Injured

Injured is a condition rather than a traditional disease, applied to cats that have taken heavy damage during combat. When a cat is downed or takes critical hits in battle, it can return home with the Injured status, reducing its effective stats until it recovers. Unlike infectious diseases, Injured is purely a consequence of combat and cannot spread to other cats.

The stat penalties from Injured can significantly weaken a cat's combat performance, creating a downward spiral if you keep sending damaged cats into fights without letting them heal. An Injured cat that gets downed again is at much higher risk of permanent consequences, including death. Managing your roster rotation to give Injured cats time to recover is an important part of sustaining a healthy cattery over long runs.

Recovery options include resting the cat at home, using healing abilities, or sending it to Baby Jack, an NPC who specifically accepts injured cats. Baby Jack is one of the first NPCs worth leveling up for this reason, as he provides a reliable outlet for injured fighters while potentially returning rewards. For players running tight rosters without many backup cats, keeping a Cleric or healer on hand to patch up Injured cats between runs is essential for maintaining momentum through the later acts.