The cat is part of the base game in IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator—it is not a DLC unlock. Enable the cat in Options, decide whether it may roam upstairs, then look through the lower quarters and access areas of the Nest. If it disappears, entering and leaving the customization screen is a current community-reported way to make it easier to find near the downstairs hatch.
Turn the cat on
Open Options and find the cat settings. The current community guide reports that the cat is enabled by default and that a separate choice controls whether it can wander upstairs. If you do not see the animal after changing the setting, return to the main playable space and give the Nest time to update rather than repeatedly toggling the option.
The upstairs option changes the search area. With roaming allowed, check both lower quarters and the operational areas the cat can reach. With upstairs access disabled, concentrate on the living level, hatches, corridor edges, and nearby rooms.
Do not look for a Store add-on, code, campaign reward, or secret medal to unlock the cat. The official FAQ specifically supports base-game scope, and no separate cat DLC AppID is verified.
Find the cat when it wanders away
Search systematically instead of running between decks:
- Check the downstairs hatch and the nearest lower-quarter floor space.
- Walk the accessible lower corridors and look around furniture or machinery edges.
- If upstairs roaming is enabled, continue through the operational deck and reachable access points.
- Listen and watch for movement before leaving each room.
- If the search fails, open the cat customization interface, exit it, and check near the downstairs hatch.
The last step is a community-reported recovery route, not an official promise that the cat always spawns at a fixed coordinate. PATCH 1.0 (1558) fixed cat visual and carry-state problems, so update before treating an old clipping or invisible-carry report as current behavior.
Pick up or shoo the cat
Stand close enough for the current interaction prompt. Players on the default keyboard layout report F for pickup and G for shooing, but bindings and prompts are authoritative. If neither works, check the Controls menu for your current keyboard, controller, or Steam Deck layout.
Pickup is the useful choice when you want to move the cat away from an interaction point. Shooing asks it to leave the immediate area. Neither action should be presented as a combat bonus, resource generator, hidden ending trigger, or permanent placement command without repeatable current-build evidence.
If the carry pose or visual state looks wrong, put the cat down where the prompt allows, leave the interaction, and retest on the latest public patch. PATCH 1.0 (1558) addressed multiple cat presentation and carry issues. Record the patch and exact sequence if the problem remains.
Customize appearance
Use the cat customization controls shown in the current Options or customization interface. Preview a choice before leaving, then return to the Nest and confirm the visible result. Public sources checked for this page do not supply a stable list of every cosmetic name, unlock condition, or save behavior, so the live menu is the catalogue.
Customization is also useful as a non-destructive refresh when the cat is difficult to locate. It should not be described as a guaranteed teleport or save repair. Do not delete profile files to reset a cosmetic; follow the safe Saves and Cloud guide if a setting does not persist.
Cat settings and actions at a glance
Troubleshooting
The cat is not present
Confirm the cat option is enabled, return to the Nest, search the area permitted by the upstairs setting, then try the customization refresh. Install current updates. Do not assume the save is corrupt until a clean relaunch reproduces the issue.
The cat blocks an interaction
Approach until the interaction prompt distinguishes the cat from the nearby control. Pick it up or shoo it, move your aim away, then try the intended control again. The 1547 patch fixed a separate coffee-machine interaction scenario and a lingering cat-drop tooltip, while 1558 fixed additional cat state issues.
The cat vanishes while carried
Release it through the current prompt if possible, exit to a normal menu transition, and reload on the latest patch. Capture the location and sequence if it remains reproducible. Avoid force-closing during a result or save transition.
Does the cat affect endings or medals?
No reliable official or repeated current-build evidence checked for this page proves a cat-specific ending, medal threshold, combat modifier, or achievement. Treat such claims as unverified until demonstrated with a controlled save and current version.