So there I was, herding a pack of cardboard cats with my friends, all hoping our furry crew would come out on top. Welcome to my review of the board game Cats. If you’re wondering if this game claws its way up the fun ladder or belly-flops like a kitten missing the couch, you’re in the right place. I’ve played, laughed, and (maybe) hissed a little, all to give you the honest scoop—furballs and all.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, shuffle the deck of cat cards and place the fish tokens in the middle. Everyone grabs a cute little cat meeple and a score tracker. If you want to wear cat ears while you play, I won’t judge!
Gameplay
On your turn, draw a card and follow its instructions—which could mean collecting fish, swapping cards with foes, or unleashing chaos. Some cards will help, some will make your friends hiss. You want to collect as many fish as possible while dodging sneaky cat traps. Heads up: you might need to trade or beg for mercy if you land in trouble, but that’s what makes it silly fun.
Winning the game
When all the cards are gone, everyone counts their fish. The player with the most becomes the Top Cat and earns bragging rights (and maybe a treat). Just don’t let victory go to your head—cats are known for knocking things over!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Cats.
Purr-fect Pieces and Whisker-Worthy Art: The Components of Cats
I have to talk about the moment I opened the box for Cats with my friends. I kid you not, my buddy Cheryl let out a squeal that would make a real cat jealous. Let’s just say, the artwork here is not for the faint of fur. Each card in the game pops with color and personality. There are cats with big eyes, floofy tails, and even a few with expressions that scream ‘I knocked your glass off the table on purpose.’ If you love bright art and sassy felines, you’ll spend as much time admiring the cards as actually playing the game.
But art is only half the tail – er, tale! The component quality in Cats is also pretty top notch. The cards feel sturdy, and they shuffle well, even with my heavy-handed friend Greg in the mix (he shuffles like he’s mad at the deck). The tokens are chunky and satisfying, and the little cardboard fish actually look snackable. I don’t recommend tasting them, but trust me, the temptation is real. Even after a few evenings where we played far too many rounds (and spilled a little wine), everything still looked fresh out of the box.
I’ll ding it just a hair though: the box insert is a bit lazy. If you’re a neat freak, you’ll have to wrangle those pieces yourself, or risk a cardboard cat-astrophe every time you open the box!
Stick around for the next part, where I unleash my claws on the game mechanics and fairness. Will Cats land on its feet, or is it more of a cat in a bag?
Unraveling the Cat-tastic Game Mechanics and Fairness
Alright, so let’s talk about how Cats actually runs as a game. The mechanics? Pretty simple. You have a bunch of colorful cat meeples (yes, meeples shaped like cats—I swear I squeaked a little when I saw those). On your turn, you’ll draft cards to build your personal cat haven. You collect fish (the currency), lure new cats, and try to position the fluffballs for the highest points. There’s a bit of engine building, thanks to special cards that give you bonuses, and some set collection as you try to assemble the purr-fect group of felines.
Now, I love a game that lets me scheme, but Cats leans more toward light-hearted fun than cutthroat tactics. Each round is quick, and there are only a handful of meaningful choices. It isn’t exactly chess—don’t expect to outwit your cousin who once got a C in math. The balance is pretty solid, though. I didn’t feel like the game let anyone run away with a win after a lucky draw. Sure, there’s a smidge of luck (okay, sometimes that one friend who always gets what they want seems blessed by the ancient cat gods), but for the most part, the game keeps things fair.
If you don’t like luck at all, you might bristle a bit at some card draws, but nobody sat pouting at my table. Even when my aunt’s ragdoll army stole my best cat, the game felt just as fair as a room full of felines ignoring me.
Next up, let’s see if these cats play nice with each other in the wild world of player interaction and engagement. Stay tuned—things might get a little bit hissy!
Can You Herd These Cats? Player Interaction and Engagement in ‘Cats’
You know a game is onto something when your most soft-spoken friend suddenly yells, “No, you can’t take my orange tabby!” That’s ‘Cats’ for you. The game makes you talk, plot, and even glare across the table, all in the best ways. Every turn you’re keeping one eye on your own cardboard kittens and the other on your rivals—because if you blink, someone is going to snatch the calico you were eyeing. I learned that the hard way. (Thanks, Mark. I’m still bitter.)
The best part? Nobody is left out. Whether you love a bit of friendly sabotage or prefer to quietly hoard your cats, you stay involved. The action is zippy, so you rarely wait long before it’s your turn again. And with every move, you want to know what everyone is up to. You try to guess their next cat-collecting move—so yes, it’s a bit like cat poker with a lot fewer chips and a lot more fur. The table talk gets real, and don’t even get me started on the alliances that form and break faster than a cat changes nap spots.
This one’s a winner for groups that like to laugh, scheme, and—occasionally—groan when their feline dynasty falls apart. ‘Cats’ nails it on engagement, so if you get bored, you probably fell asleep on the sunniest spot on the floor.
Now, let’s see if ‘Cats’ has as many lives in the replay value and fun factor department as its namesake…
Replay Value & Fun Factor: Will ‘Cats’ Keep You Feline Good?
Let’s be real—nobody wants a board game that feels like a one-and-done trip to the litter box. With ‘Cats,’ I wanted to see if the fun stuck around like cat hair on a black t-shirt. After a bunch of play sessions (and some cat-inspired snack breaks), I can say this game has solid replay value. The goals and setup change enough each time that it doesn’t turn stale. You won’t be using the same old paw-some strategies every round. My pals and I enjoyed trying new tactics, and there’s always a surprise when someone pulls off a sneaky cat move at the last second.
But let’s not kitten ourselves—if you’re after a super deep strategy game, this isn’t it. The fun comes from lighthearted competition, silly cat themes, and those moments when someone pounces on your perfect plan. I wouldn’t call it an endless well of discovery, but you’ll want to return to the table now and then, especially if you like games that don’t drag on for ages.
The charm of ‘Cats’ also grows when you play with friends who can appreciate a little playful banter (or a dramatic meow when you steal their points). We even meowed every time we took a turn, which I’m sure annoyed my neighbors, but hey, that’s all part of the feline fun!
I recommend ‘Cats’ for easy-going game nights and anyone who likes games that don’t take themselves too seriously. If you’re after pure fun, it’s the cat’s whiskers.
Conclusion
Cats is the board game you pull out when no one wants to do any math and everyone just wants to make fish puns. The art is cute, the pieces are solid, and nobody has to cry over confusing rules. There’s just enough sneaky player moves to keep things spicy, but luck does pop its furry head in a bit too much for my taste. If you want a deep strategy game, maybe keep looking. But for laid-back fun and a lot of laughs, Cats is a great pick for families and friends. That wraps up my review—now I’m off to fish my meeples out from under the couch!
