Mewgenics Inbreeding Explained: How It Works And How To Avoid Inbred Cats
In Mewgenics, inbreeding is calculated using a real scientific formula called the Coefficient of Inbreeding. It is not just based on shared grandparents. The game tracks actual genetic relationships across your cats’ family trees.
If two cats are too closely related, their kittens have a higher chance of being born with inbred mutations. These usually come with negative effects.
Here is how it actually works and what you should do about it.
How Inbreeding Is Calculated In Mewgenics
Mewgenics does not use a simple rule like no shared grandparents.
Instead, it calculates something called the Coefficient of Inbreeding, often shortened to COI. This is a real world genetics measurement used in animal breeding.
What that means in game:
The system looks at the full ancestry of both parent cats
It checks how genetically related they are
It calculates a value based on shared bloodlines
That value determines the risk of inbred birth defects
This goes deeper than just checking 1 or 2 generations. Even if cats do not share grandparents, they can still be genetically related further back.
The system is recursive and tracks kinship across all living cats. It does not cap at 5 generations like some games might. It remains accurate no matter how long your save file runs.
What Happens If You Inbreed Cats
If you breed cats that are closely related:
Kittens may be born with inbred mutations
These mutations often come with stat penalties
Some rare ones can have small upsides, but most are negative
If you repeatedly breed identical or nearly identical cats, defects become more likely.
This prevents you from cloning the same perfect cat forever without consequences.
Are Stray Cats Safe To Breed With
Strays are extremely important.
They introduce fresh bloodlines into your gene pool. If you only breed within your own family tree for many generations, your COI values will climb.
Bringing in strays helps:
Lower overall kinship risk
Prevent pedigree collapse
Reduce long term inbreeding penalties
If you are min maxing breeding, always rotate in new genetic lines.
Is The No Shared Grandparents Rule Safe
Not necessarily.
In real genetics, even distant relatives can share ancestry. Mewgenics models this more realistically than a simple shared grandparent check.
If two cats have completely separate ancestry trees in your save, then risk is very low.
But if your whole population descends from 1 early super cat, even distant pairings can still carry elevated COI.
Can You See Family Trees In Game
Yes, eventually.
You unlock the ability to view cat family trees. This helps you:
Track bloodlines
Avoid close sibling pairings
Manage long term breeding plans
If you are serious about breeding optimization, this feature is critical.
Best Practices To Avoid Inbred Kittens
If you want strong, stable bloodlines:
Avoid breeding siblings or parent child pairs
Rotate in stray cats regularly
Spread strong stats across multiple branches instead of stacking 1 direct line
Watch for repeated names in the ancestry tree
Do not rely only on surface level checks. Think long term.
Why The System Exists
Without inbreeding penalties, you could:
Clone the same high stat cat
Run identical builds forever
Ignore the infinite variety theme of the game
Inbreeding penalties force genetic diversity. That keeps breeding interesting instead of solved.
It is surprisingly deep for a roguelike.
Final Blurb
Mewgenics uses a scientifically inspired Coefficient of Inbreeding system to calculate genetic risk. It goes far beyond simple shared grandparents and tracks full bloodlines across generations. If you keep breeding within the same family tree, defects become more likely. Rotate in stray cats and diversify your lines to keep your kittens strong.
FAQ
Does Mewgenics use real genetics math?
Yes. It uses a version of the Coefficient of Inbreeding, a real world breeding metric.
Is no shared grandparents safe?
Not always. The system checks deeper ancestry than just grandparents.
Do inbred cats always have bad mutations?
Most inbred mutations are negative, though a few rare ones may have small upsides.
Do stray cats reduce inbreeding risk?
Yes. Strays introduce new genetic lines and help lower long term kinship risk.
