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Animal Hospital Characters

Remember a face from a night shift but not where they fit? This roster covers Liz's UV quest and house visit, Dr. Harlow's office escort, Barney, Officer Duckman, Ron, Ratthew's key quest, and the lobby cast, separate from playable Classes and desk patients.

By Bloxron Editorial Team · Last updated

For Barney's choice rewards or Ambulance timing, see Shift Events; for what Dr. Harlow stocks after a shift, see Progression. For desk rejects, use Anomalies. Ratthew's key and the Room 5 cat-poster safe are on his character card below and on Locations. Patients are generated cases, not fixed NPCs.

12 NPCs
4 Story arcs
Barney hide reward

Animal Hospital characters (NPC list)

PortraitNameRoleRun impact
Dr. Harlow hospital doctor NPC portrait in Animal HospitalDr. HarlowHospital doctor / shift authorityShift results may stock supplies; Ambulance events start with a verbal warning from Harlow. From Shift 7 onward he can idle in the waiting area, talk through his normal lines, then offer Mint Tea ($100 in Supplies Shop) to unlock follow-up questions about Barney, Ron, Ratthew, Liz, and the corporation. Mint Tea also restores Sanity if you drink it yourself. Late run: carry his confidential boxes through NO ACCESS → RESTRICTED → OFFICE, drop on the green mark, then explore. While he sits, hand Ratthew's Key, then the office book, to-do list, and testimony pages (not Room 5's safe).
Shopkeeper Nurse Supplies Shop NPC portrait in Animal HospitalShopkeeper NurseSupplies Shop clerkBuy Taser, Run Faster, Chocolate, Teddy Bear, Mint Tea, Scanner, Deployable Camera, and other mid-run gear through her shop row after the Supplies Shop opens.
Barney event rabbit character portrait in Animal HospitalBarneyEvent rabbit / choice storylineHide path (or letting the officer timer expire) grants a second Coffee Machine; turn-in triggers a scripted fight with no shop reward.
-SamHazmat helper / recruitable staffHire for $250 at check-in; the contract lasts three shifts. He auto-patrols slime, room fires, and Hiders most often. Hider audio while he is hired often means Sam is clearing them, not that you are the target. He ignores Ghosts. He can return after future slime secret shifts if you let the contract expire.
Officer Duckman police NPC portrait in Animal HospitalOfficer DuckmanPolice officerTurn-in: Barney stabs Duckman and flees: you may need to stabilize the officer. Hide: Barney rewards a second coffee machine.
-LizJournalist / camera quest / home visitUp to four photo rounds across later shifts: place her camera at the check-in wall (E), shoot only the named patient (yellow highlight plus the sticky note by the camera if you forget), then wait for her next visit. Named targets include Mike Spiders, Sophie Paws, and Rusty Yamada, then a fourth patient on the final round. You do not need to admit the target. Third clear usually pays a Chocolate Bar (+20 Sanity per bite · 3 bites); finish all four for the last Journal beat. A wrong name ends the quest for that run: she reclaims the camera and does not return. Before the fourth shot, keep Taser or Gun ready, the photographed patient can flip into a Mimic. After all four clears, keep surviving until she returns, thanks you, and offers Go to Liz's House (pick that option). Clear one more shift for the apartment cutscene. Full tour: Locations → Liz's home.
Ron from Accounting NPC portrait in Animal HospitalRon from AccountingAccountant / lore hintsHe gives dialogue hints only, listen for Bed Monster (Maple Syrup), Ceiling Monster, and don't-stare Stalker warnings.
Ratthew story rat character portrait in Animal HospitalRatthewStory rat / key quest giverPermanent Ratthew's Key unlocks the cat-poster safe in Room 5, lore reward, not a class or shop unlock.
Lobby Cat ambient NPC portrait in Animal HospitalLobby CatLobby NPCAmbient / dialogue
Lobby Bunny ambient NPC portrait in Animal HospitalLobby BunnyLobby NPCAmbient / dialogue
News Bunny lobby NPC portrait in Animal HospitalNews BunnyNews-themed lobby NPCAmbient / dialogue
-SquigglesCaged clown / Second Floor story beatExplore the UPPER FLOOR after Ambulance unlock. Pair with Lab Sampler work and new Journal achievement rows rather than treating Squiggles as a hallway threat.

Authority & shop

Dr. Harlow hospital doctor NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Dr. Harlow

Hospital doctor / shift authority

Also called: Doctor

Location
Shift results, Staff Only Room, waiting area, Ambulance prelude, late-run office escort
Appears
Between shifts; waiting-area lore from Shift 7+; warns before Ambulance rushes; box escort ~Shift 16-18 (Lore Expansion)

Senior staff who frames the night shift, stocks you between runs, hints at the next night's trouble, and calls out incoming Ambulance pressure before patients bypass the desk. Lore Expansion lets you carry confidential boxes into the NO ACCESS wing and explore his office; Mint Tea waiting-area talk still unlocks follow-up questions from Shift 7+.

Shift results may stock supplies; Ambulance events start with a verbal warning from Harlow. From Shift 7 onward he can idle in the waiting area, talk through his normal lines, then offer Mint Tea ($100 in Supplies Shop) to unlock follow-up questions about Barney, Ron, Ratthew, Liz, and the corporation. Mint Tea also restores Sanity if you drink it yourself. Late run: carry his confidential boxes through NO ACCESS → RESTRICTED → OFFICE, drop on the green mark, then explore. While he sits, hand Ratthew's Key, then the office book, to-do list, and testimony pages (not Room 5's safe).

Full office path and Key hand-ins: Locations → Dr. Harlow's office. Same key also opens Room 5's cat-poster safe.

Related: Progression · Locations · Shift Events · Items

Shopkeeper Nurse Supplies Shop NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Shopkeeper Nurse

Supplies Shop clerk

Also called: Nurse (NPC)

Location
Supplies Shop during a shift
Appears
After the mid-shift shop opens (about Shift 3)

Pink nurse model in light blue scrubs at the Supplies Shop: she looks similar to the Nurse class model, but only handles shop purchases.

Buy Taser, Run Faster, Chocolate, Teddy Bear, Mint Tea, Scanner, Deployable Camera, and other mid-run gear through her shop row after the Supplies Shop opens.

Nurse class = player loadout (+1 inventory slot). Shopkeeper Nurse = shop NPC only.

Related: Items · Classes

Event cast

Barney event rabbit character portrait in Animal Hospital

Barney

Event rabbit / choice storyline
Location
Check-in / reception area
Appears
Shift 2+; multi-visit arc before the police scene

White rabbit who asks for coffee, favors, and a desk photo across several visits, then Officer Duckman arrives with a wanted poster. Your hide-or-turn-in choice can reward a second coffee machine for the run.

Hide path (or letting the officer timer expire) grants a second Coffee Machine; turn-in triggers a scripted fight with no shop reward.

VisitWhenBeat
1Shift 1-3Asks for coffee, thanks you for the help
2Shift 3-5Coffee again; asks you to hold a suitcase marked DON'T OPEN
3Shift 5-10Coffee + desk camera photo, print may look anomalous; Barney accepts it
4~Shift 12Requests a Scalpel from Room 8; leaves with the suitcase
5After the arcOfficer Duckman arrives, hide vs turn-in choice

Not a desk patient during his event, follow the Event UI, not Shutters intake.

Related: Shift Events · Treatments · Items

Sam

Hazmat helper / recruitable staff
Location
Check-in area after a slime secret shift
Appears
After you survive a slime secret shift (often around Shift 12)

Calico cat in a hazmat suit who offers to work for the hospital after Slimebert nights. Former Animal Corp Hazmat, fired for undisclosed reasons: he still wears PPE with his face exposed and patrols with his own gear.

Hire for $250 at check-in; the contract lasts three shifts. He auto-patrols slime, room fires, and Hiders most often. Hider audio while he is hired often means Sam is clearing them, not that you are the target. He ignores Ghosts. He can return after future slime secret shifts if you let the contract expire.

Journal entry unlocks after you meet him. Do not confuse with Lobby Cat. Save shift cash during slime nights if you plan to hire him next.

Related: Shift Events · Anomalies · Threats · Classes

Officer Duckman police NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Officer Duckman

Police officer

Also called: Policeman

Location
Check-in area during the Barney finale
Appears
End of the Barney storyline

Duck officer who shows Barney's wanted photo and asks whether you have seen the suspect. His scene is the branch point for hide vs turn-in.

Turn-in: Barney stabs Duckman and flees: you may need to stabilize the officer. Hide: Barney rewards a second coffee machine.

Related: Shift Events

Story NPCs

Liz

Journalist / camera quest / home visit

Also called: Lisbeth

Location
Reception and waiting area during a shift; later her apartment (cutscene)
Appears
UV quest from Shift 10 onward (common ~10-18). House invite often after Shift 15 once photos are done (common ~15-20)

Caracal reporter formerly with Animal Corp news. She loans a UV camera mid-shift to document patients tied to the outbreak, not a desk visitor you admit through Shutters. Even More Lore adds a sticky note by the camera with the target name, then a late invite to her apartment outside the hospital.

Up to four photo rounds across later shifts: place her camera at the check-in wall (E), shoot only the named patient (yellow highlight plus the sticky note by the camera if you forget), then wait for her next visit. Named targets include Mike Spiders, Sophie Paws, and Rusty Yamada, then a fourth patient on the final round. You do not need to admit the target. Third clear usually pays a Chocolate Bar (+20 Sanity per bite · 3 bites); finish all four for the last Journal beat. A wrong name ends the quest for that run: she reclaims the camera and does not return. Before the fourth shot, keep Taser or Gun ready, the photographed patient can flip into a Mimic. After all four clears, keep surviving until she returns, thanks you, and offers Go to Liz's House (pick that option). Clear one more shift for the apartment cutscene. Full tour: Locations → Liz's home.

VisitWhenBeat
1Photo 1Place the UV camera at check-in; shoot the named patient only (sticky note backup)
2Photo 2Second named patient, story advances
3Photo 3Third photo clears. Chocolate Bar at check-in (timing can vary)
4Photo 4Final photo: outbreak lore; photographed patient may become a Mimic, arm up first
5House invite (~15+)After photos clear, she returns: pick Go to Liz's House, finish the shift, then the apartment cutscene

Keep treating the queue while Liz is active, her event runs alongside normal intake. In public lobbies, name one camera handler and chat the target name so nobody admits them early.

Related: Items · Progression · Updates · Locations · Threats

Ron from Accounting NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Ron from Accounting

Accountant / lore hints
Location
Hospital dialogue scenes (often near reception)
Appears
Shift 2 onward, up to seven visits per run

Calm accountant who carries maple syrup and a Top Secret briefcase. His lines hint at infected patients, hidden files, and how to survive ceiling and hallway threats.

He gives dialogue hints only, listen for Bed Monster (Maple Syrup), Ceiling Monster, and don't-stare Stalker warnings.

VisitWhenBeat
1First appearanceIntro: wonders why the hospital keeps hiring new staff
2Second visitSurprised you survived; carries maple syrup as monster talisman
3Third visitClaims patients are infected, not sick, hospital is testing something
4Fourth visitOld files moved under a suspicious cleanup
5Fifth visitCeiling covered in eyes; a doctor petrified and vanished
6Sixth visitSomething watches from the corner of your eye, do not stare
7Seventh visitRatthew chewed classified experiment reports in his office

June 2026 patch added new Ron lines, wording can shift after updates.

Related: Threats · Shift Events

Ratthew story rat character portrait in Animal Hospital

Ratthew

Story rat / key quest giver

Also called: Ratthew's Key

Location
Check-in window · Room 5 safe
Appears
Recurring visits across a run (key often drops around Shift 8-10)

Small rat who warns you not to trust anyone, then vanishes after handing over Ratthew's Key: opens a hidden safe in Room 5 tied to Rattina and the Animal Corporation cover-up. Not a Shutter check target.

Permanent Ratthew's Key unlocks the cat-poster safe in Room 5, lore reward, not a class or shop unlock.

VisitWhenBeat
1First visitWisdom about staying small, hands you paperwork
2Second visitNames himself; calls you a good guy; trust no one
3Third visitGovernment chase: hints he may need to disappear soon
4Later visitMentions missing twin sister Rattina and the Animal Corporation
5Final visitSays he must disappear, leaves a note plus Ratthew's Key on the reception counter (stolen from a distracted doctor)

Ratthew ≠ anomaly. A lookalike queued as a patient is Mimic Patient, see Anomalies. Key route: Characters → Locations Room 5.

Related: Locations · Anomalies

Squiggles

Caged clown / Second Floor story beat

Also called: Clown

Location
Upper Floor
Appears
After Second Floor unlock (first Ambulance or Skip Tutorial)

Clown held upstairs with the Lab and lore rooms. Story and Journal focus for the Second Floor patch, not a desk patient you Shutter at check-in.

Explore the UPPER FLOOR after Ambulance unlock. Pair with Lab Sampler work and new Journal achievement rows rather than treating Squiggles as a hallway threat.

Full Lab loop: Locations → Upper Floor / Lab. Sampler and craft items: Items.

Related: Locations · Updates · Items

Lobby NPCs

Lobby Cat ambient NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Lobby Cat

Lobby NPC
Location
Main lobby
Appears
Before or between shifts

Lobby cat with ambient dialogue, helps tell lobby NPCs apart from in-shift threats.

Not Black Bunny (hall threat on Threats).

Related: Threats

Lobby Bunny ambient NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

Lobby Bunny

Lobby NPC
Location
Main lobby
Appears
Before or between shifts

Lobby rabbit with ambient dialogue before you queue a shift.

Not Barney (event) · not Black Bunny (threat).

Related: Shift Events · Threats

News Bunny lobby NPC portrait in Animal Hospital

News Bunny

News-themed lobby NPC
Location
Lobby: news or update context
Appears
Lobby, before shifts

Lobby rabbit with news-style lines. Before the first Ambulance rush (Shift 4), check the check-in TV, his broadcast often fires right before the wave.

Related: Updates · Shift Events

Patients vs NPCs

Patients are the animal visitors you screen at the desk each shift, generated cases with varied names and symptoms, not a fixed NPC. Use Anomalies for reject flow and Treatments for room care.

FAQ

Are characters playable Classes?

No. Classes like Intern, Doctor, or Nurse are jobs you buy and equip in the lobby Class Shop. Characters on this page are fixed NPCs with dialogue or shop roles.

Doctor class vs Dr. Harlow?

Doctor is a 900 Animal Coin class that restores Sanity when you heal patients. Dr. Harlow is the hospital doctor NPC who appears at shift results and during Ambulance warnings.

Nurse class vs Shopkeeper Nurse?

They share a similar model, but the Nurse class adds inventory slots for your player. Shopkeeper Nurse only runs the Supplies Shop during a shift.

Who is Liz?

Liz (Lisbeth) is a story journalist from Shift 10 onward (often ~10-18, not guaranteed on 10). She loans a UV camera for four named-patient photos (sticky note by the camera shows the name), third clear usually pays a Chocolate Bar; the fourth can flip the patient into a Mimic. A wrong shot ends her quest for that run. After all four clears, a late invite (often ~Shift 15-18) can open her apartment cutscene. She is not a Shutter patient.

Best Barney choice?

Hiding Barney (or letting the officer timer run out) rewards a second Coffee Machine for the run, strong for long Sanity marathons. Turning him in advances the police beat without that reward. Full outcomes live on the Shift Events page.

Is Ratthew an anomaly?

Not an anomaly. Ratthew is a story NPC with a key quest, reject patients on appearance, photo, CCTV, and paperwork. A Ratthew lookalike at intake with no story beat is usually Mimic Patient (see Anomalies), not the real NPC.

How do I get Ratthew's Key?

Let Ratthew reach the window across multiple shifts without letting him die. After he mentions Rattina and says he must disappear, loot the note and Ratthew's Key from the reception counter before you leave the shift.

How do I visit Liz's house?

Finish all four UV photos without a wrong name, keep the run alive into the mid/late teens, then pick Go to Liz's House when she invites you. Clear one more shift for the cutscene. Pizza, her board, and Ratthew's tape are on Locations.

How do I get into Dr. Harlow's office?

Late run (~Shift 16-18): when Harlow stands with confidential boxes, carry them through NO ACCESS by the Supplies Shop into his OFFICE and drop on the green mark. Full path is on Locations. Supplies Shop unlock alone does not open the wing.

What does Ratthew's Key do at Harlow's desk?

After the office escort, give seated Harlow Ratthew's Key to open the secret chat. Then hand him the office book, to-do list, and Oingit testimony pages. Room 5's cat-poster safe is a different Key use. Locations has the table.

Where is the Room 5 safe?

Medical wing: far back on the right. Interact with the cat poster on Room 5's far wall to reveal the safe, then use Ratthew's Key. Full steps are on the Locations page under Room 5.

Who is Squiggles?

The Second Floor clown upstairs near the Lab. Story/Journal beat after the first Ambulance unlocks UPPER FLOOR. Not a Shutters patient at the desk.

How do I use the Lab Sampler?

Take the Sampler from the Lab case, sample a bed patient, finish the sequencer (pink = regular, green = anomaly), then craft a vial from Milk, Ginger, Strange Jelly, and Mushroom. Pink throw; green drink. Steps are on Locations and Items.