There are 8 different monsters in Lucid Cats, and each one has its own rules. Some become dangerous when I look at them, others move when I look away, and the Listener reacts to the sounds I make. In this guide, I explain how every monster works, what triggers it, how much damage it deals, and how I survive each encounter.
All 8 Monsters Guide
I use this guide as a complete reference for all 8 monsters in Lucid Cats, including their danger tiers, spawn chances, damage, behavior, and the safest way to deal with them both solo and with other players.
The Basics
Lucidity Is My Health
My lucidity starts at 100 and can drop all the way to 0. Monster attacks reduce it, and when I run out of lucidity, I leave the dream and begin spectating. While spectating, I can press E to switch between players.
- Lucidity barely drains by itself, so monsters are the main danger.
- Lucidity upgrades from the shop can reduce the damage I take.
What Counts as Looking at a Monster?
Several monsters react to being watched. The game counts me as looking at a monster when these conditions are met:
- The monster is close to the center of my screen.
- There is no wall blocking my view.
- I am within about 8 meters of it, or about 15 meters for Eyes and Flower Eye.
If I look at a monster from farther away than that, the game does not count it as looking.
Security Cameras
Watching monsters through a security camera on the laptop counts as looking at them for Eyes, Flower Eye, Jaw, and Ghost Cat. Cameras do not count for Mask, Smiley, or Dance Cat, which means I can safely monitor those monsters through the laptop.
General Monster Rules
- Doors do not protect me because monsters can push them open.
- A monster needs a clear line to me before it can hit me.
- After a monster knocks someone out, it ignores everyone for 10 seconds.
- Monsters eventually leave, but only when nobody is looking at them.
- Getting hit creates noise and can attract the Listener.
How Monsters Spawn in Lucid Cats
How the Night Works
A night runs from 12 AM to 6 AM and lasts about 7 minutes in real time.
- No monsters spawn before 1 AM.
- New monsters can arrive every hour until 5 AM, so the night becomes more crowded as it progresses.
- Monsters always spawn inside rooms that currently have no players in them.
Which Monsters Can Appear?
- Every monster has a danger tier from 1 to 3. Early nights mostly feature Tier 1 monsters, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 monsters become more common later in a run.
- I never encounter two copies of the same monster at the same time.
- There can never be more than 6 monsters alive at once.
- Monsters stay active for less time during the first few nights.
Monster Spawn Chances
These are the chances of each monster appearing during a night when I play solo:
| Monster | Night 1 | Night 3 | Night 5 | Night 10 | Night 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes | 36% | 41% | 47% | 54% | 60% |
| Flower Eye | 32% | 41% | 52% | 70% | 81% |
| Smiley | 36% | 41% | 47% | 54% | 60% |
| Mask | 37% | 41% | 47% | 54% | 60% |
| Jaw | 16% | 24% | 45% | 66% | 73% |
| Dance Cat | 16% | 24% | 44% | 66% | 72% |
| Ghost Cat | 19% | 25% | 40% | 67% | 74% |
| Listener | 13% | 21% | 37% | 67% | 73% |
| Average monsters per night | 2 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 5 | 5.5 |
More players also means more monsters. For example, with 4 players on Night 1, each Tier 1 monster appears roughly half of the time.
Lucid Cats Monster Quick Reference
| Monster | Tier | What Triggers It | Damage | Golden Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes | 1 | Nobody looking at it | 30 | Keep looking at it |
| Flower Eye | 1 | Nobody looking at it | 15, very fast | Keep looking at it |
| Smiley | 1 | I look at it | 30 | Freeze and hold its gaze |
| Mask | 1 | I look at it | 30 | Do not look, or run |
| Jaw | 2 | Walking past its doorway | 35 | Check doorframes first |
| Dance Cat | 2 | I look at it | 30 | Dance in place and keep looking |
| Ghost Cat | 3 | I look at it | 25 | Do not turn around |
| Listener | 3 | Noise | 100 | Freeze and stay silent |
Eyes – Tier 1
How Eyes Works
Eyes stays completely still whenever someone is looking at it, whether that is a player or a security camera. As soon as nobody is watching, it rushes toward the closest player. It is also the fastest monster in the game.
- Eyes always knows where the closest player is, so hiding does not help me.
- The first time it reaches me, it waits at a distance until I have seen it. It does not attack before that.
- Eyes does not activate the chase warning, which makes it easy to overlook.
How I Survive Eyes
- Once I spot Eyes, I keep it on screen while backing away.
- In co-op, one player can keep watching it while everyone else continues working. One person looking at Eyes freezes it for the whole team.
- A security camera aimed at Eyes also keeps it frozen.
- After about a minute and a half, Eyes disappears the next time everyone looks away instead of attacking.
| Danger | Tier 1 |
| Damage | 30 per hit, 4 hits to knock me out |
| Speed | Fastest monster in the game |
| Triggered by | Nobody looking at it |
| Stays for | About 1.5 minutes |
Flower Eye – Tier 1
How Flower Eye Works
Flower Eye follows the same basic rule as Eyes. It freezes whenever a player or security camera watches it, then rushes toward the closest player once nobody is looking. It moves a little slower than Eyes, but attacks much faster. If it reaches me, it can reduce my full lucidity to zero in about 3 seconds.
- Flower Eye always knows where the closest player is.
- When it finds me for the first time, it waits at a distance until I notice it.
- It does not trigger the chase warning.
- Flower Eye becomes more common each night and eventually becomes the most frequent monster during long runs.
How I Survive Flower Eye
- I use the same basic strategy as Eyes: find it, keep watching it, and back away.
- I do not let Flower Eye reach me, even briefly.
- Security cameras and teammates can keep it frozen for me.
| Danger | Tier 1 |
| Damage | 15 per hit, but attacks very quickly and can knock me out in about 3 seconds |
| Speed | Very fast |
| Triggered by | Nobody looking at it |
| Stays for | About 1.5 minutes |
Smiley – Tier 1
How Smiley Works
Smiley wanders around without attacking until I look at it. When I do, it starts a staredown and the message “Keep your eyes steady” appears.
- I get a short moment to prepare.
- For the next 5 seconds, I have to stay completely still and continue looking at Smiley.
- If I succeed, Smiley walks away and disappears shortly afterward.
- If I fail, it hunts me down faster than I can sprint and keeps attacking until it cannot reach me for a while.
After any staredown, whether I win or lose, Smiley and Dance Cat cannot challenge me again for about half a minute.
How I Survive Smiley
- When the warning appears, I stop moving and keep my crosshair on Smiley.
- If I do not want to start the challenge, I avoid looking at it from close range. Looking from farther away is safe.
- During the staredown I cannot look around, so I stay aware that Eyes or Flower Eye could be behind me.
| Danger | Tier 1 |
| Damage | 30 per hit, 4 hits to knock me out |
| Speed | Slow while wandering, faster than me while hunting |
| Triggered by | Me looking at it |
| Challenge | Stay still and hold its gaze for 5 seconds |
| Stays for | About 1.5 minutes |
Mask – Tier 1
How Mask Works
Mask normally wanders around without bothering me. The problem starts when I look at it from close range. Once that happens, Mask chases the player who looked at it.
- Mask is slower than my sprint speed.
- If I turn away, it continues chasing for a couple of seconds as long as it can still see me.
- Breaking line of sight immediately ends the chase.
- Security cameras do not trigger Mask, so I can safely watch it from the laptop.
How I Survive Mask
- I avoid looking directly at Mask when I am close to it. From farther away, I can watch it safely.
- If it starts chasing me, I look away and sprint. I am faster as long as I still have stamina.
- I can move around a corner to break its line of sight and immediately stop the chase, but I still watch for Jaw near doorways.
| Danger | Tier 1 |
| Damage | 30 per hit, 4 hits to knock me out |
| Speed | Slower than my sprint |
| Triggered by | Looking at it from close range; cameras do not count |
| Stays for | About 1.5 minutes |
Jaw – Tier 2
How Jaw Works
Jaw is an ambush monster. It chooses a doorway far away from every player and hides just inside the room beside the doorframe, waiting for someone to walk past.
- If I walk directly past its doorway, Jaw lunges and bites almost immediately.
- Its bite deals 35 damage, which is the strongest single hit in the game after the Listener.
- Jaw bites only once during each ambush before leaving to find another doorway.
- It gives up quickly if I escape or break line of sight.
- If nobody walks past for a while, it moves to another doorway.
- If someone watches Jaw from a distance or through a security camera, it teleports to another doorway as soon as nobody is looking.
How I Survive Jaw
- I check doorways from a distance before walking through them, especially when I am moving quickly.
- If I see Jaw waiting near a doorway, I either use another route or continue watching it until it moves.
- If it bites me, I get out of its line of sight. It will not bite again during the same ambush.
| Danger | Tier 2 |
| Damage | 35 per bite, 3 bites to knock me out, one bite per ambush |
| Speed | Quick lunge, but gives up quickly |
| Triggered by | Walking past its doorway |
| Stays for | About 1 minute |
Dance Cat – Tier 2
How Dance Cat Works
Dance Cat moves across a much larger area than most monsters, so it tends to find me. If I look at it, it starts a dance-off and the message “DANCE!” appears on my screen.
- I get a short moment to begin dancing.
- I then have to keep dancing for 5 seconds while looking at Dance Cat. Any dance works.
- Moving cancels the dance, so I have to stay in one place.
- If I succeed, Dance Cat walks away and disappears shortly afterward.
- If I fail, it chases me faster than I can sprint and keeps attacking until it cannot reach me for a while.
After a dance-off, regardless of whether I win or lose, Dance Cat and Smiley cannot challenge me again for about half a minute.
Dance Controls
- B: Starts or stops dancing using my last selected dance.
- 1-5: Selects a dance and starts it immediately.
How I Survive Dance Cat
- As soon as the message appears, I press a number key, stay still, and keep my crosshair on Dance Cat.
- Dancing makes noise, so if the Listener is nearby, I avoid looking at Dance Cat entirely.
- I make sure I do not confuse Dance Cat with Ghost Cat because they look similar but react very differently.
| Danger | Tier 2 |
| Damage | 30 per hit, 4 hits to knock me out |
| Speed | Slow while wandering, faster than me while hunting |
| Triggered by | Me looking at it |
| Challenge | Dance in place for 5 seconds while looking at it |
| Stays for | About 1 minute |
Ghost Cat – Tier 3
How Ghost Cat Works
Ghost Cat behaves like a stalker. Once it notices me, it quietly follows a few meters behind and watches me.
- Ghost Cat never attacks me unless I look at it.
- If I turn around and look at it, it begins chasing me, although it moves slowly.
- It gives up when I create enough distance or briefly break line of sight.
- If Ghost Cat reaches me at close range, its first attack lands almost immediately.
- If another player looks at it from close range, Ghost Cat switches its attention to them.
- Watching Ghost Cat through a security camera stops it from following me.
Ghost Cat or Dance Cat?
Ghost Cat and Dance Cat look very similar, and both react when I look at them, but the result is completely different. Dance Cat starts a dance-off, while Ghost Cat immediately begins chasing me.
How I Survive Ghost Cat
- If I think Ghost Cat is following me, I do not turn around. As long as I never look at it, it remains harmless.
- If I accidentally look at it, I move away. Ghost Cat is slow and stops chasing fairly quickly.
- In co-op, I can ask another player to check the cameras. A camera watching Ghost Cat stops it from stalking.
| Danger | Tier 3 |
| Damage | 25 per hit, 4 hits to knock me out |
| Speed | Slow |
| Triggered by | Me looking at it |
| Stays for | About 1 minute |
Listener – Tier 3
How the Listener Works
The Listener is blind and tracks me through sound. Its attack deals 100 damage, which is enough to knock me out from full lucidity in one hit unless I have damage reduction upgrades.
I think of the Listener as having three different stages:
- Wandering: It slowly walks around. If it hears a sound or I get very close to it, even while silent, it stops and sharply moves its head. That head movement is my warning.
- Listening: After stopping, it gives me 1 second to freeze. After that, any sound I make within about 8 meters causes it to lunge toward me extremely quickly.
- Investigating: If it hears a sound farther away, it walks toward the source. While investigating, there is no warning. Any noise within about 8 meters causes an immediate lunge.
Continuous sounds such as walking or talking need to last for a brief moment before they trigger the Listener. One-off sounds such as meowing or getting hit trigger it immediately. If I physically bump into the Listener, it notices me regardless of how quiet I am.
What the Listener Can Hear
Sounds traveling through walls only carry half as far.
| Noise | How Far It Carries |
|---|---|
| Standing still | Silent |
| Walking | Only up close |
| Dancing | Medium range |
| Getting hit | Medium range |
| Sprinting | Far |
| Voice chat | Very far when shouting, much less when whispering |
| Meowing or loud objects such as the phone and piano | Loud and instant |
How I Survive the Listener
- When I see its head snap, I immediately stop moving and talking.
- I walk instead of sprinting whenever the Listener is nearby.
- I whisper or mute my microphone around it because it can hear voice chat.
- I avoid meowing and interacting with noisy objects near the Listener.
- I keep as much distance as possible because it can only kill me when it gets close enough.
- If it has recently stopped to listen, I stay careful because it can stop again without giving me another warning.
| Danger | Tier 3 |
| Damage | 100, enough to knock me out from full lucidity |
| Speed | Slow normally, but its lunge is extremely fast |
| Triggered by | Noise within about 8 meters |
| Stays for | About 1.5 minutes |
Lucid Cats Survival Tips
- I use the laptop’s enemy tracker to see monsters as red dots on the map. This helps me plan routes around the Listener and see where monsters are moving.
- Security cameras freeze Eyes and Flower Eye, make Jaw move to another doorway, and stop Ghost Cat from stalking. Having one player monitor cameras can be extremely useful in co-op.
- After a staredown or dance-off, I cannot be challenged again for about half a minute, so during that period I can safely look at Smiley and Dance Cat.
- Voice chat creates noise for the Listener, so I keep quiet whenever it is nearby.
- When a monster knocks someone out, it ignores everyone else for 10 seconds. I use that window to get away.
Deadly Monster Combinations
Eyes or Flower Eye + Mask
These monsters create opposite problems. Eyes and Flower Eye need to be watched, while Mask becomes aggressive when I look at it from close range. Since Mask only reacts when I am nearby, I keep my distance from it and watch Eyes or Flower Eye from farther away. Mask can still be on my screen without reacting.
Smiley + Eyes or Flower Eye
A Smiley staredown locks my view onto Smiley, which means Eyes or Flower Eye behind me can move freely. When I play with others, I have a teammate watch my back during the challenge.
Dance Cat + Listener
Dancing creates noise. If the Listener is nearby and already listening, successfully completing Dance Cat’s challenge can still get me killed. I avoid looking at Dance Cat whenever the Listener is close.
Any Monster + Listener
Getting hit makes noise and can trigger the Listener instantly. If another monster attacks me while the Listener is nearby, that single hit can put me in immediate danger.
Mask + Jaw
Running away from Mask can make me rush through doorways without checking them first, which is exactly where Jaw can be waiting. I keep checking doorframes even while Mask is chasing me.