Published on September 02, 2008 
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By now, many of you have already heard about all the changes coming to pets in Wrath. Their talent/training system is getting a complete overhaul. Pets will all be learning special abilities based on their family. But guess what? Cats are getting the shaft. Stable your kitties, little huntlets, the new pets are going to be more awesome. This will hopefully be a temporary circumstance, but the fact remains that at the moment, our precious feline friends are fubar.
Why Your Cat Sucks
Claw: it’s all you get. Well, Claw and Prowl. But seriously, who uses Prowl? Maybe Night Elves (though I never do) and PvPers (which I’m not); but that would be it, and it’s usefulness is still distinctly limited. I can see a Prowl + Eyes of the Beast combo being relatively useful for scouting in various situations, but isn’t that why we have Rogues and Druids?
No more Bite. No new special ability created just for the most popular pet family choice in the game. You got hosed, Tommy. You got hosed.
Why You Should Tame Something Else
Soloing: Tank Pets
For one, I can already tell you from personal experience that your dps pet probably won’t hack it for solo play anymore. From what I’ve seen in my questing experience in Howling Fjord thus far, my cat just couldn’t keep aggro off me. Now, whether this is deliberate or not, I can’t confirm. It may be a result of the changes made to Growl, or it may be a result of the changes made to pet talents. The fact remains, 95% of the time mobs ended up in melee range of me while soloing.
Sure, that’s great for practicing kiting, but I was doing that back in Ashenvale three years ago. I can live without it in Howling Fjord, kthx. Go tame yourself a bear or something (I picked up Lunchbox in Howling Fjord, just outside the Tuskarr settlement), they appear to work just fine for soloing–I haven’t had a single aggro problem since I got mine. Of course, this provides a whole new problem: having to find a stable every time you want to switch from solo to group play, but it’s either that or get real friendly with Wing Clip again. Pass on that. Soloing = lazy time.
Hey Blizz, don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely thankful for the extra stable slots you gave us, but it’d be way more awesome if you integrated pets into the new mount/non-combat pet interface to make switching from solo to group play that much easier. Thanks!
Grouping: DPS Pets
Currently, you can train just about any pet to be a passable dps pet. Unfortunately, with the talent changes coming to pets in Wrath, that will no longer be the case. Pet families that Blizzard has decided are best suited for tanking will have only the Tenacity tree available to them. Pet families that are designed as pure dps pets will only have the Ferocity tree available to them. Pet families designed for overall utility will have Cunning talents available. As such, you’ll need to choose your pets with care based on your intended purpose for that pet.
To get the most dps out of your pet, either for instances or raids, you’ll want to select a pet that utilizes the Ferocity talents. These are the +10% damage pets. While cats are still considered Ferocity pets (I should damn well hope so), the drawback is that as it stands currently in Wrath you won’t be able to teach them two damage dealing special abilities like you can on live servers now (ie, Claw and Bite), whereas other Ferocity pets will have two damage dealing special abilities available to them.
Choosing a New Pet
Since cats are no longer where it’s at for dps pets, what else is there?
Good question. I’ve had a cat of some form or another since level 10, and have never felt any desire to tame anything else. Sure, I had “try-out” pets that I tamed just to see what they were like (my warp stalker ‘Spyro’, some random wolf, even a turtle and a croc…), but kept them for all of five minutes. Maybe. I’m a kitty kinda gal. So, time to check out other +10% damage pets to replace Kali.
The choices:
- Carrion Bird
- Devilsaur
- Hyena
- Moth
- Raptor
- Tallstrider
- Wasp
- Wolf
You’ll notice Ravagers are not on that list. Oh yes, my friends, that’s right. Your ravagers got boned, too! In Wrath, Ravagers are no longer +10% damage pets. They’re going to be +5% damage pets. (This means ravagers will be considered “utility” pets, not pure dps pets, and will thus make use of the Cunning tree.)
I’m not particularly a huge fan of ravagers personally, so that’s not really a big deal to me. However, I know people who are, and they’ll no doubt be displeased by the change. Sorry, folks. Them’s the breaks, I guess.
So what are my choices?
Carrion Bird – I’ve got a big “F-That!” waiting for these guys. I can’t stand the Elune-awful noise they make. But, for those that are interested, Carrion Birds will have the following abilities available to them in Wrath: Bite and Demoralizing Screech.
Devilsaur – These guys are only available to Beast Mastery hunters with the 51-point talent Beast Mastery, which allows the taming of “exotic” pets. Devilsaurs will come equipped with the ability to learn: Bite and Monstrous Bite.
Hyena – I’m not much of a dog person, but I could probably dig these guys. They do have cute little paws… Hyenas will be able to learn: Bite and Tendon Rip.
Moth – This is another new pet coming to us in Wrath. Unlike Devilsaurs, any hunter will be able to tame one. I haven’t seen one in action yet, but I’m hoping they’re quieter than Carrion Birds. Moths will be able to learn: Smack and Serenity Dust.
Raptor – Another pet we know and love from classic WoW. I’ve never been a huge fan, though I do like the noise they make. My only problem with them is never being able to shake the feeling that I’m stuck in Jurassic Park. Raptors can learn: Claw and Savage Rend.
Tallstrider – Rejoice, pink flamingo fans! What was once a pet family with no percentage bonus to overall damage has joined the ranks of the great dps pets at +10% bonus damage. Tallstriders will be able to learn: Claw and Dust Cloud.
Wasp – Another new pet coming to us in Wrath; like Moths, Wasps can be tamed by all hunters. Wasps will have the ability to learn: Smack and Sting.
And last, but not least:
Wolf – Having seen some of the cool new wolves in Wrath, these guys seem like a likely cat replacement candidate for me. Unfortunately, wolves won’t be seeing any new abilities they couldn’t already train in classic WoW, so I may decide on something with a newer feel. Wolves can learn: Bite and Furious Howl.
(Note: Keep in mind, as always, all pets can learn Growl)
Making the Switch
As always, Mania’s got this pet stuff locked down. Head over to Petopia and check out the new info updates for Wrath and pick out shiny new dps and tank/utility pets to adopt. Cat Lovers, save up the extra cash to purchase your new stable slots so you don’t have to bid a permanent farewell to your feline friends.
Of course, WoWHead also has plenty of info on the upcoming pet changes as well, so be sure to take a gander at that stuff as well.
What will your kitty replacement be?
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Hrmmm…I never use Bite anyway (too much focus for too little gain, IMO). And as a Beast Master, is my soloing experience (re: cat holding aggro) going to be better, worse, or about the same as yours (assuming you’re still Survival in beta)?
Of course, a thought I had for solo play (or at least, leveling, even if I’m not solo) was to tame a chimera. Guess I should should check out Mania to see what to expect in that regard (or maybe the answer is in this week’s TNB episode!).
Gah…here I am, violating my covenant with myself to not get involved with WotLK planning!!
It’s YOUR fault!!
Kestrels last blog post..18 Is the New 25!!
@Kestrel: I use Bite in raids, mostly. It’s a fair focus dump, at any rate. I think I’m more peeved that all the other dps pets get their own snazzy focus dump in addition to Bite or Claw, and cats do not–they get Prowl (FTL). It would be nice to see two damage-dealing specials for cats.
Re: WotLK Planning… always happy to help, Kes.
No! Not my kitty, not my Ruka! I picked out my purple cat at level 10 before I even knew what a power-houses cats were.
This is going to so suck. Of course, this gives me an excuse to pick Helki (my wolf) back up on the original Tzia and have it be the main pet… hmm.
Still bummed about my cat though.
I forgot about Prowl…*sigh*. One of my hunters’ cats has it because it was an innate ability of that cat; I never use it. I know some hunters think it’s cute to stealth the cat can go…prowling…about an instance. That’s why we have rogues and druids. (I rarely, almost never use Mind Vision on my priest, either.)
Since Talonis doesn’t raid, never considered that use for Bite. Makes sense, though.
Meh. Maybe the fact my main is now my priest (through circumstance, not choice) is not entirely a bad thing.
Gah…meant to add I like the 3-column layout, a lot! With respect to comments, there’s a funky thing going on with the dates under our names, under our gravatars (the 02-09 I get; what’s the “-o”? (And why the Euro date styling? Just curious.)
At any rate, definitely looking good here lately!
Kestrels last blog post..18 Is the New 25!!
@Kestrel: Thanks! I decided it was time to make the switch to 3-columns. I had too much crap weighing down the sidebar in the 2-column layout, lol.
Re: the date: Hmm, might be something funky with the PHP date formatting. I checked it in the offline version and it seemed fine. I didn’t even notice until you said something that it wasn’t quite right on the live version.
(I swap between Euro and American date formatting all the time–on and offline–and I’m not sure why. I use both about 50% of the time. No idea where I picked up that habit. 
)
[...] Wrath: Your Cat is Lame [...]
I hate to tell you, but my cat is NOT lame. He is awesome. He keeps hiding my shoes as some kind of evil revenge for naming him “Tiddles,” but that’s OK since I keep putting his dinner on a high shelf where he can’t reach.
I don’t care that my Turtle is, right now, the best levelling/grinding pet; I don’t care that my cat’s DPS has been nerfed relative to other pets. He’s been my companion since I was level 16. Even when he’s old and grey (well, he’s already white,) he’ll still be my favourite little genocidal bundle of fur.
Also, he’s standing behind me and staring at me. I have to sleep some time, you know!
Itsnoteasys last blog post..Is There Someone Else Up There We Can Talk To?
@Itsnoteasy: I… don’t get it.
[...] The Hunter’s Mark – Your Cat is Lame [...]
Ravagers getting gimped
!? What the hell man! Kitties too? 
What about owls…
If I’m forced to change DPS pets I’ll go wasp, but for leveling I think I’ll get a bear, but meh…
Suggestions?
You said: “For one, I can already tell you from personal experience that your dps pet probably won’t hack it for solo play anymore.”
I think it’s premature to make this call. First off, Blizzard has stated that Growl currently sucks in the beta, and that they intend to fix it. And not just Growl — they haven’t yet done a threat pass on pets or pet abilities at all, they say. Moreover, it is their stated intention that all pets will be able to hold aggro. They haven’t gotten there yet in the beta, but that’s what beta is for. So I think it’s a bit early to panic.
I will also mention that your experience and mine differ. :> I have leveled to 77 with my faithful cat Cloud, and while there were some rough spots (especially at the low end, say at 72 & 73), he is currently doing quite well. Of course, that may change with the next build … and change back the build after .. and keep changing every build until they get pet aggro pinned down.
But I have faith that they will get pet aggro pinned down in a state where I can solo with my cat. And if it’s not right when they say they are done with it, then I will complain (aka give feedback). But until they’ve at least taken a pass at pet aggro, it’s really much too early to draw these conclusions.
Manias last blog post..Mania on Twisted Nether Blogcast
I’ll be getting a devilsaur since this will prob be the pet with the highest dps. only 25 focus for Monstrous Bite; 10sec cd and 3 x stackable. that’s a 9% damage increase!
Moth is looking nice aswell in non pet-friendly boss fights.
My cat isn’t the best pet for DPS anymore. But he’s such a huge part of my character that I really can’t see myself getting rid of or replacing him. It’d feel wrong to have someone other than Tiddles by my side.
If my guild said “look, we’d really benefit from you bringing pet X to this fight,” then I’d go out and tame an X and call him something like “Contractual Obligation,” but he’d never replace Tiddles.
I know lots of hunters will be dropping their cats like crazy, but my pets are more than just expensive-to-feed DoTs to me. I’m probably strange like that
Since level 80 hunter will get “Camouflage” that can make the hunter and his pet stealthed, “Prowl” of cats seemed meaningless.
For the “lame-like” cats, I would propose another family ability for cats:
Pounce: the cat pounces on enemy for X damage, this attack has 10% chance to stun the enemy. If pounce in stealth, it will have 100% chance to stun. Focus 25-35, cooldown 10 seconds.
@Mania: I also qualified it by saying “as it stands now” in the very first paragraph. I take it as a given that people understand information from the beta is subject to change (because, as you said, that’s what they’re for).
*sobs*
/waves to her faithful LeoLala
So… I noticed Wind Serpents weren’t on the list. As my secondary dps pet, I tamed Arashy, the rare elite from Ferrales. Does decent dps and holds aggro, but I’m wondering if they’re gonna get their “wings ripped” (haha) like the kitties got “declawed”.. (ok bad puns)
*continues to sob over stabled kitties*
Lalars last blog post..Not The Face Guild Website
But…but.. but *cries inconsolably* my current slots are ALL cats. I could never part with Snowfyre, Sooty and Snaggle…. Better start saving I guess.
Jezraels last blog post..A huntery look at My Hyjal: Rage Winterchill
Jalana will solo with her faithful Spider Ungweliante – no matter how gimpy they make spiders. I leveled from 1-68 with her trained, not knowing my pet had caster stats. Jalana’s BM, so I didn’t feel the pain very much. Grimalkin will still be my PVP/DPS pet, he is a 68 ripfang lynx from Netherstorm. I’ll train an exotic or two to get a feel for them, but Ungweliante will always be my first choice.
A problem I see is when the pre-Lich patch comes out; currently I have a ravager, and since that’s stuck in the cunning tree, I’m going to need to replace him with something from the ferocity tree.
Now, what level 70 beasts are there available in TBC that are in ferocity? Tallstriders or Cats. Being a cheap-skate, I prefer to cook my own pet food, so basically either need a meat/fish eater, or have to start buying pet food from vendors, yet more expense on top of arrows/pots/elixirs etc.
Alternatively, level up a lower-lvl wolf or something like that, but that’s just gimping my solo play for however long it takes to get a lvl 67 wolf (the highest I could see on Petopia) up to 70.
Oh well.
The main issue behind cats losing their DPS top spot is that they didn’t gain any new toys. Almost all other pets that were laughable pre-Wrath got a new toy in addition of a focus dump.
Ravagers, on the other hand, lost Gore, which granted them a higher DPS, matching or surpassing cats.
Me, I’m just happy that Umbra the Wolf will get the respect he deserves, while Lux the Owl will be testing PvP waters.
Question: What about dumping Claw and Cower for Instancing with your pet? It has been my understanding that Claw is a good focus dump, and having Cower will help in threat management for the pet. So, why can’t cats be great Instancing dps Pets?
Personally, I’ve never really used Prowl, except in BGs. I’ve practically never used it in PvE.
Assuming that they fix Growl before WotLK is released, I remember reading on BRK something about only having Growl on during lvling. It was in a question about Bite vs. Claw, and he recommended only having Growl on, to hold the aggro. What do think?
Thanks,
Zwingli/Trellis (Moonguard)
Zwinglis last blog post..Winterspring
Looks like kitties are back in the game. This just in this weekend.
Here are some changes you’ll see next build or so. I may have forgotten some.
– Taunt no longer shares a cooldown with Growl and Cower.
– Avoidance, not Great Resistance, is the prereq for Wolverine Bite.
– We are still trying to rework Heart of the Phoenix to get around the shortcomings.
– Tenacity and Ferocity pets lost their armor multiplier but it was given to all pets at base. The net effect is that Cunning pets won’t be at a stat deficit compared to the other trees.
– Roar of Recovery provides more mana.
– Lick Your Wounds now with faster licking technology.
– Carrion Feeder cooldown dropped to 30. We can’t easily change the range because this spells uses the same tech as the undead racial.
– Focus cost removed from Bullheaded.
– Not directly talent-related, but rather than reworking Prowl, cats got a second damage ability, Rake. It felt odd for them to shift from most desired pet to one of the least desired.
As far as who belongs to which tree, those decisions were made largely based on the pet special ability, not what ecologically makes more sense with the tree’s theme. Strong CC or other PvP-useful abilities were generally given the Cunning tree, just because we didn’t also want to see those same pets as the most popular when raiding or soloing. The goal is to have a lot more options about which pet you’re going to bring. With the Cunning stat change and tree rework, hopefully that will include those animals as well.
Ok, first of all, i know its a bit late to post here, buuuut…..i don’t care about any of that stuff (although most of this stuff has gotten better), i’m not giving up my kitteh! i’ve had him since lvl 13, had him all the way to lvl 70, and i’m not about to leave him behind now! its pretty clear to me that you don’t have any clue that some hunters actually get quite attached to their kitties and would not give them up for the world!……sorry if i sound a bit (more like a lot) rude, i just love my cat so much that i can’t believe someone would ever say that hunters should give up their cats (and yes, i know that some of this is untrue now, but i can’t help but say something about this, especially with so many hunters who hate cats)…and i see that you are a cat lover, sorry for kinda freaking out, i just love my cat soooo much….aaand one more thing, hyenas arn’t dogs, they’re more related to kitties, hehe
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