Once you get past the first few shifts in Cat Mail Co., plain brown boxes start hiding special traits that decide where they can safely sit. A parcel with a constraint that ends up in the wrong spot takes damage at the end of the shift, and a damaged parcel can be returned instead of delivered. Reading the constraint correctly is the difference between a smooth boat load and a pile of ruined mail.
Quick answer: Scan every incoming package before storing it, match the constraint icon to its required spot (heavy stays at the bottom, fragile stays on top, cold goes to the cooler room, warm goes to the heated room, dark goes to the dark room, light goes to the light room), and keep partner packages together. Anything stored wrong takes damage when the shift ends.
Scan first, store second
Constraints do not always show on the outside of a box. Run every package through the scanner before you put it away, including the ones the Captain drops off by boat, because arrivals are not always fully marked. The scanner flags the constraint icon so you know which rule applies before the parcel disappears into a shelf.
Recipients also give away constraints when they come to collect. The words in their description usually point to the exact trait, so listening for phrases like “keep it cold” or “be cautious, it’s fragile” tells you which room to check without opening anything.
Tip: When a package comes in with a sticker or marking, copy that mark onto the front near the name. That saves you from inspecting every side again later when a customer describes it.
Every package constraint and where it goes
The table below covers each constraint, the recipient clues that reveal it, and the correct place to store it. Storing a constrained parcel in the wrong location leaves it fine during the shift but damaged once the shift ends.
| Constraint | Recipient clues | Correct storage |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (Heavy) | “You look strong enough; it’s really not lightweight.” “I hope you have someone to help you because it’s heavy.” | Apply six weight stickers plus the special heavy sticker. Keep it at the bottom, since it crushes anything stored under it. |
| Fragile | “Be cautious, it’s a fragile box.” | Store it on top of a shelf. It breaks if anything is placed above it, and it cannot be thrown. |
| Cold | Ice cream, refrigerated, catnip seeds, fish delivery, “kept it cold enough.” | Place it in the cooler (freezer) room. Anywhere else and it takes damage at shift end. |
| Warm (Hot) | “Stay warm,” fire dragon scales, “hope the trip didn’t let it cool down.” | Place it in the heated room. Never mix it with cold parcels. |
| Dark | Photographic films, midnight spores, “away from the light,” “my dark package.” | Place it in the dark room. Unlock the room by clearing the parcel pile in the cooler room. |
| Light | Sunflowers, “a bright environment,” “a bright room.” | Place it in the light room. Unlock the room by clearing the parcel pile in the heated room. |
| Partner (Heart) | Found by placing the package under the lamp at night; a glowing heart appears. | Keep both linked parcels together. If they separate, the connecting light beams disappear. |
Heavy and fragile: placement, not rooms
Heavy and fragile parcels do not need a special room. They need the right position in a stack. A heavy box crushes anything beneath it, even boxes that are otherwise sturdy, so it always belongs at the bottom of a pile or in its own low spot. Remember that a heavy parcel needs six weight stickers and the dedicated heavy sticker before it is ready to ship.
Fragile parcels are the opposite. Nothing can sit on top of them, and dropping or throwing one damages it. Keep fragile boxes on top of a shelf where they stay visible, and check that they are still clear when you start loading the boat.
Room constraints unlock in order
The four temperature and light rooms open as you clear the backlog piles the old postman left behind. The cooler room comes first, and clearing its pile opens the dark room. The heated room handles warm parcels, and clearing the pile inside it opens the light room. Until a room exists, hold any parcel that needs it in a visible spot instead of guessing where to put it.
Cold and warm parcels are easy to forget because they look normal once they are on a shelf. Add a final room check to your routine before each boat leaves, since a correctly stored cold box still counts as a miss if you never move it out for shipping.
Partner packages and the night lamp
Partner parcels, marked with a heart, only reveal themselves under the lamp in the scanner room, and the lamp only works at night. When you shine it on a heart package, a wispy trail of light leads to its matching parcel. The two are joined by light beams that vanish the moment the boxes are pulled apart.
Once you have both, mark each one with the heart and, ideally, a matching decorative stamp, because the two halves can carry different storage requirements. Partner packages are always shipped out and never collected at the pickup window, so keep the pair together and route them to the boat as a set.
How to repair a damaged package
A package can take damage from wrong storage, a missing sticker, a fall into the water, or being placed in the wrong room. Damage does not happen instantly, so a mistake you catch early can still be saved. The repair table fixes it completely and reverts any damage the parcel has taken.
You can repair at most three parcels per shift, so treat the table as a limited safety net rather than an endless reset. Prioritize boxes that are close to shipping or likely to bounce back as returns, and re-check the constraint that caused the damage before you send the parcel out again.
