There are loads of apps that track your Macs CPU usage. But only one of them uses a running cat to visualise it.
RunCat is a free Mac menu bar app that features a running cat that adapts to your CPU speed. If it’s running relatively slow, then the cat will just be running at a leisurely pace, but if it’s running really high (try building a huge Xcode project), then the cat will go crazy!
It’s really fun!
Runners
It’s not just a cat either, you get to choose from 21 different “runners” for free – Cat α, Cat β, Cat γ, Cat Tail, Mock Nyan Cat, Parrot, Human, Push-Up, Sit-Up, Rubber Duck, City, Sausage, Dots, Dinosaur, Terrier, Hedgehog, Horse, Penguin 2, Hamster Wheel, Octopus, and Steam Train.
There’s also another 21 runners if you want to pay for them – Cheetah, Dog, Puppy, Rabbit, Frog, Bird, Penguin, Dolphin, Dragon, Owl, Cogwheel, Bonfire, Drop, Rocket, Pendulum, Newtons Cradle, Sine Curve, Pulse, Coffee, Reindeer & Sleigh, and Snowman.
And if you really want to personalise RunCat, there’s a paid option to unlock the “Self-Made Runner”, which will let you create your own animation to track your CPU usage.
Options
There are a few options in RunCat to change the way it works:
- Show CPU Usage – This puts the CPU usage percentage as text next to the runner.
- Invert Speed – This means the runner will be running fast when your CPU speed is low, and vice versa. Sounds weird to me.
- Flipped Horizontally – This flips your runner, so it will run in the opposite direction.
- Launch at Login – I shouldn’t need to explain this.
Download
Check out the RunCat website, and download RunCat for free from the Mac App Store.