How To Play: Cats

Overview

If you love cats and a bit of friendly competition, this guide is for you. My friends and I battled it out over several rounds, and yes, there were real-life hissy fits. I’ll give you a quick outline of the game rules, plus the best strategies for winning. If you want to master How To Play cats and (actually) beat your friends, you’re in the right place.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game Board
• 40 Cat Tiles
• 30 Fish Tokens
• 20 Yarn Tokens
• 60 Card Deck
• 10 Fish Market Cards
• 5 Player Boards
• 5 Player Aid Cards
• 1 Score Pad
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Cats: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Unfold the main board and place it in the middle, so everyone can reach it. No elbows on the table… yet!

2. Give each player a cat meeple, a player board, and some starting fish tokens. I always try to get the orange cat, but sadly, it is NOT lucky.

3. Shuffle the deck of objective cards and deal two to every player. Pick one and place the other back—don’t peek at your neighbor’s choice. I’m watching you, Pete.

4. Put all resource tokens and remaining fish in piles near the board. This is the so-called “cat market.” Mine looks like a snack bar.

Gameplay

1. First, each player takes turns choosing one card from the face-up market. If you take too long, someone will meow at you. (Fact!)

2. Next, you spend fish tokens to adopt more cats. Place the new cats on your board. Try to make neat groups: chaos brings only sadness.

3. Afterwards, check your objectives. Did you match up cat colors or fill a row? If so, you score points. If not, pretend you meant to do that.

4. Repeat these steps until the market runs out or someone knocks the game off the table in frustration/joy—whichever comes first.

Winning

1. Once you finish all rounds, everyone counts up points from their cats, objectives, and extra fish left over. Double-check because my friend Paul always “forgets” points.

2. The player with the most points wins. The loser must feed the winner’s real cat (optional, but fair).

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If you collect a rainbow cat, you can place it anywhere. This is a big deal! Use it to fill gaps, unless your cat is watching.

2. If two players tie, whoever has the most fish tokens left wins. If you both tie again, share victory and give each other a high-five.

3. Never, ever, let a real cat onto the table. My cat ate a meeple once. The rules do NOT cover that situation.

If you want to up your game, just search for How To Play cats and show off your new knowledge at the next game night!

Best Cats Strategies

Mastering the Art of Cat Resource Management

Keep Your Fish Safe

Fish are life in Cats. Always protect your haul. Until you have enough, your cats will starve. If you hoard fish, you will get better cards and tiles later, trust me.

1. Take only what you need early on.
2. Never trade all your fish in one round.

Trading With Your Frenemies

Trading can be tense. Although I love outwitting my friends, don’t give away good trades. Trade with purpose, not for charity.

1. Offer trades that give you the upper paw.
2. Say no to deals that help rivals more than you.

Spend Wisely

Every round, you decide: save or spend? Most times, saving pays off. But when you spot a perfect cat card, go for it!

1. Save for late-game tiles.
2. Watch what resources your rivals stack.

If you want to know How To Play cats, start by tracking your resources. Make every fish count and trade like your cat’s lives depend on it—because they do!

Claim Victory With Clever Cat Placement!

Maximize Adjacency

Cat placement rules the game, and smart positioning leads to big points. Keep these strategies in mind:

1. Place cats in groups for bonus points.
2. Match colors together whenever possible.
3. Fill awkward gaps to avoid losing points.

Score Objective Cards

Every time you check your objective cards, look for easy wins:

1. Choose placements that match multiple objectives.
2. Never ignore simple objectives just for fancy moves.

Block Your Rivals

Remember, you’re not alone. If you spot an obvious high-scoring spot your rivals want, snatch it first!

How To Play cats and Crush the Competition

Keep your eyes on your goals, but also enjoy the chaos. Cat placement will change the game every round, so stay flexible and laugh often!

Mastering Opponent Blocking to Win at Cats

Blocking your friends in Cats isn’t just mean—it’s genius. I once ruined Sam’s week by snatching his favorite cat spot. Here’s how to block like a pro and clinch victory. And if you’re still figuring out How To Play cats, blocking is a game-changer!

Predict Their Moves

1. Watch where opponents focus.
2. Guess their next move based on gaps and fish count.
3. Act before they do—speed is key!

Take Prime Spaces

1. Grab high-scoring spots even if you don’t need them.
2. Deny others easy objectives.

Use Cards to Block

1. Play action cards that mess with rival plans.
2. Force trades that make them lose turns.

Force Bad Trades

1. Offer bad deals, tempting them into mistakes.
2. Make trades to block their collection patterns.

Ready to Out-Cat Your Friends?

By now, you know the tricks (and the fishy secrets) to win at Cats. Manage your fish smartly, place your furry friends with care, and don’t be afraid to mess with your rivals when you need to. Every game I’ve played with my crew ended with laughter—and at least one person swearing they’ll get revenge next time. So grab your board, gather your friends, and show them How To Play cats like a true champion. If you lose, you can always blame it on the dog!

Want to know what we think of Cats? Read our detailed review of Cats here