Muzzle

The Muzzle is an uncommon face armor that reshapes a cat's stat profile toward intellect and social skills: +2 Shield, +1 Intelligence, and +1 Charisma, at the cost of -2 Strength. The name fits the effect — it suppresses raw physical power in exchange for mental capability. The Shield offset helps compensate for reduced offensive output, and the Charisma and Intelligence boosts suit cats in support or caster-adjacent roles rather than frontline brawlers.

On a cat already low in Strength or using damage sources that don't scale with it, the -2 STR cost is negligible and the Intelligence and Charisma gains are free upgrades. Avoid it on damage-focused melee cats where Strength directly multiplies output.