Neko Next

Neko Next is an enhanced fork of the classic desktop cat with a modern system tray interface! Neko is a cat that chases the mouse cursor across the screen, an app written in the late 1980s and ported for many platforms.

This enhanced version adds convenient system tray controls, customization options, and quality-of-life features while maintaining the nostalgic charm of the original.

✨ Features

Neko Next includes a convenient system tray menu with the following options:

• Sleep Toggle - Manually put Neko to sleep or wake them up
• Teleport to Mouse - Instantly bring Neko to your cursor position
• Stay on Primary - Automatically put Neko to sleep when your mouse leaves the primary monitor (Windows)
• Click Through Mode - Let mouse clicks pass through Neko
• Sound Toggle - Enable or disable Neko's sounds
• Adjustable Speed
  • Slow (1x)
  • Normal (2x) - Default
  • Zoomies! (4x)
  • Ludicrous! (8x)
• Adjustable Size
  • Small (1x)
  • Normal (2x) - Default
  • Big (3x)
• Adjustable Opacity
  • Solid (100%) - Default
  • Ghost (50%)
  • Ninja (20%)
• Run on Startup - Automatically start Neko Next with Windows
• Settings Persistence - All your preferences are saved to neko_settings.json

🚀 Installation

Download Pre-built Binary

Download the latest release from the Releases page.

Build from Source

Prerequisites:

• Go 1.24+ installed on your system
• CGO enabled (required for Ebiten)

Windows:

set CGO_ENABLED=1
go build -o neko.exe main.go

Linux/macOS:

export CGO_ENABLED=1
go build -o neko main.go

🎮 Usage

Simply run the executable! Neko will appear on your screen and start chasing your mouse cursor.

• System Tray Icon - Right-click the cat icon in your system tray to access all settings
• Quit - Select "Exit" from the system tray menu to close Neko

All settings are automatically saved and will be restored the next time you run Neko.

🛠️ Development

Run from source:

export CGO_ENABLED=1
go run main.go

Install globally:

cd neko-next
go mod tidy
go install

Make sure your Go bin directory is in your $PATH:

export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin

🎨 About

This code is a re-implementation using Golang and has no relationship to the original software. This version does not use any part of the original source code except sprites and sounds.

Built with Ebitengine, an incredibly easy-to-use gaming library with a vibrant community.

🙏 Credits

• Original Neko concept from the late 1980s
• Base implementation inspired by crgimenes/neko
• Enhanced with system tray features by DaDevMikey

🤝 Contributing

Please follow our contribution guide.

📝 License

See LICENSE file for details.