Cat Fever is an Encounter side quest tucked into the Jade Gate Pass area of Hexi, introduced with Where Winds Meet's Version 1.4 Home Afar update. It's a short, lighthearted chain that starts with an innocent kitten and ends with you pledging servitude to a talking cat — or refusing, if your Mindset stat is high enough. Completing it unlocks the Immortal Cat for the Sentient Beings Cat Play collection and hands you a solid pile of rewards.
Quick answer: Complete the Wandering Tale "The Final Retreat" in Squarewall Hold, then pet the kitten Pawsie five times at the base of a tower southwest of the area to trigger Cat Fever.
Prerequisites — What You Need to Finish First
Cat Fever won't appear until the Squarewall Hold area is safe to explore. Two earlier questlines gate it:
| Quest | Type | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| A Tassel and a Tale | Wandering Tale | Part of the Squarewall Hold storyline that secures the village |
| The Final Retreat | Wandering Tale | Direct unlock requirement — Cat Fever triggers only after this is done |
Until both are complete, the area around Squarewall Hold remains hostile, and Pawsie simply won't be interactable in the way the quest demands. Finish these first, then head back.
Finding Pawsie and Triggering Cat Fever
Step 1: Travel to Squarewall Hold in Jade Gate Pass, Hexi. Look for a tower southwest of the main area — Pawsie, a small kitten, sits at its base.
Step 2: Pet Pawsie five times. After the fifth interaction, your character contracts Cat Fever. The screen distorts briefly to signal the disease has taken hold, and the Encounter quest officially begins.
Cat Fever Walkthrough — Detailed Steps
Step 1: Follow the quest marker to the Furr-vent Immortal, an NPC found petting a white cat nearby. Speak with them about your newly acquired Cat Fever.
Step 2: The Furr-vent Immortal asks you to obtain an Udug Bird Feather. Defeat the Utuk Raptor marked by the quest objective — it's a straightforward combat encounter close to the NPC's location. Return the feather to the Furr-vent Immortal.
Step 3: A strange black cat materializes in front of you. Pet it. This is supposed to cure your Cat Fever, but it doesn't work — the disease persists.
Step 4: A second NPC called the Purr-fect Immortal shows up, claiming he can help. He opens a tome and shows you a series of cat drawings. The Cat Fever still won't go away, and the Purr-fect Immortal abandons you.
Step 5: Your character passes out. When you wake up, you're surrounded by cats. Approach and pet the Cat-ismatic Immortal — a white cat who speaks to you directly.
Step 6: The Cat-ismatic Immortal offers to cure your Cat Fever, but only if you agree to become its servant. This is where your Mindset stat matters.
Agree or Disagree — Does the Choice Matter?
The Cat-ismatic Immortal presents its demand as a series of prompts. Your response depends on your Mindset stat:
| Mindset Level | Options Available | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 60 or below | Forced to agree | Cat Fever cured, quest ends |
| Above 60 | Can disagree to each prompt | Cat Fever still cured, quest ends |
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, you pet the cat three times, and the quest resolves the same way. There are no branching consequences, no hidden penalties, and no alternate rewards. The Mindset check is purely a flavor choice — a bit of extra dialogue defiance if your stat is high enough.
Cat Fever Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hero Title — Feline Friend | 1 |
| Echo Jade | 25 |
| Hexi Exploration | 25 |
| Enlightenment Points | 200 |
| Character EXP | 12,000 |
| Coins | 12,000 |
These totals include everything earned during the quest steps and upon completion. The Feline Friend title is exclusive to this Encounter.
Unlocking the Immortal Cat for Cat Play
After Cat Fever is complete, the Immortal Cat relocates inside the village of Stonewall Hold. Visit it there and pet it to register the entry in your Sentient Beings Cat Play collection for Jade Gate Pass. This is the only Cat Play kitty in the region that requires a quest to unlock — all others are available just by finding them on the map.
If you're working through Hexi's exploration checklist, knocking out Cat Fever early saves a return trip later. The quest itself takes only a few minutes once the prerequisites are done, and the 12,000 Character EXP alone makes it worth the detour.