If you love cats, chaos, and a bit of friendly backstabbing, then you’re about to read the right review. I spent a few evenings wrangling friends into playing Cats (yes, the board game, not the musical—nobody sang, thankfully) and I’m here to share the highs, lows, and all the furballs in between. Ready your whiskers, folks, because this review promises no cat puns left behind and an honest look at what makes this game purr… or hiss.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, toss the cat-shaped meeples onto the board. Deal each player a hand of cards. Put the fish tokens, yarn balls, and cardboard boxes in the middle. It should look like a living room after a kitten party.
Gameplay
On your turn, play a card to move your cat, nab toys, or steal from your opponents. You can pounce, swipe, or even nap (which is not recommended, but the cards force you). Mostly, you try to collect sets of stuff, but watch out for sneaky actions and a lot of meowing from around the table.
Winning the game
When the draw pile runs out, everyone counts up their collections. Extra points for matching yarn, boxes, and fish. Whoever has the most points is crowned Ultimate Cat. If there’s a tie, settle it by who does the best cat impression. (Official rulebook says so. Kind of.)
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Cats.
Game Mechanics and Balance in ‘Cats’: Herding Kittens or Herded by Chaos?
Alright, let’s talk about the mechanics in the board game ‘Cats.’ First off, the game gives you your very own cardboard kittens to control. I was pleased to see the game has simple rules: draw cards, move your cats, try to grab fish, and avoid the occasional evil dog card. It sounds easy, right? Well, it is… until luck shows up with a fish slap to the face.
The core mechanic is movement and card play. You’ll draw cards to decide how far your cats can move, and sometimes you can steal fish from your neighbor (which, if you do this to my friend Steve, expect a hissy fit from a grown man). The game tries to spice things up with action cards, like ‘Sleep All Day’ or ‘Knock Vase Off Table.’ These provide a laugh, but they add a wild swing of luck. I once lost after a single unlucky ‘Dog’ card sent my cat back to the start, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. That’s not fun. That’s just mean, and not the fun kind of mean.
Now, balance is a mixed bag in ‘Cats.’ If you like a game where everyone can win with a lucky paw, then you’ll enjoy it. But if you want skill to matter, this may leave you scratching the furniture. The best part? No player elimination, so you don’t have to sulk in the corner like my real cat does when he’s ignored.
So, if you want to know how my friends schemed and sabotaged each other—and the nonsense that followed—stick around for the next section on player interaction and strategy!
Player Interaction and Strategy in ‘Cats’: Herding Felines or Herding Chaos?
When it comes to player interaction in ‘Cats’, I’d say it’s about as subtle as a kitten stampede at 3am. If you like eyeing your competition while plotting to swipe that juicy fish token from under their whiskers, this game gives you plenty of reasons to hiss and purr in equal measure. My friend Steve managed to snag a prime spot on the board right as I was about to go for it, and I swear I’ve never seen such a smug look outside of an actual cat.
Strategy in ‘Cats’ is a funny thing. On one paw, you’ll want to keep an eye on what other players are collecting. Are they after yarn? Fish? Just pure chaos? Sometimes it pays to block someone’s move and force them to chase their tail for a round or two. But just when you think you’ve got it in the bag (a very crinkly paper bag), someone else upends your plan with a perfectly timed catnip card. There’s definitely some room for clever play — timing your pounces, choosing when to go for broke, and knowing when to lay low and nap.
Cats is not all about being the meanest feline in town though. There are moments of alliance, temporary truces forged over shared goals, and then, of course, glorious betrayal when someone breaks the peace for a tasty snack. It’s all part of the feline fun, but if you’re searching for deep strategy, ‘Cats’ is more about light-hearted sabotage than brain-burning tactics. Next up: let’s see if the artwork is as cute as an actual kitten snoozing in a shoe box!
Artwork and Component Quality: Purr-fect or a Cat-astrophe?
Let’s talk about what really matters: how cute do the cats look, and will the pieces survive an attack from a real-life feline? Spoiler alert: The artwork in ‘Cats’ is so adorable that my own tabby, Waffles, attempted to nap on the cards more than once. The game is full of colorful, cheery cat illustrations. Each card looks like it came straight out of a cat meme, which makes every round feel like scrolling through the best parts of the internet—without the weird adverts. The attention to detail on the kittens’ faces got my friend Steve to melt into a puddle. He claims he ‘doesn’t like cats’, but even he grinned at the one with the pirate hat.
Component quality is solid for a light family game. The cards have a nice linen feel, and after a few evenings with Cheetos-stained fingers (yeah, I’m classy), they still slid across the table with no sticky drama. The box inserts are simple but hold everything together, even after being crammed in a backpack on game night. The game tokens, shaped like tiny paws, are both a joy to hold and an open invitation for your cat to bat under the couch.
My only gripe? I wish the game included more card sleeves, because we all know cats (and some people) love bending the corners. Still, if you love cats or just want your game shelf to look cuter, this little box delivers. Stick around, because next we’ll see if ‘Cats’ keeps its charm after a few rounds or if it’s more of a one-night stand!
Replay Value & Fun Factor: Will These Cats Keep You Coming Back?
Let me be straight with you. I’ve played Cats enough times now that even my neighbor’s actual cat is starting to look at me funny. Is it worth playing again and again? Or should you just let sleeping cats lie?
First off, this game shines if you like wild, unpredictable fun. Every playthrough feels like herding cats—something new happens every time and, believe me, nobody can predict how it’ll end. One game, my friend Dave ended up with a hand full of fish and zero cats (his spirit animal is probably a goldfish now). The next round, my cousin Sarah pulled off a sneaky combo that turned her into the Queen of Kittens for the night.
What really keeps me coming back is how easy it is to get people laughing, even when things go sideways. You can teach it in minutes, which makes it perfect to slap on the table when your crew is tired of heavier games or just wants to relax. The surprise events, the sudden game changers—these make the game fresh, although sometimes it feels like the cats themselves have way too much say in who wins. If you take losing personally, or hate not having much control, the luck here might drive you up the (scratching) post.
So, do I recommend it? For silly nights, family fun, and cat lovers, absolutely. If you’re after deep strategy, or you hate luck-driven chaos, maybe just go pet a real cat instead.
Conclusion
So that’s a wrap on my review of Cats. This game throws you into pure, paw-some chaos—lots of laughs, a real treat for a cat lover, and super easy to get to the table. The artwork is adorable and the pieces can handle some tough shuffling (unlike my cat, who can’t handle not being the center of attention). But, wow, the luck factor is strong here, and you won’t win by strategy alone. If you want to outsmart your pals, you might be out of luck. If you just want a quick, silly game with friends and a sprinkle of sabotage, Cats delivers. I give it 3 out of 5 cats—good for a night of fun, but don’t expect a brain-burner. Thanks for checking out my review, and remember: never play this game near a real cat. They will judge you… and possibly eat the meeples.
