What to know
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A downed cat is not dead yet, but it can still be hit, and those hits can permanently kill it if corpse health is depleted.
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Corpse health starts at 3 by default, and it drops from AoE damage, knockback effects, and other effects that still connect with the body.
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Some deaths happen outside combat: if your house has too many negative conditions, cats can fight and those fights can cause injuries or deaths.
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Bad outcomes from map skill checks can be lethal, so a choice that seems minor can lead to sudden death-like results.
In Mewgenics, if you see a cat vanish or get marked as permanently lost, it is almost always tied to one of a few specific systems the game does not loudly explain. Here is how to identify the real cause and how to stop it from happening as often.
| Situation that looks random | What is actually happening | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Cat dies after it already got knocked out | The body kept taking damage after being downed until corpse health hit zero, causing permanent loss | AoE attacks, knockback, any effect that still hits the tile where the body lies |
| Cat disappears in the middle of a messy turn | Corpse health is being chipped down by repeated hits you did not notice (splash damage, battlefield effects) | Re-check the counter above the downed cat and end-turn effects that deal damage |
| Cats die at home between days | House fights can happen when the house has too many negatives, and those fights can cause injuries or deaths | Keep house negatives under control and remove chronic instigators by donating them |
| Death after choosing an event option | Skill checks can have lethal consequences on failure | Avoid low-odds choices on valuable cats |
Downed is not dead, but it is a danger state
When a cat’s HP hits zero in combat, it becomes downed and immediately gains an injury, but it can still be permanently killed if its corpse health is exhausted. Corpse health begins at 3 by default and decreases when the downed body takes additional hits, including AoE damage, knockback effects, and damage that affects the whole battlefield.
The telltale sign you should check every time
A counter appears above a downed cat showing corpse health, and if it reaches zero, the body disintegrates and the cat is permanently lost.
How to avoid the most common accidental deaths in combat
Step 1
As soon as a cat goes down, treat the tile it is on like a hazard zone and stop using attacks that splash or bounce near it, because AoE and knockback can still consume corpse health.
Step 2
End the fight quickly instead of playing for extra loot when you have a downed cat on the field, because every extra enemy action is another chance for the body to take stray damage.
Step 3
If you have revive options, use them before enemies get turns that can hit the downed tile, because the cat can return if revived or if you finish the battle while the body still exists.
Step 4
Consider corpse-health support if your runs frequently involve heavy AoE, since items can increase how many hits the body can take (for example, an item that adds corpse health so a body survives more impacts).
Step 5
Keep your positioning tighter around downed cats, because knockback effects count as hits to corpse health and can chain into more damage than you expected.
House phase deaths that feel random
If your house has too many negatives, cats can start to fight, and those fights can result in injuries or deaths, which can look like a random loss if you skip past house outcomes quickly. If one specific cat repeatedly causes trouble, it can be safer to donate it to an NPC to protect the rest of the house.
Step 1
Check your house status often and do not let negatives pile up, because that is the trigger that can lead to fights and rare deaths.
Step 2
Cycle out problem cats instead of keeping them around for breeding, because repeated fighting increases the odds of someone eventually dying.
Locations tied to sudden deaths
During adventures, deaths that feel random often happen right on combat maps with tight spaces where AoE and knockback are common, since those mechanics are specifically called out as ways corpse health gets depleted after a cat is downed. If you notice this pattern in a particular act or biome, adjust your play to minimize splash damage and avoid knockback lines when a body is on the ground.
What you get back after deaths
When your cats die and the run ends, a mysterious figure scavenges and recovers some of the items you lost, and the more cats that have perished throughout the playthrough, the more items will be added to the retrieval pool, but you can only reclaim one item while the rest are discarded.
If you want to stop the so-called random deaths, focus on protecting downed bodies from extra hits, because that is the cleanest and most documented path to permanent loss. For at-home losses, manage house negatives and remove repeat fighters early, because house fights can escalate to injuries or deaths.
