QUEST 87 · MEMBERS

A Tail of Two Cats

Missing: small black cat, answers to the name of Bob. Last seen on the 19th of Bennath. Please contact Unferth in Burthorpe.

A Tail of Two Cats — OSRS Wiki quest image
OSRS Wiki image for A Tail of Two Cats. OSRS WikiGame image © Jagex Ltd
Difficulty
Intermediate
Length
Medium
Quest points
2
Released
26 September 2005
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Before you start

Where to start

Talk to Unferth at his house in Burthorpe.

Items required

Enemies to defeat

None

STEP BY STEP

Walkthrough

Follow the chapters below. Click any screenshot or diagram to view it at full size.

Cat hunt

Items needed: a cat or kitten, 5 death runes, a catspeak amulet
Items recommended: a Varrock teleport, Games necklace

Head to Unferth's house in eastern Burthorpe, just north of the general store. You must have a cat or kitten with you throughout this quest, but you may choose to keep it in your inventory; it will jump out to participate in necessary dialogue.

Equip your catspeak amulet and talk to Unferth, who is distressed as they have not seen Bob the cat for a week. He asks the player to talk to Hild for help, who can be found in the house just north-east of Unferth. Hild will enchant your amulet into a catspeak amulet(e) for five death runes, giving it the ability to locate Bob.

Bob has one of the largest wander radius of all NPCs in the game, spawning outside Unferth's house every time there is a system update, after which he is allowed to roam up to 30,000 tiles in any direction. He is only found in Misthalin, Asgarnia, and the northern part of the Kharidian Desert. He cannot enter the Wilderness, nor pass through the Shantay Pass.

You may use the amulet to locate Bob, which works somewhat like a compass - when facing north, click the left or right whiskers to control the interface and point it in the right direction. However, he will often get stuck in a few common locations, and it may be faster to pick one of the following locations and World hop until you find him.

Note the following table is not an exhaustive list of locations, only common ones.

The interface of the Amulet of catspeak (e). This specific picture shows that Bob is south-east to the player's current location.
The interface of the Amulet of catspeak (e). This specific picture shows that Bob is south-east to the player's current location. Image source ↗
Location Map
Inside the Catherby archery shop View start location ↗
Inside the Draynor Manor northern fence View start location ↗
Inside the Varrock anvil building by the Smithing tutor View start location ↗

Strong lineage

Talk to Bob, who explains he wanted to be alone, having fallen in love with Neite, whom would never get involved with another cat with no family or status. Bob has no memory of his parents; the earliest he remembers is Gertrude taking care of him as a kitten.

Talk to Gertrude in her house just south of the Cooking Guild west of Varrock about Bob's family. While she doesn't know anything of his origins, your cat will realise that Bob might have something to do with the legend of Robert the Strong. Gertrude will suggest speaking to Reldo who might know more about the legend.

In the Varrock Palace library, talk to Reldo, who will read an excerpt from a book on the history of Gielinor that covers the folk tales surrounding Robert the Strong and his personal crusade against the Dragonkin. Remarking that it's odd that nobody knows where Bob comes from, your cat will suggest that Bob is in fact Robert the Strong.

Return to Bob, using the catspeak amulet to locate him if he has changed locations. Bob will not remember any of the details mentioned in the tales, with your cat suggesting that the Sphinx may be able to help with accessing Bob's memories of Robert the Strong via hypnosis.

Hidden memories

The Sphinx talking to Bob the cat in the desert.
The Sphinx talking to Bob the cat in the desert. Image source ↗
Items recommended: Nardah teleport and 200 coins for the magic carpet (100 with Ring of Charos(a)). Additional 80 coins if you are buying the desert outfit in Sophanem.

Head to Sophanem, using the pharaoh's sceptre to teleport there if you have one; otherwise a good option is to use a Nardah teleport, then take the magic carpet to Sophanem.

If you still need the desert outfit, you can buy it from Raetul and Co's Cloth Store., which can be found east of the Sphinx.

Talk to the Sphinx in Sophanem, south-east of the northern pyramid. Ask her for help, and after a bit, you'll have the option to view a five-minute cutscene or get a brief summary of what happens. If you choose the brief summary, you won't be offered the option of being teleported to Burthorpe.

During the cutscene, the Sphinx will teleport Bob to Sophanem and hypnotise him. Bob, thinking back on his earliest memories, recalls himself as Robert the Strong. He sees himself looking over at a tower beside Odysseus his panther companion, followed by a battle between them and a Dragonkin. The Dragonkin manages to slay the panther and weaken Robert, however Robert manages to kill the Dragonkin.

After the cutscene, the Sphinx summons Neite, explaining to her that unlocking Bob's memories has proved that he is in fact Robert the Strong. Neite will be impressed, with Bob asking the player to look after Unferth while the two go away for a few days. He will give the player a list of chores to help him with.

If you chose to hear the long version, you will be given the option to teleport back to Burthorpe; otherwise, you can make your way back there using the Minigame Teleport to Burthorpe Games Room (or games necklace if it is on cooldown).

Bob's list

Items needed: Catspeak amulet (wear it), A vial of water, logs, a tinderbox, a bucket of milk, a chocolate cake, shears, a rake, a seed dibber, 4 potato seeds, Desert shirt or Druid's robe top or Medical gown, Desert robe or Druid's robe
Items recommended: Varrock teleports, a games necklace
One of the chores Bob asks you to do while he is gone.
One of the chores Bob asks you to do while he is gone. Image source ↗

Returning to Unferth's house in Burthorpe, perform the following chores from the list given to you:

  • To tend the garden, use your rake on Unferth's patch in the yard just north of the house and plant four potato seeds.
    • The patch will take 15–35 minutes to grow. Your cat will notify you once it is done, assuming you completed the other chores by then. The chore will not count as completed until it is grown.
  • To tidy the house, make the bed by clicking on it.
  • To warm the human, use the logs on the fireplace and light it.
  • To feed the human, use (not eat), the chocolate cake and bucket of milk on the southern table. A slice of cake does not work.
  • To tidy the human, use your shears on Unferth to shave his hair. You will continue this animation until he becomes bald, so do not click away.

After you've completed the chores, talk to Unferth again. He'll tell you that he doesn't feel so good and insists to see a doctor, with your cat suggesting the Apothecary, found in the south-western portion of Varrock.

The Apothecary will tell you that he has visited Unferth countless times, whom is a hypochondriac - he isn't ill but thinks he is. He suggests the player convinces Unferth that they are a doctor or nurse and gives them a vial of water as a placebo. Pick either a doctor's hat or nurse hat from the Apothecary, and wear some white robes (princess robes and graceful outfit don't work).

Return to Unferth wearing the disguise and with your weapon/shield slot unequipped. The player will convince him that the vial of water is in fact a 'miracle cure' for all known illnesses, and a few unknown ones. After drinking the water, he will declare that he is cured. Your cat will then suggest that Bob must be back by now.

Love-cats

Find Bob again and talk to him; you may need to logout and login again to get him to reappear.

You'll see a cutscene showing all the adventures the two have been on, including a magic carpet ride in Sophanem, a conversation between Bob and the King Black Dragon (a player spoof known as R4ng3rNo0b889 also tries to attack the dragon, but the dragon kills him instantly), and a journey on the Fishing Trawler ship.

After the cutscene, you will be teleported in front of Unferth's house. Talk to Unferth, who will be happy to have Bob back, exclaiming that he came back on his own. He also found a present left under the bed, addressed to the player.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Bob's on Holiday
The music which plays during the adventures of Bob and Neite.
Quick checklist 23 instructions

Use this when you already know the route. The full walkthrough above includes explanations and diagrams.

Starting the quest

  1. Talk to Unferth in his house in northern Burthorpe with the catspeak amulet equipped and your cat with you.

    Say: I'll help you.

  2. Speak to Hild in the building north-east of Unferth's house.

  3. Hild requires 5 death runes to enchant the catspeak amulet.

Cat hunt

  1. Locate Bob the cat. The fastest way is to world hop at the Catherby archery shop, as he commonly gets stuck there. Alternatively, follow the steps to use the catspeak amulet to locate him:

    • Right click on the 'Locate' option on the amulet in your equipped items.

    • Click on the whiskers until the arrow and the eyes glow white.

    • Follow the arrow until you find Bob.

Strong lineage

  1. Talk to Gertrude in her house west of Varrock.

    Say: Ask about Bob's parents.

  2. Speak to Reldo in the Varrock Palace library.

    Say: Ask about Robert the Strong.

  3. Find and speak to Bob the cat again.

    • Bob may be in the same location you previously found him, so check there first.

Memories and Bob's list

  1. Go to Sophanem and speak to the Sphinx

    Say: Ask the Sphinx for help for Bob.

  2. Return to Unferth's house in Burthorpe and do the following:

    • Use your rake on the patch and plant potato seeds in it and wait until they are grown. Your cat will notify you when they are done (the patch will take 15–35 minutes to grow).

    • Make the bed.

    • Use the logs on the fireplace. Then light the fireplace.

    • Use the chocolate cake and bucket of milk on the southern table.

    • Use your shears on Unferth to cut his hair. You will continue this animation until he becomes bald.

  3. Talk to Unferth once all the chores are done.

Down with the "sickness"

  1. Travel to Varrock and speak with the Apothecary.

    Say: Talk about A Tail of Two Cats.

  2. Go to Unferth, unequip any weapons and equip the doctor's hat or nurse hat and desert clothing (top and bottom, make sure the clothing is white) and speak to him with a vial of water in your inventory.

  3. Locate Bob the cat again and talk to him. (Note that left clicking on Bob or Neite will interrupt the cutscene, putting you in Burthorpe but requiring you to find Bob and start it again).

  4. After the cutscene, talk to Unferth again.

QUEST COMPLETE

Rewards

  • A Doctor's hat or Nurse hat (you can switch by destroying your hat and requesting a new one from the Apothecary)
  • A present containing:
  • Two antique lamps worth 2,500 experience each in skills of your choice over 30
  • A Mouse toy (can be used to play with your cat, and functions as a fun weapon at the Emir's Arena)
  • Completing this quest awards the player with 5 Kudos which can be claimed by talking to Historian Minas in the Varrock Museum.

OSRS WIKI CONTRIBUTORS

Sources & credits

Walkthrough text and preparation lists are adapted from Old School RuneScape Wiki contributors under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Game imagery © Jagex Ltd; individual image sources are linked in their captions. This page is fan-made and not affiliated with Jagex.

Game icons © Jagex Ltd, via the OSRS Wiki. Interface icons by Lucide.