All Upgrades in Mewgenics — Complete NPC Upgrade Guide
Complete guide to every NPC upgrade in Mewgenics with exact unlock thresholds, donation requirements, and rewards. Includes all 8 NPCs and the hidden Steven mechanic.
Upgrades in Mewgenics come from interacting with NPCs at your home base. Each NPC requires you to donate cats that meet specific criteria, and in return they provide permanent improvements to your home, inventory, and other systems. This guide covers every NPC with exact unlock thresholds and rewards.
Related guide: For the optimal NPC leveling order, see our NPC Priority Guide.
NPC Upgrade System Overview
Every NPC in your home base offers a unique set of upgrades. To level them up, you need to donate cats that match their requirements. Once donated, the cat is gone forever — but the upgrade is permanent across all future runs.
NPCs appear at different points in the game — some are available from the start, while others unlock as you progress.
Frank — House Expansion
Wants: Retired cats Unlocks after: Your first adventure (post-tutorial), then end the day
Frank expands your home base with additional rooms:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donate 1 retired cat | Attic unlocked |
| 2 | Donate 25 retired cats | Additional room for your house |
| 3 | Donate 50 retired cats | Another additional room |
Frank is one of the first NPCs you’ll encounter. More rooms mean more cats, better organization, and the ability to separate aggressive cats from breeders.
Butch — Item Storage Upgrades
Wants: Cats that have ventured far from home (explored deep into adventures) Unlocks after: You unlock Frank, then talk to Butch on the map
Butch provides desperately needed inventory storage:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 cat that passed The Alley | Storage Upgrade |
| 2 | 10 cats that passed The Sewers or The Junkyard | Storage Upgrade |
| 3 | 10 cats that passed The Caves or The Boneyard | Storage Upgrade |
| 4 | 15 cats that passed The Crater or The Bunker | Storage Upgrade |
The farther your donated cats have traveled, the more valuable they are. Send cats on long adventures before donating them to maximize credit.
Tink — Breeding Information
Wants: Kittens (cats younger than 1) Unlocks after: You unlock Frank, then talk to Tink on the map
Tink reveals hidden information about your cats, transforming your breeding game:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donate 1 kitten | Fancy Bow item |
| 2 | Donate 10 kittens | Shows Base and Bonus stats |
| 3 | Donate 10 kittens | Family Tree viewer |
| 4 | Donate 10 kittens | Gaydar (shows sexual orientation) |
| 5 | Donate 10 kittens | Shows cat aggression levels |
Tink’s upgrades don’t give you items or rooms — they give you knowledge. Seeing base stats, family trees, orientation, and aggression is essential for smart breeding.
Tracy — Shop & Supplies
Wants: Cats that are age 5 or higher Unlocks at: Available in the game (exact unlock condition may vary)
Tracy stocks essential supplies that improve over time:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donate 1 old cat | Stocks a food box |
| 2 | Donate 10 old cats | Stocks a blank collar |
| 3 | Donate 10 old cats | Stocks a food box |
| 4 | Donate 10 old cats | Stocks a random Idol |
| 5 | Donate 10 old cats | Stocks a food box |
| 6 | Donate 10 old cats | Stocks a blank collar |
| 7+ | Donate 10 old cats | Alternating: odd levels = food box, even levels = random Idol |
Tracy’s shop follows a predictable rotation. Blank Collars are especially useful for removing class bonuses during breeding experiments. Idols are valuable rare items.
Baby Jack — Furniture Store
Wants: Cats with injuries Unlocks after: Obtain a piece of furniture, then end the day
Baby Jack runs the furniture store, which is critical for optimizing your home stats:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donate 1 injured cat | Furniture store unlocked |
| 2 | Donate 10 injured cats | More furniture for sale |
| 3 | Donate 20 injured cats | Even more furniture |
Better furniture directly improves Comfort, Stimulation, Appeal, Health, and Mutation stats in your home — all of which affect cat wellbeing and breeding outcomes.
Dr. Beanies — Side Quests & Research
Wants: Cats with Mutations, Birth Defects, Disorders, or Parasites Unlocks at: Available in the game (exact unlock condition may vary)
Dr. Beanies offers side quest items and research rewards:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donate 1 cat | The Persuasion Device side quest item |
| 2 | Donate 5 cats | A side quest item |
| 3 | Donate more cats | (Unknown reward) |
Dr. Beanies is lower priority because side quests are supplementary. However, if you’re actively breeding for mutations (see our Mutations Guide), you’ll naturally produce cats with defects that are perfect donations.
Organ Grinder — Lost Run Recovery
Wants: Cats that have died (auto-collects cats that die during runs) Note: This NPC uses your Steam display name Unlocks after: You lose a run
The Organ Grinder is unique — it levels up automatically from your deaths:
| Level | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 dead cat | Recovers stuff from lost runs |
| 2 | 10 dead cats | Recovers more stuff from lost adventures |
| 3 | 25 dead cats | Recovers more stuff from lost adventures |
| 4 | 50 dead cats | Recovers more stuff from lost adventures |
| 5 | 75 dead cats | Recovers more stuff from lost adventures |
You never need to actively donate to the Organ Grinder — dead cats are automatically collected. The more you fail, the better the safety net becomes. This is the game’s built-in pity system.
Steven — The Anti-Save-Scum Enforcer
Wants: Does not accept cats Unlocks after: Beating The Ice Age
Steven is not a traditional NPC. He punishes save-scumming (reloading saves to redo events) with an escalating warning system:
| Warning | Effect |
|---|---|
| Warning 1 | Nothing happens (first offense) |
| Warning 2 | Gives one cat in your party the Deja Vu debuff |
| Warning 3 | ”Final Warning…” — Gives all cats in your party Deja Vu |
| Warning 4 | Takes full control of your cats in battle |
Beyond punishment, Steven also provides two utility functions:
- Re-summons House Bosses — lets you refight them
- Changes run difficulty — adjust challenge level
Warning: Don’t save-scum in Mewgenics. Steven’s punishments are severe, and Warning 4 (losing control of your cats) can end runs instantly. Embrace the randomness instead.
Quick Reference — All NPCs at a Glance
| NPC | Wants | Key Reward | When Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank | Retired cats | House rooms | After first adventure, end day |
| Butch | Adventurous cats | Storage upgrades | After Frank, talk on map |
| Tink | Kittens (age <1) | Stat/breeding info | After Frank, talk on map |
| Tracy | Old cats (age 5+) | Shop supplies & Idols | In the game |
| Baby Jack | Injured cats | Furniture store | Get furniture, end day |
| Dr. Beanies | Mutated/diseased cats | Side quest items | In the game |
| Organ Grinder | Dead cats (auto) | Lost run recovery | Lose a run |
| Steven | N/A | Difficulty control | Beat The Ice Age |