Chonk Finder App Has Gamified Neighborhood Cat Spotting
The new mobile application encourages users to explore their local communities by documenting and collecting digital cat cards.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Cats
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Courtney Majewski and Junaid Ahmad developed the Chonk Finder mobile application, which allows users to photograph local cats to build digital card collections. The platform is currently available for use in 24 countries.
Why it matters
The founders created the app to encourage people to spend more time outdoors while building local community connections through a shared interest in feline sightings. This digital project aims to foster local engagement by mimicking the social experience of neighborhood cat walks.
Users can access the app across 24 countries to document cats. Participants who successfully photograph 40 cats earn physical trading cards, with top users, such as one individual in Salem, Oregon, documenting up to 80 cats.
The players
Courtney Majewski
A co-founder who helped develop the Chonk Finder app after moving to Victoria.
Junaid Ahmad
A co-founder and content moderator who manages the digital platform.
The details
The application functions by having users photograph cats they encounter in their immediate neighborhoods to generate digital trading cards. Junaid Ahmad manages all app content moderation, and the founders hired an illustrator to assist with the production of the physical rewards. The software was specifically designed to replicate the community social experience of the Fernwood Cat Walk on Vancouver Island.
Timeline
2020: The founders moved to Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2026: The application is currently in use across 24 countries.
Next year: The founders plan to partner with the Fernwood Cat Walk.
The Home Front
The Chonk Finder app marks a shift in how neighborhood social activities are adapted for digital platforms. This development follows the pattern of the Fernwood Cat Walk, which previously established the area as a hub for organized feline-focused community engagement.
If you are interested in exploring your neighborhood, download the app to see if there are other cat-spotters active in your area. You can work toward collecting 40 documented cat sightings to earn a set of physical trading cards.
The takeaway
Gamified local exploration can be a meaningful way to encourage neighborhood activity and community building. You can start by observing cats in your vicinity and checking the app leaderboard to track your progress toward the 40-cat milestone.
What happens next
The app founders have announced plans to partner with the Fernwood Cat Walk event next year.
Further reading
Discover more ways to engage with local wildlife in our Cats section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Victoria Buzz.
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