Can you free the jailed cats in Animal Well? Yes, you can. In fact, it’s an important task involved with reaching the true ending of the game. After you travel deep within the southeast quadrant of the map, filled with ghostly rabbit heads and threatening ostriches, you’ll find 5 total cats trapped within hanging cages. But doing so is no easy task and requires an item you most likely do not have yet – don’t worry, we’ve got all the answers to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
The primary way of truly finishing Animal Well is finding all the hidden eggs. We’ve gone ahead and found all Animal Well egg locations for you to check if you get stuck – like we did, often. More importantly, to rescue these cats you’re going to have to understand how Animal Well fast travel works, as the Animal Flute is required to free the cats.
How to rescue Animal Well cats
Deep within the southeast quadrant of the map, you’ll find an area accessed with the B. wand with several moving platforms with mouse logos on them. After you shift the platforms moving downward, you arrive in an area with mouse platforms moving vertically across water; at the end, you’ll find a fish stuck in a pipe that you must use the B. wand on in order to reach the area with trapped cats inside. There are three cats in the first room, and if you travel down another layer, you’ll find two more in the area with the ostrich trapped in the wheel.
If you look above the cages, you’ll see that there’s a series of small rectangles above each. These correspond to certain tunes played on the Animal Flute – but where to find which notes to play?
The notes are all written on walls in that same area with the moving platforms. We recommend writing them down or taking a screenshot for future reference. Here’s where to find them:
Cat tune 1
This is found behind where the ostrich was stuck in the wheel. You’ll have to return to this area if you left it to find it.
Cat tune 2
This is found in the area where you obtained the flame after luring the ostrich there. This requires an upgrade to the B. wand to reach. Once obtained, deftly blow bubbles between the vines and hop up.
Cat tune 3
At the very top of this area in the room with several platforms moving vertically up, break a set of spikes in the bottom left corner to reveal a path to this cat tune.
Cat tune 4
In the room with the mouse trapped in the wheel, head east one room. Use the upgraded B. wand to reach the ledge up above where the next tune resides.
Cat tune 5
This one requires the Spinning Top, which you’ll have to find 32 eggs to obtain. In the room with vertical platforms moving either left or right, travel to the western fish pipe. In the top right corner, use the Spinning Top to reveal the final tune.
With all the cat tunes discovered, play them near the caged cats to release all 5 of them.
What to do after freeing Animal Well cats
The mysteries don’t end there. After the cats are freed, nothing apparent happens. In reality, you have to head back up to the save point at the entrance to this area near the platforms moving upward. One room north, you’ll find a large cat statue. Use the Spinning Top here once again to reveal a secret room. Within, simply listen to the serenade to obtain the Wheel item.
That’s all you need to know to rescue the cats from the evil rats in Animal Well. With that done, you’re well on your way to finding all the eggs and unlocking the true ending, though there are mysteries beyond that even we haven’t solved. If you’re looking to get a similar fix after you’re done exploring the massive maze, check out the best puzzle games on PC.