Asher Draycott Dec
16

What is Meowcoin (MEWC)? The Cat-Themed Crypto With a Charity Mission

Meowcoin (MEWC) isn’t just another meme coin with a cute cat logo. It’s a cryptocurrency built around a simple, heartfelt idea: use blockchain to help animals. Launched on September 4, 2022, Meowcoin was designed to fund pet shelters, support pet adoption programs, and even create digital pet IDs-all while letting everyday people mine it with their gaming PCs. No big investors. No pre-sale. No hype. Just code, cats, and charity.

How Meowcoin Works: Mining for a Cause

Meowcoin runs on the KaWPOW blockchain, a proof-of-work system built to be ASIC-resistant. That means you don’t need expensive, power-hungry mining rigs to participate. If you’ve ever mined Ethereum before it switched to proof-of-stake, you already know how to mine Meowcoin. All you need is a decent GPU-something like an NVIDIA RTX 3060 or AMD RX 6700 XT-and a few hours to set up the software.

Here’s the twist: every time a new block is mined, 5,000 MEWC are created. Out of that, 2,000 MEWC go to the miner. The other 3,000 MEWC? They’re automatically sent to the Meowcoin Fund. That fund pays for donations to animal shelters, pays for development, and covers marketing to spread the word. The project doesn’t rely on donations from users. It funds itself through mining.

The algorithm, called MeowPow, is a tweaked version of ProgPow. It’s designed to use up to 60% less electricity than standard ProgPow setups. That’s not just good for your power bill-it’s better for the planet. And because it’s ASIC-resistant, large mining farms can’t dominate the network. It stays fair for solo miners.

Merge Mining: Get Paid Twice

One of Meowcoin’s smartest features is merge mining with Litecoin (LTC). If you’re already mining Litecoin, you can mine Meowcoin at the same time-no extra power, no extra hardware. Your GPU does the work once, and you earn both coins. This isn’t just convenient; it boosts Meowcoin’s security. More miners on the network means it’s harder to attack.

For miners who already have rigs running for Litecoin, Meowcoin is basically free money. You’re not just earning crypto-you’re helping a shelter in Texas or a rescue in Poland get food and medical care for stray cats and dogs. That’s rare in crypto.

Market Reality: Tiny, Illiquid, and Risky

Don’t get fooled by the cute branding. Meowcoin’s market is tiny. As of December 2023, its market cap sits around $136,000. That’s less than the cost of a used car. And here’s the kicker: CoinMarketCap reported $0 in 24-hour trading volume. Zero. Not $1,000. Not $100. Zero.

Why? Because almost no one is buying or selling MEWC. The only exchanges that list it-Nonkyc.io, TradeOgre-are small, unregulated platforms. The bid-ask spread on these exchanges can hit 15% or more. If you mine 100,000 MEWC, you might not be able to sell them for what you think they’re worth. Slippage is real.

CoinGecko lists a total supply of over 7.5 billion MEWC, but the maximum supply is capped at 21 billion. That’s a lot of coins. At $0.00005906 per MEWC, you’d need to hold millions just to make $1,000. And if the full supply ever floods the market, the price could crash even further.

Experts are divided. Some call it a noble experiment. Others say it’s a dead end. Dr. Elena Rodriguez from the University of Zurich put it bluntly: “The technical design is solid. But without liquidity, the charity side can’t scale.”

Rescued cats and dogs near a glowing blockchain terminal, with floating MEWC coins like fireflies.

Real People, Real Donations

Despite the market chaos, real donations are happening. On Bitcointalk.org, a user named “ShelterVolunteer” confirmed in December 2023 that an animal shelter in Austin, Texas, received a $250 MEWC donation and successfully converted it to USD. Reddit users report sending 10,000 MEWC to local rescues-and getting receipts.

The Meowcoin team has a transparency portal. You submit your mining transaction hash, and they verify the donation. They claim to process 85% of requests within 72 hours. That’s more accountability than most crypto charities offer.

One user on Reddit mined 50,000 MEWC over two months with a single RTX 3070. They donated 10,000 MEWC to their local shelter. The shelter thanked them. Then they tried to sell the rest. Couldn’t find a buyer. That’s the reality.

What You Can Actually Do With Meowcoin

If you’re thinking of buying MEWC as an investment, stop. It’s not going to make you rich. But if you’re thinking of using it as a tool for good, here’s what you can do:

Mine it with your existing GPU rig and donate part of your rewards.
Merge mine with Litecoin to earn extra MEWC without extra cost.
Donate your MEWC to verified shelters via the official portal.
Hold it as a symbolic gesture-like owning a charity T-shirt, but digital.

You can’t pay for coffee with MEWC. You can’t use it on Coinbase or Binance. You can’t cash out easily. But you can use it to help a cat get spayed or a dog get a new home.

A miner at night with digital cats leaping from their screen, a real cat sleeping peacefully on their lap.

The Future: PetChain and Long-Term Survival

Meowcoin’s team has big plans. By 2025, they want to launch “PetChain”-a blockchain system that lets pet owners register their animals with unique digital IDs. Think of it like a digital microchip, but on the blockchain. That could help reunite lost pets, prevent fraud in pet sales, and even track medical histories.

They also plan to upgrade to Taproot and Segwit, which will make transactions cheaper and faster. That’s good news-if the project survives long enough to implement it.

But survival is uncertain. Only 12% of charity-focused micro-cap cryptos last beyond three years, according to Galaxy Digital. Meowcoin’s anonymous team, tiny community (around 2,300 members total across Telegram and Discord), and near-zero liquidity are red flags. If no one starts trading it, the donations stop.

Is Meowcoin Worth It?

Here’s the truth: Meowcoin isn’t for traders. It’s for tinkerers. For animal lovers who want to do more than just donate money. If you have a spare GPU and care about pets, mining MEWC is a meaningful way to spend your electricity. You’re not gambling. You’re contributing.

But if you’re looking to flip coins, make quick cash, or add Meowcoin to your portfolio for returns-you’ll be disappointed. The market is too thin. The risk is too high. The reward isn’t financial. It’s moral.

Meowcoin doesn’t promise to make you rich. It promises to help animals. And in crypto, that’s rare enough to matter.

Can I mine Meowcoin with my gaming PC?

Yes. Meowcoin is designed for GPU mining using consumer-grade hardware like NVIDIA or AMD cards. You don’t need expensive ASIC miners. Just install the mining software, connect to a pool or mine solo, and start earning MEWC. The MeowPow algorithm is optimized for efficiency, so it uses less power than most other proof-of-work coins.

Where can I buy Meowcoin (MEWC)?

Meowcoin is only listed on a few small exchanges: Nonkyc.io and TradeOgre. There is no trading volume on major platforms like Binance or Coinbase. You cannot buy MEWC with fiat currency directly-you’ll need to first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum, then trade it for MEWC on one of these exchanges. Be aware of high slippage and low liquidity.

Is Meowcoin a good investment?

No, not as a financial investment. With a market cap under $140,000 and near-zero trading volume, MEWC lacks liquidity. Selling your coins for cash is extremely difficult. Its value is tied to charity impact, not market demand. If you’re looking for returns, look elsewhere. If you want to support animal shelters while mining, then yes-it’s meaningful.

How does Meowcoin donate to shelters?

Every block mined sends 3,000 MEWC to the Meowcoin Fund. The team uses this to send donations to verified animal shelters worldwide. Users can also donate their own mined MEWC through the official portal. The shelter must confirm receipt, and the transaction is published on the website for transparency. Some shelters have confirmed receiving donations in USD after converting MEWC.

Can I sell my Meowcoin for cash?

It’s possible, but very hard. You’d need to trade MEWC on Nonkyc.io or TradeOgre for Bitcoin or Ethereum, then convert that to fiat. The bid-ask spread is often over 15%, meaning you lose money just to sell. Many miners report they can’t find buyers at all. If you mine MEWC, assume you’ll hold it or donate it-not cash out.

What’s the difference between Meowcoin and Dogecoin?

Dogecoin is a meme coin with massive liquidity and a huge user base. Meowcoin is a niche charity coin with almost no trading volume. Dogecoin’s donations are voluntary and handled by third parties. Meowcoin’s donations are built into the blockchain-3,000 MEWC per block go automatically to shelters. Meowcoin is smaller, more technical, and focused solely on animal welfare.

Is Meowcoin safe?

The blockchain itself is secure-it uses KaWPOW, which is battle-tested. But the project is run by an anonymous team, and there’s no formal legal structure. That means no accountability if something goes wrong. Wallets and mining software are safe if downloaded from the official site. But treat it like any small, unregulated crypto: don’t invest more than you can lose, and never share your private keys.

Asher Draycott

I'm a blockchain analyst and markets researcher who bridges crypto and equities. I advise startups and funds on token economics, exchange listings, and portfolio strategy, and I publish deep dives on coins, exchanges, and airdrop strategies. My goal is to translate complex on-chain signals into actionable insights for traders and long-term investors.