Privacy Policy
Last updated 5 November 2026
The short version
- Nothing about you is sent to us. If you say yes to “Help improve HouseCat?”, the app sends anonymous counts of what gets used; it is off unless you switch it on.
- There is no account and no sign-in. We never ask for your name, email or phone number.
- Your game save stays on your device (and in your device backup, if you make one). We can’t see it.
- HouseCat never reads your device’s location. The weather in the game is the game’s own; nothing is fetched.
- No advertising, no tracking, and nothing to sell.
- You can export or delete everything from inside the app.
- If you joined the waiting list on this website before launch, we keep your email address only to tell you HouseCat is out and send the odd bit of news. You can leave at any time.
At a glance: the App Store privacy label
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Data collected by the developer | Usage Data (product interaction) and Diagnostics (crash and performance data), only if you say yes to anonymous usage counts |
| Data used to track you | None. HouseCat has no advertising identifier and no tracking prompt. |
| Data linked to you | None |
Anonymous usage counts (only if you say yes)
After your first feed the app asks “Help improve HouseCat?”. It is off until you say yes, and you can change it any time in your cat’s settings. If you say yes, the app sends counts of what gets used, such as finishing the tour, opening the shop, playing a game, reaching a level or opening the app on a new day, to PostHog, our analytics service, on its servers in the EU. Each count carries the app’s version, how many days ago you first opened the app and which week that was, so we can see whether people come back. With the same yes, the app also counts it if it crashed, froze for a moment or was slow to open, from the reports your device makes for apps (the kind of problem and a rough length of time, never what was on screen). Counts made on your first day wait on your device until you answer: yes sends them, “Not now” deletes them.
A count never includes your name, your cat’s name, anything you type, your location, your device’s identifiers or your Apple Account. Each launch of the app uses a new random number, so counts can’t be joined into a history of you, and no profile of you is made. We use the counts only to improve the game, and we never sell them or use them for advertising.
Who we are
HouseCat (“the app”, “we”, “us”) is made by Josh Haines in London, United Kingdom. Contact: support@housecatgame.com.
What stays on your device
Your game save
Everything you do in the game (your cat’s look and name, your home and its town, furniture, Beans, streaks and so on) is kept as a save on your device. It is included in your iCloud or computer backup if you back up your device. The Home Screen widget keeps a small copy so it can show your cat, and your Apple Watch gets a small copy (your cat, its mood and your streak) directly from your iPhone. None of it passes through us.
Notifications, Siri and Shortcuts
Reminders are scheduled on your device at the times you choose; they are not sent from a server. Siri and Shortcuts actions (Feed, Stroke, “How’s my cat?”) run on your device.
Apple services the app uses
A few features use Apple’s own services. Apple handles that data under Apple’s Privacy Policy; none of it comes to us.
| Service | What is sent, and why |
|---|---|
| App Store | Purchases are made and processed by Apple. We never see your payment details or your Apple Account. |
| Crash reports | Only if you choose to share analytics with app developers in your device’s Settings, Apple may pass us anonymous crash reports. |
What we never do
- Show ads, use advertising identifiers or track you across other companies’ apps and websites.
- Sell, rent or share data with anyone.
- Read your device’s location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone.
- Ask you to create an account.
Your choices and rights
In the app, open your cat’s settings and choose Your data:
- Export my data gives you the whole save as a file.
- Delete all my data deletes the save, the widget’s copy, your reminders and your settings, and starts the game fresh. Deleting the app also deletes the save.
Under UK and EU data protection law you have the right to access, correct and erase personal data and to complain about how it is handled. For the app, we hold no data about you, so the in-app tools cover these. If you’re on the waiting list, email us to see, change or delete your address; for anything else email support@housecatgame.com and tell us roughly when you started playing and your cat’s name. You can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk, or to your local data protection authority.
Children
HouseCat is made for adults and is not directed at children. It has no account, no chat and no public profiles, and it collects no personal data from anyone.
The waiting list
Before HouseCat came out, you could join a waiting list on this website. The list is now closed, and it was always separate from the app.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What we keep | Your email address, when you signed up, the wording you agreed to, and which page or link you came from (for example our Instagram). Nothing else. |
| Why | To email you that HouseCat has launched, and now and then with news about it. Our lawful basis is your consent, given by ticking the box. |
| Where it’s kept | On our web host’s servers (Hostinger), in a file that isn’t reachable from the web. If we later send emails through an email service, your address is shared with that service only to send them. |
| Who sees it | Only us. We never sell, rent or share it with anyone else. |
| How long | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it. |
| Leaving | Use the unsubscribe link in any email, or email hello@housecatgame.com and we’ll delete your address. |
This website
housecatgame.com uses no cookies, analytics or trackers, and loads nothing from other companies. Our host keeps standard server logs (such as IP addresses) for a short period, for security. If you email us, we use your email only to reply.
Changes
If a future version of HouseCat sends any other data, we will update this policy before that version is released and show the change in the app. The date at the top says when this policy last changed. On 4 November 2026 we added the anonymous usage counts above, which are off unless you say yes.
Questions about privacy: support@housecatgame.com