CatCare

Inspiration Staying consistent with self-improvement is hard, not because people lack motivation, but because progress often feels invisible. We were inspired by games that reward small actions and wanted to apply that same feeling of progression to real life. CatCare was born from the idea that personal growth should feel encouraging, playful, and sustainable rather than overwhelming.

What it does CatCare is a daily cultivation app that turns self-improvement into a game. Each day, users receive simple quests focused on health, exploration, and personal growth, both inside and outside their routine. Completing quests earns progress, unlocks visual changes, and builds a history that helps users reflect on their consistency over time.

How we built it We built CatCare as a full-stack web application with a clean, intuitive UI. The frontend focuses on simplicity and visual feedback, featuring a cozy isometric room and animated cat companion. The backend handles user state, daily quests, and completion history, while a database tracks long-term progress and snapshots. The system is designed to be lightweight, extensible, and easy to use on a daily basis.

Challenges we ran into One of the biggest challenges was balancing simplicity with meaningful progression. We wanted quests to be easy enough to complete daily, but still impactful. Another challenge was designing a system that visually represents growth without overwhelming the user. Managing state, history, and animations in a cohesive way also required careful iteration.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of We’re proud of creating a complete, end-to-end experience that feels both functional and charming. The history system allows users to look back on their progress, while the animated environment makes the app feel alive. Most importantly, CatCare encourages real-world action, not just screen time.

What we learned Through building CatCare , we learned how powerful small, consistent actions can be when paired with thoughtful design. On the technical side, we gained experience in structuring scalable APIs, managing user state over time, and designing UI that supports habit formation rather than distraction.

What’s next for CatCare Next, we want to expand quest personalization, add long-term goal paths for health and wealth, and introduce streaks and seasonal events. We also plan to improve analytics and insights so users can better understand their growth patterns. Our goal is to make CatCare a companion users want to return to every day.