4 Android Apps For Cat Lovers (Nyan and Beyond)

4 Android Apps For Cat Lovers (Nyan and Beyond):

Here at MakeUseOf, we’re huge fans of cats. Not only do we love Nyan Cat (on our progress bars and otherwise), but we even let our cats play iPad games.

So today, I would like to present you with a small collection of apps for your Android device that would let you show the world how truly crazy you are about your feline friends. Oh, and Nyan cat is featured, not once, but twice!

Pop Tart Cat Live Wallpaper

Android developer Existential Fashion Disaster not only has an excellent name, but also an excellent taste in memes, as their Pop Tart Cat Live Wallpaper app clearly shows. This app delivers exactly what you would expect: It’s Nyan Cat, overjoyed as usual, running to nowhere on your screen. Just finished a phone call? Nyan cat is there. Tapped the Home button after reading your Twitter feed? There’s Nyan cat, running along!

If you feel any shortage of Nyan Cat in your life and/or mobile existence, this is one way to fix it. Fortunately (for your friends and family), live wallpapers don’t have any sound effects, so you’ll have to marvel at Nyan Cat sans soundtrack on this one.

Tickling Cat

In the words of developer Inline Planning, Tickling Cat is “firmly clutchy application to heal your heart like a cat!”. Well, I ask, what can you say to that? This must be one of the least intelligent Android applications to ever grace my device, but over 100,000 enthusiastic Android users can’t be wrong… can they?

Basically, you rub the screen, the cat goes wild, and the meter starts filling up. Once the meter is full, let go of the screen, and the cat will strike a random (usually weird) pose. A bit of purring could do this application a world of good, but here, again, there are no sound effects. Too bad. A nice application for very young kids, maybe. Even if you’re not going to install it, you should go to its Market page just to read the description, containing gems such as “This cute cat is stroked with a finger belly tickle and be glad!”

SpaceCat

From the most rudimentary of belly-rubbing games, we now shift into state-of-the-art 3D, sophisticated sound effects, and a realistic physics engine. It’s a cat… in a spaceship! In SpaceCat, you get to launch your feline friend across the screen in something that looks like a retro moon lander. Tap the screen to fire the jets, and tilt your device to steer. You need to avoid walls and laser screens, hunt mice floating in air, and bring the cat to a gentle landing at the end of each level.

Quite a fun game, really. The game is listed as “free” on the Market, but is rife with in-app purchases. The free version includes nine “training levels” (which are quite nice), and a single cat and spaceship combo. There are plenty of other levels you can buy once you’re in the game, and most importantly, you can customize the heck out of your cat:

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your cat fly around in a colander, this is the game for you. You buy stuff using “pills”, and you buy pills using… money. This colander, for example, costs 400 pills. You can get 10,000 pills for 5 Euros. I’m not a huge fan of games with in-game purchases and so much disabled content, but the basic gameplay is pretty cute. Whether or not you want to invest in pills is up to you, really.

And last but not least… I promised you some more Nyan Cat, didn’t I?

NyanCat Game

In NyanCat Game, you get to actually be Nyan Cat! You fly around the screen emitting a rainbow tail, eat stars, and try to avoid rocks, clouds, and other baddies. You can pick one of three control schemes:

The first lets you drag Nyan Cat around directly, the second offers a pair of d-pads, and the third lets you control Nyan Cat by tilting your device. The one selected above worked best for me, so that’s what I recommend. Here’s a screenshot of the game itself:

Note the awesome Facebook banner – Looking for Ship Cat? Indeed I am, but I think I already found Mr. Ship Cat right here. The screenshot is a bit choppy due to the animation, but the game plays smoothly. And unlike the Nyan Cat live wallpaper, this game does feature the complete Nyan Cat song – be sure to play this on the bus at full volume with no headphones.

Your Recommendations

Did I miss an essential application for cat lovers? Let me know below!