Players can choose 10 out of 23 cat villagers to move into homes their island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Having only cat villagers will require a lot Nook Miles, and players will likely need to spend a lot of time searching for them. Villagers have different tiers depending on their personality, so players may also want to consider which cats they let move into a home on their island.
The easiest way to get all cat villagers is to start from the beginning and only invite cats, which can be found on the deserted islands that players travel to. Each deserted island visit will cost players 2,000 Nook Miles in ACNH, but players that are just starting out can also earn two free tickets. The first is held by Orville at the Airport when players upgrade from a tent to a house, and the second one is sent to the player's mailbox on the day that the Resident Services building is being upgraded. Once players have a Nook Miles Ticket, they can travel to a deserted island to find a random villager.
Players can also invite specific villagers to move in if they visit the campsite, or if players invite them by purchasing and using Amiibo cards. Otherwise, players will need to farm for Nook Miles and visit deserted islands until they have 10 cat residents. Unfortunately, there's no way to increase the chances of finding a cat because the villagers on deserted islands are randomized, but players are likely to come across them if they have a large number of Nook Miles Tickets.
Inviting Cat Villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
For players that are starting from the beginning, earning Nook Miles in ACNH can be as easy as catching new bugs and fish, chopping trees, or picking up weeds. Players that already have a full island will have a much harder time switching out their residents for cats. They will need to completely ignore any resident they want to leave and wait for them to contemplate moving out. A villager that wants to leave is typically found near the beach, and they will have a thought bubble over their head. Players can then talk to them and encourage them to leave.
Next, players can use their Nook Miles Tickets to visit deserted islands until they find a cat. However, players with an established island will need to find a resident as soon as a home becomes available. If players wait more than a day to fill the home, then a random villager will automatically be invited to live on their island. There will also be a cooldown of at least 15 days in between villagers moving out, but players can get around the cooldown by time traveling in ACNH.
Players with full islands can also use the campsite or Amiibo cards to replace their villagers. When a cat is invited to or visits the campsite, players can ask them to move in. Doing so will replace a random villager, so players may have to close and reset their game multiple times if the wrong villager is replaced. After getting a non-cat villager to be replaced, players can repeat the process. The closer players get to 10 cat villagers, the harder this method will become.
Getting 10 cat villagers in ACNH can be a time-consuming task, but it's much easier for players that are starting from the beginning. At the start of the game, open plots won't be automatically filled, and it's easier to earn Nook Miles. Players that don't want to start over can still have 10 cat villagers, but it will likely take much more time and effort. For top-tier cat villagers, players will need to earn a large number of Nook Miles and visit a lot of deserted islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.