table
| Who makes it | What it is | Platforms | Price | Get it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vladelaina/BongoCat | vladelaina | Open-source desktop pet, Live2D models, this wiki's main subject | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free | bongocat.pet, GitHub Releases |
| Bongo Cat (Steam) | Irox Games | Free desktop game with item drops, achievements and multiplayer | Windows, macOS | Free, paid DLC packs | Steam store |
| BongoCat by ayangweb | ayangweb | Open-source Tauri-based pet, custom model imports | Windows, macOS, Linux (x11) | Free | GitHub |
| Bongo-Cat-Mver | MMmmmoko | Windows-only C++ overlay, started the desktop trend | Windows | Free | GitHub |
| bongo.cat | Externalizable | Browser toy, the meme made playable | Any browser | Free | bongo.cat |
The family tree
The lineage is easier to remember as four steps. First the meme itself: the 2018 GIF and the web toy it inspired. Second, the earliest desktop cat: kuroni's bongocat-osu, created 2018-09-27 as the open-source release of Hamish Duncanson's original overlay and archived since. Third, Bongo-Cat-Mver, created 2019-04-29: a Windows overlay whose model format outlived the app itself. Fourth, the two modern open-source pets: ayangweb built one to bring the idea to macOS (its README credits Mver as the inspiration), and vladelaina rebuilt the concept in C with SDL3 and OpenGL, adding Live2D support, a full cross-platform release and Mver as the app's canonical model format.
The Steam game sits beside that family tree rather than on it. Its store page credits only the artwork and meme of StrayRogue, and Irox Games has not documented where the code started. Wikipedia describes the game as a Unity rewrite of the earlier open-source key-mapping tool, which the original tool's MIT license would allow; we could not confirm that account first-hand, so we record it as background rather than adopt it.
Confusion 1: the Mver timeline
The official bongocat.pet timeline places Mver resources in "late 2018", but the Mver GitHub repository was created on 2019-04-29, which we treat as the authoritative date for Mver itself. The desktop era as a whole starts earlier: kuroni's repository, created 2018-09-27, is the earliest desktop cat we can verify.
Confusion 2: Steam game and desktop pet are not the same software
They share a name, an art style and a joke, and nothing else. The Steam game is by Irox Games, has an economy with items and drop rates, and runs on Windows and macOS. The desktop pets are open-source projects with model ecosystems and no game economy. Installing one does not give you the other, and facts about one never transfer to the rest.
Which one should you pick?
- Want a cat on your desktop with the richest model support: the vladelaina pet.
- Want achievements and cosmetic items: the Steam game.
- Want zero installation: bongo.cat.
- On Linux: the vladelaina pet is the strongest option, with ayangweb as an alternative.
Whatever you pick, skim the safety page first; every desktop option listens to your keyboard by design.