How to Make Your Kitten Grow in OSRS – A Complete Guide

How to Make Your Kitten Grow in OSRS – A Complete Guide

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), raising a pet kitten into a full-grown cat is a rewarding yet time-consuming task. Whether you’re an Ironman aiming to trade cats for death runes or simply want a furry companion, understanding the mechanics of kitten growth is essential. This guide covers everything you need to know to efficiently grow your kitten in OSRS, from obtaining one to ensuring it matures without running away.

Before you can raise a kitten, you need to get one. Here’s how to start your journey.

Complete Gertrude’s Cat Quest

The only way to obtain a kitten is by completing the Gertrude’s Cat quest, located in Varrock. This beginner-friendly quest has no skill or quest requirements, making it accessible to new players. Speak to Gertrude southwest of West Varrock Bank to start. Upon completion, she rewards you with a free kitten. Subsequent kittens cost 100 coins each, but you can only own one at a time.

Choosing Your Kitten’s Color

Kittens come in various colors (e.g., black, white, grey). Normally, the color is random, but equipping a Ring of Charos (a), obtained from the Creature of Fenkenstrain and activated during Garden of Tranquillity, allows you to charm Gertrude into letting you pick a specific color. This is purely cosmetic but adds a personal touch.

Understanding Kitten Growth Mechanics

Kitten growth in OSRS is tied to time and care. Unlike other pets, kittens require active attention to grow into adult cats.

How Long Does It Take?

A kitten takes approximately 3 hours (180 minutes) of following you to grow into an adult cat. This timer only progresses when the kitten is out and following you, not when it’s in your inventory or bank. Logging out pauses the timer, and frequent world-hopping doesn’t significantly delay growth unless you’re offline for extended periods.

Checking Growth Progress

To monitor your kitten’s growth, right-click it and select “Interact”, then choose “Guess age”. This gives a rough estimate of how much time remains. Alternatively, use the Summoning Interface (unlocked after Wolf Whistle quest) to view precise hunger and growth percentages.

Caring for Your Kitten

Kittens are needy pets that demand food and attention to prevent them from running away. Neglecting either can result in losing your kitten, so stay vigilant.

Feeding Your Kitten

Kittens get hungry over time, and if their hunger reaches 100%, they’ll flee. You’ll receive warnings in the chatbox: first, “I think it’s hungry!”, followed by “I think it’s really hungry!”. If ignored, the kitten runs off with the message, “Your cat has run off to look for food.”

Here’s what you can feed your kitten:

  • Raw fish: Sardines, herring, anchovies, shrimp, or stackable karambwanji (ideal for Ironmen).
  • Cooked fish: Any cooked fish like sardines or trout works.
  • Bucket of milk: Obtained by milking a cow with a bucket.

Tip: Keep a small stock of food (e.g., 5–10 sardines) to avoid scrambling when warnings appear. Feed only when prompted to save resources.

Interacting with Your Kitten

Kittens also crave attention. Similar to hunger, you’ll see chatbox warnings like “I think it wants some attention!” and “Your kitten is lonely!”. If ignored for about 30 minutes, the kitten may run away. To interact:

  • Stroke: Right-click and select “Interact” > “Stroke.”
  • Play: Use a ball of wool or toy mouse (from A Tail of Two Cats) to entertain it.
  • Chase Vermin: Let your kitten chase rats (10% success rate), though this is less reliable for growth.

Pro Tip: Stroke your kitten every 10–15 minutes to prevent attention warnings, especially during AFK activities like fishing or woodcutting.

Talking to Your Kitten

If you’ve completed Icthlarin’s Little Helper, equip a Catspeak Amulet to chat with your kitten. Their responses are playful and childlike, and you can ask about their mood or quest events. While not required for growth, it’s a fun way to bond. Hell-kittens (see below) have devilish dialogue, adding variety.

Speeding Up Kitten Growth

While the base growth time is fixed, certain strategies can make the process smoother and feel faster.

Best Activities for Growth

Since the kitten must follow you for 3 hours, choose activities that allow you to stay logged in without frequent interruptions. Here are some ideal options:

Activity Location Why It’s Good
Fishing Catherby, Lumbridge River Catch food like sardines or anchovies to feed your kitten on the spot.
Woodcutting Draynor Village, Seers’ Village Low-effort, AFK-friendly, and keeps you in one area.
Mining Varrock East Mine Simple skilling that pairs well with occasional kitten checks.
Questing Various Low-intensity quests keep you engaged while the timer ticks.

Note: Avoid activities requiring frequent teleports or world-hopping, as these can disrupt your focus on kitten care.

Myth Busting: Does Interaction Speed Up Growth?

A common misconception is that feeding or stroking your kitten more often accelerates growth. According to Mod Ash, this isn’t true—interactions only prevent the kitten from running away, not speed up the timer. Focus on consistent care rather than over-interacting.

Using Hell-Kittens

After completing the Evil Dave subquest in Recipe for Disaster, you can turn your kitten into a Hell-kitten by chasing hell-rats in Evil Dave’s basement (Edgeville). Hell-kittens still require food and attention, but some players report they’re less demanding. To revert them, feed them a bucket of milk. This is optional but adds a spooky flair to your pet.

What Happens After Your Kitten Grows?

Once your kitten reaches 100% growth (after 3 hours), it becomes an adult cat. Here’s what you need to know about this stage and beyond.

Adult Cat Benefits

Adult cats no longer need food or attention and won’t run away. They have a 50% success rate at catching rats (up from 10%), making them useful for quests like Ratcatchers or earning a Cat Training Medal (catch 100 rats for a Varrock medium task). You can also trade adult cats to civilians in West Ardougne for:

  • 100 death runes (20,300 GP value).
  • 200 death runes (40,600 GP) if you’ve completed the Easy Ardougne Diary.

This is a great money-making method for low-level players or Ironmen needing runes.

Further Growth Stages

If you keep your adult cat following you for another 2–3 hours, it becomes an overgrown cat. Overgrown cats can’t catch rats but can still be traded for death runes. After Ratcatchers, you can train them into wily cats (great for rat-catching) or let them become lazy cats. You can take a new kitten from Gertrude once your cat is overgrown or stored in a player-owned house menagerie.

Special Cat Variants

Beyond hell-kittens, you can unlock unique variants:

  • Purple cat: After Swept Away, Wendy can dye your kitten purple.
  • Hellcat: Adult cats can become hellcats after Recipe for Disaster.

These variants work for quests requiring cats (e.g., Icthlarin’s Little Helper, Do No Evil) and add cosmetic flair.

Raising a kitten in OSRS is a test of patience, but with proper care, you’ll have a loyal cat companion in no time. Stick to low-effort activities, keep food handy, and check in regularly to ensure your kitten thrives. Whether you’re after death runes or just love cats, this guide sets you up for success. Happy adventuring!