Best Desktop Pets for Mac in 2026: 5 Compared

Desktop pets are back. Some are jokes, some are status lights with fur, and a few are genuinely good company on a long day. These five are the ones worth installing on a Mac in 2026 — and they differ most in one thing: whether the pet knows anything about the computer it lives on.

1. Notchy — a pet that reads your Mac (free)

Notchy's desktop pet, new in 1.0.178, is a pixel cat or dog that walks along the bottom of your screen and reacts to what the Mac is doing: sweat drops when the CPU is hot, shivering on a nearly flat battery, a happy moment when you plug in, stillness during a Pomodoro, dancing to music and watching along with videos. Eight breeds, each with a 1-in-50 shiny, sixteen hidden discoveries, seasonal hats and a care streak. On Apple Silicon MacBooks you can tilt the Mac to make it slide. Free, macOS 13 Ventura and up — and it comes with the rest of a Dynamic Island app.

2. RunCat — the menu bar classic (free)

RunCat puts a cat in the menu bar that runs faster as CPU load climbs. The current version, RunCat Neo, is free and open source on the Mac App Store, with optional tips, and requires macOS 26. It takes no desktop space at all, which makes it the most practical choice if you only want a load meter with charm.

3. BongoCat — the type-along cat (free, open source)

BongoCat is an MIT-licensed pet for macOS, Windows and Linux that mirrors your keyboard, mouse or gamepad input, with custom models you can import. It works offline and collects nothing. It's the favourite for stream overlays.

4. Desktop Goose — the menace (pay what you want)

Desktop Goose steals your cursor, tracks mud across the screen and drags in memes. It's name-your-own-price on itch.io and runs on macOS 10.10 or later, though the Mac build is behind Windows. A prank, not a companion — and a very good prank.

5. Pets Therapy — the biggest cast (free)

Pets Therapy has over a hundred pets that sit on your windows and walk the bottom of the screen, 132 toys, and pets that stop to chat when they meet. Free on the Mac App Store, with a supporter tier. Nothing ever goes hungry.

The comparison

Bottom line

A load meter with a tail: RunCat. A cat that drums to your typing: BongoCat. A prank: Desktop Goose. The widest cast: Pets Therapy. A pet that tells you your Mac is overheating, flat or playing music — and that you can look after — Notchy, free.