If you’ve ever wanted to wrangle cats, steal their snacks, or sabotage your friends’ plans with a well-timed hairball, you’re in for a treat. In this review, I’ll share what happened when I unleashed the chaos of feline mayhem on my gaming group. Spoiler: fur did fly, but did fun follow? Let’s find out if this game lands on its feet or knocks over every flower pot in the house.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, everyone grabs a cat token and their own stash of treats (the game calls them points, but let’s be honest, we’re all here for imaginary cat snacks). Lay out the game board and scatter the toy cards around. Put the fish tokens in a pile where everyone can reach them. If you’ve got a laser pointer, do not shine it in anyone’s eyes. Trust me.
Gameplay
Players take turns moving their cats around the board, grabbing toy cards and snatching up fish tokens. If you land on another player’s cat, it’s time for a classic cat standoff. You both roll a die to see who wins the turf. There are random event cards too, because of course there are—sometimes a dog shows up, sometimes you knock over a plant. It’s chaos, but the feline kind.
Winning the Game
The game ends after everyone finishes their last turn (or when the dog card shows up for the fifth time and someone flips the table—whichever comes first). The player with the most treats (err, points) wins and gets to gloat while everyone else tries to blame the dog. Classic.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Cats.
How Cats Brings Out the Best (And Worst) in Game Mechanics & Player Interactions
Alright, let’s talk about the heart of this cat-tastic game: the mechanics and what happens when you’re squaring off against your friends. If you’ve ever played board games with people who take winning far too seriously, you’ll know the pain. In Cats, though, you’re all up to your fuzzy ears in schemes, and it’s never clear who’ll snatch that last fish token from under your paw.
Here’s how it plays. You get your own team of cats, each with its own abilities. Some cats are sneaky (like that one who steals your chair when you get up), while others are all about pure speed. The mechanics revolve around moving, blocking, and—my personal favorite—outwitting your friends. I once blocked my buddy’s orange tabby and let me tell you, I haven’t seen that much pouting since someone ate the last slice of pizza.
Player interaction is high, which is awesome if you enjoy a bit of chaos. Be ready for shoving, switching spots, and all kinds of trickery. You might think you’ve got a win bagged, but then someone drops a trap card and suddenly your cats are napping instead of snacking. Still, nothing feels too unfair. It’s not all luck—if you lose, it’s probably because your friend is sneakier, not just luckier.
The main thing is that Cats never lets you just zone out. Every turn feels tense, with players plotting moves, second-guessing each other, and throwing around just enough ‘cat-titude’ to keep things interesting.
Next up, I’ll be clawing through the artwork and seeing if Cats really nails the theme, or if it’s just feline flat.
Colorful Kitties and Whisker-ful Worlds: Artwork and Theme in Cats
If you’re like me, you probably can’t resist a board game with cats plastered all over the box. The artwork in Cats did not disappoint. Bursting with bright colors and adorable feline illustrations, this game made my table look like a cat cafe exploded. I swear, even my real cat sat up to take notice—okay, he was probably just eyeing the fish tokens, but still.
What I loved most is how the game’s art isn’t just for show. Each kitten card oozes personality, from the mischievous eyes of the orange tabby to the dramatic poses of the Siamese. These aren’t generic fluffballs; the artists gave each one a vibe that matches their in-game abilities. I actually started naming them (sorry, not sorry).
Theme-wise, Cats transports you straight into a world of fluffy chaos. You’re not just collecting points—you’re assembling a ragtag bunch of playful furballs, and every turn feels like herding actual cats (which, by the way, is a total lost cause in real life). The designers sprinkled in lots of little references to classic cat behavior, so you’ll catch yourself chuckling over your tortoiseshell’s obsession with cardboard boxes or the way your Persian ignores the rules (and you). It’s nearly impossible not to immerse yourself in the theme. I actually forgot I was playing for points at one stage and just started admiring the kitties.
Now, if you’re wondering whether you’ll want to herd these cats over and over or if one round is enough, just wait till you see what I have to say about replayability and game length…
Replayability and Game Length: Will ‘Cats’ Keep You Coming Back for More?
Let’s face it—some games are like my cousin’s one-joke stand up set. Funny the first time, yawn-inducing by the tenth. But I found ‘Cats’ has more than a few tricks up its furry sleeves. Every session with my group felt a little different, kind of like herding actual cats but way less scratchy. The game deals out objectives and cards in a different way each time, so you won’t get bored and start daydreaming about your next snack break. In my house, replay value is basically board game currency. I’m happy to report ‘Cats’ delivers more than enough variation to keep us entertained for game night after game night.
‘Cats’ clocks in at a sweet spot for length. Most of our games wrapped up faster than my cat steals my pizza—around 45 minutes to an hour. It’s long enough that you feel like you’ve really achieved something, but short enough that people don’t start scrolling their phones or surreptitiously watching their favorite cooking show in the background. Not once did I see someone start to yawn, except for the actual cat, but I’m pretty sure that was just part of his daily routine.
If you’ve ever sat through a board game marathon that felt like a tax audit, you’ll appreciate ‘Cats’ brisk pace and fresh feel with every play. So, if you want a game that won’t gather dust after the first try, this cat’s got your curiosity covered! And speaking of curiosity—next up, I’m digging my claws into the hot topic: how much does skill really matter, or is ‘Cats’ just a hairball of luck?
How Much Does Luck Rule the Cat Kingdom?
Okay, so let’s talk about what everyone wonders when they see a game called Cats: can you actually outsmart a cat, or are you just hoping the cardboard felines do not claw your victory away with bad luck? When my friends and I sat down for our first game night with Cats, I was ready for a purr-fect display of my amazing strategy. And, I mean, I tried hard.
In this game, your goal is to collect sets of adorable cats and score points. Sounds simple, right? Except the deck has wild cat cards. And action cards that let you swap cats. And sometimes, you shuffle the deck, and suddenly the floofiest cat you needed shows up for your rival. If you think you can 100% plan your way to victory, think again. Every turn there’s a bit of suspense. I saw my friend Emma get mega lucky and snatch a Siamese at the perfect time, and believe me, she was grinning like the cat who got the cream.
Still, it’s not totally out of your paws (hands?). Making good choices matters. You can watch what the others collect and try to mess with them. Bluffing helps, and sometimes you hold back a card for that sneaky double-cat move. But if you’re the kind of person who loses sleep over a random card ruining your plan, you might yowl in frustration now and then.
So, do I recommend Cats? If you love games with a pinch of luck and a dash of cheeky sabotage, absolutely—just don’t expect to always land on your feet. Four out of five stars!
Conclusion
If you want a quick, silly game where your friends will hiss at you (and not just because you ate the last donut), Cats is a great pick. The art is cute, the turns zip by, and you’ll get some good giggles. But if you like to flex your big brain and hate losing to the luck of the draw, you might want to keep this one for lighter game nights. It’s not perfect — luck can pounce at the worst times — but for laughs and chaos, it scratches the itch. That wraps up my review, folks. Now excuse me while I chase the neighbor’s tabby off the board.
