The best first pets to keep in Catch And Tame are the ones that either raise your income quickly, help you move around, or matter later for breeding. Do not hold every starter animal just because it is new. Keep a few until your pen is working, then start replacing 1 BPS pets with stronger catches.
For the full game hub, use the Catch And Tame wiki. For every pet row, rarity, biome, BPS, breed-only status, and mount status, the Catch And Tame pets list has the full reference.
Replace most 1 BPS pets once better options appear
Most common starter pets are useful only because they are easy to catch. Chicken, Cow, Goat, Pig, Sheep, and similar early animals can fill your pen at the start, but they should not stay forever if you have stronger choices available.
Rabbit and Cat are small upgrades at 2 BPS, so they are fine while your pen is empty. The first common pet that really changes the decision is Crab. Crab is listed at 14 BPS from Ocean Surface / Beach, so it is worth keeping once that route or area is reachable.
The first keepers to watch for
Use this short priority table when your pen starts filling up:
| Pet | Why keep it early? | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Crab | A common pet with 14 BPS, far above most starter commons. | Keep it once beach or ocean access is practical. |
| Platypus | An uncommon river pet with 26 BPS, making it one of the strongest early income targets. | Treat it as a route target, not something every brand-new player will catch immediately. |
| Horse | A rare Grasslands pet with 12 BPS and mount utility. | Keep one if travel feels slow, even when another pet earns more. |
| Bear | A rare Forest pet with 19 BPS and rideable status. | Stronger than many early catches and useful if you can handle the route. |
| Capybara | A rare Jungle pet with 16 BPS and later breeding value. | Save it because it is part of the Giraffe path. |
| Monkey | A rare Jungle pet with 16 BPS and later breeding value. | Save it because it is part of the Toad path. |
Crab and Platypus are the cleanest early income upgrades in this group. Horse and Bear are useful because movement matters while you are still opening routes. Capybara and Monkey are less about immediate power and more about not selling pets you may need later.
Keep one rideable pet before chasing only BPS
BPS matters, but it is not the only reason to keep a pet. A rideable pet can save time while you move between areas, check spawns, or return to your pen.
Horse is a simple first rideable option if you find it before stronger mounts. Bear is a better keeper when available because it has higher BPS and still gives mount utility. Once your pen has enough income, you can replace the weaker ride later, but keeping one early rideable pet is usually more useful than holding another low-BPS filler animal.
Save breeding parents instead of selling every mid-tier pet
Some pets are worth keeping because they feed into later recipes. Capybara matters because Alligator plus Capybara can lead to Giraffe. Monkey matters because Elephant plus Monkey can lead to Toad. Those recipes are covered in the Catch And Tame breeding recipes, but the early rule is simple: do not sell useful parent pets just because they are not your highest BPS pet today.
This does not mean you should rush breeding immediately. Build a stable income base first, then start saving parents when you can afford the pen space.
Spend bait, food, and lasso time on pets worth keeping
Some early pets are gated by timing or items. Wolf is listed with a Bone Bait requirement, Forest Wolf and Moon Cat are night-only, and Turtle is tied to rainy weather. These can be worth catching, but they are not as simple as grabbing every common pet nearby.
Use food with the same logic. Steak increases pet weight and BPS, so it is better spent on your best kept pets than on 1 BPS filler. The Catch And Tame items page is useful when you need to compare food, Bone Bait, and other consumables.
Your lasso also changes what feels worth chasing. The Old Lasso is enough to start, but better range or power makes harder catches less painful. If you are missing too many catches, check the Catch And Tame lassos list before forcing a route your current gear cannot handle comfortably.
A simple early keep-or-replace rule
Keep your first easy pets only until better BPS, utility, or breeding value appears. Replace most 1 BPS commons, keep Crab and Platypus when their areas are reachable, hold one rideable pet for travel, and save Capybara or Monkey for later recipes.
After that, your next best pet depends on your route. If you are farming income, keep the highest BPS pet you can catch reliably. If you are preparing for breeding, protect parent pets. If you are wasting time on missed catches, upgrade your lasso before chasing harder animals.
