Spiked Cat

The Spiked Cat is a Junkyard enemy covered in glass spikes that make it dangerous to strike in melee. It has 5 HP and 8 shield, and starts combat with both the Thorns status and a shield buffer, making it a surprisingly resilient opponent for its tier. Thorns reflects melee damage back at attackers, meaning cats that hit it directly take chip damage with every strike.

The glass spike aesthetic is more than visual — it signals that touching the Spiked Cat carries a cost. Its movement of 4 means it will actively close range with your cats, forcing the Thorns interaction unless you reposition. The shield buffer means even after the HP is gone there are more hits required before it falls. Champion Spiked Cats have double the HP and shield, making the Thorns damage add up more across the longer fight.

Ranged attacks completely sidestep the Thorns mechanic and are the cleanest counter. The Thief class is noted as particularly effective due to its ranged basic attack and shield-breaking abilities. Shield-piercing effects skip the buffer entirely. If forced into melee, bring high-burst single-hit attacks rather than multi-hits — fewer hits means less Thorns damage accumulated, and a one-shot prevents Thorns from activating at all.