The automata just completely destroys the image if I draw too much over the stabilized image with the brush. 5 horizontal swipes are enough to destroy the kitty, is that to be expected?
EDIT: video here: https://imgur.com/a/ItZGd5X
With the old model (and I suspect this one too) it's trained to generate from a single 'seed' pixel in the center of the image. If you erase the center of the image, that's when it completely collapses.
The NeuralCA both generates and maintains the pattern. Because the NCA was not exposed to damage or erasure during training, its regeneration capability is a purely emergent phenomenon. However, this ability remains somewhat brittle, particularly when the central regions of the pattern are erased.