FAQ

What is Loafstead?

Cats that live on your real open windows. Your browser, your spreadsheet, your inbox: they treat all of it as terrain. They walk across the top of Chrome, jump to another app, claim a spot and refuse to move. No separate game window. It runs as a transparent overlay on your actual desktop.

Other desktop pet games treat the screen as a flat surface or snap to window edges. Loafstead cats use real window geometry as physics platforms: move a window and the cat shifts; close one and they fall.

What platforms does it run on?

Windows and macOS. (Bit tricky in Linux but looking into it.)

When can I play it?

Loafstead launches on Steam in Q4 2026. Wishlist it on Steam to be notified when it launches.

Will it slow down my computer?

Loafstead is designed to stay out of your way. It runs as a background overlay and is built to use minimal CPU. A frame rate cap is included so you can tune performance to your liking. If you notice any performance impact, let us know in the Discord.

Does it read my screen or spy on my apps?

No. Loafstead reads window positions and sizes from the operating system to know where to put the cats. Window titles are never loaded into memory and are replaced with numeric IDs in the code. It never reads, captures, records, or processes anything displayed inside your windows. It has no network access except to check for updates.

Can I hide it during meetings?

Yes. Focus Mode (in Settings) settles the cats down and stops new visitors from arriving. Hide Loafstead (menu bar on macOS, system tray on Windows) instantly hides the overlay and pauses the simulation. Everything resumes exactly where it left off when you show it again.

How much does it cost?

Loafstead will be $9.99 USD on Steam. There is also a Supporter Edition at $14.99 USD. No in-app purchases, no subscriptions.

Is it early access?

No. Loafstead launches as a complete 1.0 game. What you buy on day one is the finished thing, not a work in progress.

Does my demo progress carry over?

Yes -- your cat and progress migrate to the full game on first launch.

Why doesn't window-mode screenshot capture work on macOS?

When Loafstead is running, the overlay appears as a fullscreen window to macOS, which prevents the window picker (⌘⌃⇧4 → Space) from seeing individual windows underneath.

Use ⌘⇧3 for a full-screen capture or ⌘⇧4 (drag a region) instead -- both work great and capture your cats exactly as you see them.