If you’re reading this, then chances are, you have a love for our furry, feathered, or scaled friends. Why not enhance your app collection on your phone with these animal-themed apps?
5 APPS FOR THE ANIMAL LOVER IN YOU
In this day and age, it’s easy for people to overlook that they practically have their whole lives on their phones. And what’s even more important, they reflect their lives and their concerns in what apps they have on their phone.
Since we Animal Scene readers love animals, it only makes sense for us to choose apps that exemplify our love for our expanded family, be it for fun, education, or actual usefulness when it comes to animal matters.
Here are some of apps that can make your app collection more fun to use.
FINCH
As today’s world becomes a challenge when it comes to mental health, the very first thing you should have on your phone is a self-care app that helps you keep an eye on your own state of mind.
Enter Finch, an app that pleasantly gamifies activities that can help you deal better with the stresses of everyday life. The app – and its mascot – was named after, of course, Finches.
These birds work better with others, being cooperative and social by nature. This is pretty much how mental health is like, and so that’s how the app got its name.
As a game, the app works by setting goals for you to finish within the course of the day – this translates to unlocked items or stories that will apply to your personal Finch. What makes the app amazing is that the goals are worded and presented in such a way that no judgment is rendered on the value of the goals themselves. Simply put, they are goals you have set to make the day more fun for you.
Finch is available for iOS and Android devices. It has in-app purchases.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Finch mascot is based on Atticus Finch, from the book To Kill a Mockingbird.
Atticus is a character who is seen as wise, compassionate, respectful, and consistent. He’s a wonderful character guide for those who seek to find a mental balance!
FOREST ISLAND
Now, here is one game that will grab the interest of people who want both a virtual getaway from daily life and a hand at virtual worldbuilding to keep their interest.
The premise of Forest Island is simple: You make your own natural habitat on an island. There are many environments and animals to choose from, and even weather patterns.
It also has a gamified environmental cleanup component, which nets you rewards as you clean up beach debris.
One other important aspect of the app is its audio: Relaxing music and ambient background noise are a part of the experience. This way, you can treat the app not only as a world-building game, but also as a way to release stress in between daytime activities, or to wind down after a long day.
These attributes make the app rather unique, in that it isn’t really competitive (though some people can find it so); it is overall an app for mental relaxation and centering.
Forest Island is available for iOS and Android devices. It has ads and in-app purchases.
DID YOU KNOW?
If you love the idea of an island utopia for animals, you might like to watch a recent animated film, The Wild Robot, from DreamWorks Animation. You can’t help but laugh and cry when you watch how a futuristic robot learns how to love and protect their animal friends and the island they end up living on.
If you want your kids to watch with you, make sure you’re ready to explain a bit about environmentalism.
PET FIRST AID
For the more practical among us, the Pet First Aid app by the American Red Cross is a must-have app. Pet First Aid is essentially a medical guidebook for animal-centered emergency care that can mean life or death for your furry family member.
The app includes emergency procedures for many of the common medical issues for Cats and Dogs, and it also includes programmable content, such as veterinary contact info and preventive care with an early warning sign checker.
It is also customizable, and you can set more than one profile to keep records and have custom knowledge bases for each of your furry family members.
However, it should be noted that the app is in no way a replacement for actual professional medical care. At best, it can prevent more injuries from happening so that there will be less to worry about once your loved one is in the hospital. In essence, it is a combination of a diagnostic info book and an emergency checklist.
Pet First Aid is available on iOS and Android devices. It is a free app.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can actually learn how to give animal CPR, all the way from Cats and smaller Dogs to large barrel-chested canines.
The most basic knowledge can be found in the American Red Cross’s webpages.
NEKO ATSUME (all of the apps!)
For all the Cat lovers out there, it’s impossible to not have this app.
The premise is simple: Get some Cat playthings for your virtual yard or living room, and then wait for all the Cats to come in and play.
There is no actual competition, so to speak, only that you will enjoy seeing virtual Cats have fun with the world you’ve created.
Neko Atsume is all about collecting experiences, with the app user trying to get even “rare” Cats in the neighborhood to show up. And that’s where the gamification begins: finding the right toys and items that will make the unusual Kitties show up.
Of course, the Cats will give you Fishes and mementos.
The only competition, really, is with a Cat logbook that serves as proof of which neighborhood Cat has already visited your virtual space. There is no actual end game to Neko Atsume. As long as you can provide the virtual Cats with food, you will always have feline guests coming over.
The Neko Atsume family of games is available in iOS and Android devices. It has in-app purchases, but can be played free.
DID YOU KNOW?
There is a 2017 Japanese movie based on Neko Atsume: Neko Atsume no ie, “The House of Cat Collection.” It involves a writer who has trouble writing, a small house, and of course, a lot of Cats.
AQUARIUM LAND – FISHBOWL WORLD
For those who want a more competitive edge to their animal app, Aquarium Land may just be the right thing for you, with its mix of aquaculture and world-building.
The premise is simple: By buying the right Fishes and sea animals, you can create a profitable sea park, which in turn will give you more resources to keep on going and improving your seapark.
There are also various games within the sea park itself to keep you from getting bored with just the app itself.
For people who would like to have an aquarium but there’s no space for one in their apartment or condo unit, this app is a perfect way to have a game and at the same time fulfill one’s fantasy about having aquatic family friends.
Aquarium Land is available for iOS and Android devices. It can be played free, but the in-app purchases make everything better.
DID YOU KNOW?
If you have a PC or laptop, you can also install Aquarium Land on one with a Windows OS.
WE PROMISED 5, BUT HERE’S 1 MORE APP!
It should come as no surprise that our talent here in the Philippines has also been working on an animal-themed app. In this case, it’s Animal Town, a casual simulation game where app owners can work with talking animals to manage their own virtual town.
Gameplay is done through quests that can be about real-world conservation activities, information, and answering trivia.
And while the user is enjoying the app’s games, they are also learning about how to protect Philippine wildlife.
Check out our March 2025 issue for more information about this app!
Animal Town is available for iOS and Android devices. It has in-app purchases, and can also be played free.
DID YOU KNOW?
Animal Town is actually geared toward generating funds for environmental efforts. It was developed through the United Nations Development Programme’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative, or BIOFIN.
