CatSuperpositionBot 🐱

A Telegram bot for sending random cat images to users.

Description

CatSuperpositionBot is a simple and cute Telegram bot that sends users random cat images on request. The bot uses The Cat API to fetch images.

Features

• 🐱 Sends random cat images
• 📱 Convenient keyboard with buttons
• 🔄 Backup API (The Dog API) if the main one is unavailable
• 📝 Logging of all actions
• ❓ Built-in help

Bot Commands

• /start - Start interacting with the bot
• /newcat - Get a new cat image
• /help - Show help

Installation and Usage

Local Development

1. Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd kittybot

2. Create a virtual environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On macOS/Linux
# or
venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set up the token

Create a .env file in the root directory of the project:

TOKEN=your_bot_token

5. Run the bot

python kittybot.py

Deploy to PythonAnywhere (for persistent operation)

See detailed deployment instructions in DEPLOY.md.

Quick guide:

1. Upload the project to GitHub
2. Create an account on PythonAnywhere
3. Create a Flask web app
4. Clone the repository
5. Install dependencies
6. Set up the webhook
7. Restart the app

Deployment files:

• app.py - Flask app for webhook
• run_bot.py - script for running via cron
• DEPLOY.md - detailed instructions

Project Structure

kittybot/
├── kittybot.py          # Main bot file (local development)
├── app.py               # Flask app for PythonAnywhere
├── run_bot.py           # Script for running via cron
├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
├── .env                 # Environment variables (token)
├── .gitignore           # Git ignore file
├── bot.log              # Bot logs (created automatically)
├── README.md            # This file
└── DEPLOY.md            # Deployment instructions

Technologies

• Python 3.8+
• pyTelegramBotAPI - library for working with Telegram Bot API
• requests - HTTP client for API requests
• python-dotenv - loading environment variables
• logging - logging system

APIs

The bot uses the following APIs:

• The Cat API (https://api.thecatapi.com/) - main image source
• The Dog API (https://api.thedogapi.com/) - backup source

Logging

The bot logs to the bot.log file and outputs logs to the console. Logs include:

• Bot startup information
• Errors when fetching images
• Warnings about API unavailability

Security

• The bot token is stored in the .env file (not committed to Git)
• All dependencies are pinned in requirements.txt
• Error handling to prevent bot crashes

Development

For development, it is recommended to:

1. Use a virtual environment
2. Follow PEP 8 for code style
3. Add logging for debugging
4. Test the bot in a private chat

License

MIT License