Review: the Game of cat & mouse
Publisher: Parker Brothers
Year: 1964
Tagline: AGES 4-10

Cover has a blue kitty with the title on top of its curved tail

how we met

This one was an estate sale pickup. It was a magical sale that I was not at myself but was using photos to direct purchases via text. Prices were awesome, selection was awesome. And few things get my friends excited to game like an age recommendation of 4-10. Sold.

how it plays

Oh so simple. the Game of cat & mouse is a roll and move game where each player has only one of their four mice in play at a time.

Mice pawns
My copy is missing one red mouse, but it’s not a big deal

The board consists of mostly mouse spaces, where the mice are facing all kinds of different directions. There are also a handful of cat spaces that are dips just waiting to trap unlucky mice!

The board showing mostly mice spaces with some indented cat spaces
This is what you’re up against

Roll the die and move your mouse in the direction the mouse space you are on indicates. If you hit the edge of the board just chill out there until your next turn.

If you land by exact count on a cat space, your mouse falls into the hole and is out for the rest of the game.

The last player to have a mouse still at play wins the Game of cat & mouse!

how it went

There is no real game here, this is 100% luck. The only decision you really get to make is which of your remaining mice to play for the first turn or if the second or third mouse dies.

I am missing one of my red mice. But it’s not a big deal because you can easily either remember to play your first mouse twice, or replace it with a red pom pom you have laying around, or a penny, or anything really.

A few times we messed up the direction the mice are facing ever-so-briefly, and started to move our mouse pawn the wrong direction. The mouse spaces are legitimately difficult to read in this version. The only reason that is worth mentioning is that it started to really annoy Bill, which was kind of funny.

Overview of our play showing some mice trapped and some still in play
Our play, where red and blue both look to be in bad shape

John was the luckiest of us, and he had the last remaining mouse! And John won the Game of cat & mouse! Then he ran around with his hands in the air yelling, “I’m the greatest!” This was even more silly since he had won Casino Yahtzee that night and was wearing our Casino Yahtzee crown, which is a sight to behold.

play or pass

Super pass. There’s not much of a game here, even to me. I mean, it’s cute and I really like the artwork. I am not sorry to have picked it up. I’m not sorry! But you shouldn’t pick it up. Or if you do, take mine.