Overview
Starsand Island features 12 animals that players can form relationships with across the island. The majority are cats and dogs, but you will also have the opportunity to befriend a squirrel, a capybara, a fox, and even a panda. Most pets are adopted by building a relationship through daily feeding and interaction until you reach Affection Level 3. Two pets can be purchased directly from the Woof and Wow Pets shop in Starsand Town, and one (Booboo the panda) has a unique adoption path.
How Adoption Works
Adopting a wild pet follows a consistent process for most animals on the island:
Locate the animal. Use the Residents icon on the left side of your map menu and scroll down to the pet section. Select the pet you want and press Track to see its location.
Approach slowly. Some pets are skittish and will run if you sprint toward them. Switch to walking mode when you get close.
Greet and pet the animal. Interact with the pet to start building your relationship each day.
Feed the animal. Open your inventory and give the pet a food item. Each animal has preferred foods that grant more Affection Points.
Repeat daily. You can feed each pet once per day. After roughly 10 to 15 days of daily feeding with favorite foods, you will reach Affection Level 3.
Adopt at Level 3. Once you hit Affection Level 3, the option to adopt the pet becomes available. After adoption, you can continue raising the relationship to Levels 4 and 5 for additional interactions.
Affection Points
The amount of Affection Points you earn per feeding depends on the food quality:
Food Type | Affection Points per Day |
|---|---|
Loved food (pet's favorite) | +15 |
Liked food (acceptable but not favorite) | +10 |
Disliked food | Minimal or no gain |
Using a pet's favorite food consistently is the fastest path to Level 3. It typically takes 10 to 15 days of feeding with loved foods to reach adoption eligibility.
Pet House
Before an adopted pet can live on your property, you need a Pet House. If you adopt from Stella's pet shop (Woof and Wow Pets), she provides a Pet House blueprint automatically as part of the purchase. For wild pet adoptions, you must buy the Pet House blueprint separately from Stella for 100 coins. Build the Pet House on your property and your pet will move in.
All Adoptable Pets
Below is a complete list of every pet in Starsand Island, organized by how they are obtained.
Wild Pets
Name | Species | Location | Favorite Food |
|---|---|---|---|
Squirrel | |||
Siamese Cat | Plaza, center of Starsand Town | Yellowtail Damselfish, Royal Twig Catfish | |
Orange Cat | Wanders Starsand Town | Sheep Cheese Block | |
Black-and-White Cat | Beach at Half-Moon Bay | Sheep Cheese Block | |
Scrappy (wild) | Black-and-White Dog | Wanders Starsand Town | Sheep Cheese Block |
Black Shiba Inu | Celeste Berry | ||
Pink Fox | Grassy areas near Flower Corridor | Sheep Cheese Block |
Note: Bobo is currently bugged for some players and cannot be interacted with. If you encounter this issue, check for game updates or patches that may resolve the bug.
Shop Pets (Woof and Wow Pets)
The pet shop Woof and Wow Pets is located on the north side of Starsand Town. It is run by Stella and is open from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Two pets are available for purchase:
Name | Species | Price |
|---|---|---|
White Kitten | 7,500 coins | |
Scrappy (shop) | Brown-and-White Puppy | 7,500 coins |
When you purchase a pet from Stella, she provides a Pet House blueprint for free, saving you the separate 100-coin purchase. These shop pets are ready to take home immediately without any affection grinding.
Special Case: 404 (Stray Kitten)
The stray kitten 404 has a unique adoption path that differs from the standard befriending process. During early-game progression, you will encounter this homeless kitten for the first time.
After meeting Stella and visiting the Exploration Club, you will learn to use a slingshot and how to open the Moonlit Forest gate.
Craft a fishing rod, catch a fish from the river near your cabin, and bring it to the stray kitten.
Feed the fish to the kitten. Pastelle will then speak with you about adoption.
When Pastelle asks about adoption, agree. She will give you a Bamboo Cat Ear Pet Bed recipe.
Craft the pet bed using 1 Bamboo Strip and 3 Flannel.
Take the completed pet bed to Stella at Woof and Wow Pets (do not place it in your home). Talk to Stella while holding the bed to finalize the adoption.
After adoption, the kitten is named 404. This is an intentional name, not a bug. The game does not currently support changing pet names. 404's favorite foods include Moorish Idol and Sheep Cheese Block.
Special Case: Booboo the Panda
Booboo is a panda found at the Panda House east of Cloudrest Lake. Unlike every other pet, Booboo is not technically adoptable. She has her own unique interaction system and will remain at her home area even after you reach maximum relationship level.
To start befriending Booboo:
Gather fresh bamboo shoots (you will need 15 for the first interaction).
Approach Booboo while holding the bamboo shoots. She will not accept petting or other foods initially.
Feed her the bamboo shoots to start the relationship.
Continue visiting and feeding bamboo on subsequent days to raise your affection level.
While Booboo never moves to your property, leveling up your relationship unlocks special interactions and dialogue unique to this character.
Best Foods for Multiple Pets
If you want to efficiently befriend multiple pets at once, stock up on these foods that are favorites for several animals:
Food | Pets That Love It | How to Get It |
|---|---|---|
Sheep Cheese Block | Craft from Sheep Milk at Cheese Maker | |
Forage from fields in Hopeland (free and abundant) | ||
Celeste Berry | Forage from bushes around the island |
Sheep Cheese Block is the most universally useful pet food, covering four different animals. If you keep a sheep and a Cheese Maker running, you can produce enough to feed multiple pets each day.
After Adoption
Once a pet is adopted and placed in a Pet House on your property, you can continue interacting with it daily. Adopted pets follow you around your farm and provide companionship. You can continue feeding and petting them to raise the relationship beyond Level 3 to Levels 4 and 5, which unlock additional emote interactions.
Pets in Starsand Island are purely for companionship and cosmetic enjoyment. They do not produce items or perform farm tasks like rabbits or chickens do.
Tips
Start befriending Mellowhen and Zippy first since they are located in Hopeland (your starting area) and their favorite food, Pasture Grass, is free to forage.
Keep a few Sheep Cheese Blocks in your inventory at all times. You can feed four different pets with the same item, making town visits very efficient.
Use the map tracking feature (Residents tab) to quickly locate any pet you are working on befriending.
The 404 kitten quest triggers automatically during the main story, so you will not miss it.
If you have 7,500 coins to spare, buying Nana or Scrappy from the shop is the fastest way to get a pet with zero wait time.