There haven’t been many games made over the years that have a cat as their primary protagonist. However, the release ofStrayshows that it is possible for developers to create an experience that emulates what it’s like being a feline on the streets.
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For cat owners,Strayis an experience that will likely hit close to home. The cat players take control of has all the movement a real-life one does and can perform plenty of actions that will seem familiar to those that have to deal with their pet on a daily basis. While there are so many to choose from, there are some stand-out actions that will resonate with cat owners.
10Cats Fighting And Loving Each Other
At the start of the game, the tabby cat at the center of the story is seeing hanging out in a nook with their fellow cat family members. These early interactions that players can have will likely make owners who have had multiple cats at once remember how they interact with each other.
How these cats interact changes from one moment swiping at each other in a fury to then cleaning each other out of love. These reactions flip so quickly, which is not as true to real life, but the fact that cats can go fromwanting to battle each otherto taking care of one another is something cat owners are used to.
9Scratching Things They Shouldn’t
One of the key features in this game is usingthe cat’s clawsfor either advancing in the story or just having a good time. With this ability, objects like trees and carpet are available for players to sink their paws into and rip up a bit.
This is a common problem with house cats, who think any type of furniture is theirs to pluck on. Unlike inStray, where the cats do not have owners and no one stops them from scratching whatever they please, owners probably have many moments where they have to tell their cat to stop doing so.
8Picking Dangerous Objects Up In Their Mouth
Strayis very puzzle-driven, meaning the cat will face some obstacles that will involve them maneuvering around it or finding objects that can help push through it. This will mean multiple moments where the cat might have to pick an object up in their mouth that they normally shouldn’t.
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This is one of the biggest issues that cat owners have to deal with, such as their furry friends biting wires that are plugged into a wall or potentially swallowing hair ties that might have accidentally dropped to the ground. Luckily, everything that the cat inStraypicks up is used for something practical and not for accidental consumption.
7Climbing Unstable Platforms
It is made very clear throughout Stray how much cats love to climb. Whether they’re jumping across gaps or trying to reach new heights, these creatures just have a stubbornness to them that, if they want toreach a platform, they will do anything in their power to do so.
This includes platforms that are highly unstable, including stacks of books or empty containers that are pushovers otherwise. And cat owners will know how often cats love to go to places they shouldn’t and have a tendency to want to stand on top of things that isn’t for them.
6Walking On Your Keyboard
How often do owners have to deal with their cat attempting to interrupt their work? They may meow outside their office door or attempt to nuzzle their legs for attention. The most intrusive thing a cat can do is jump up onto a desk and walk all overa person’s keyboard.
In Stray, the cat will come across a giant keyboard and begin to tap all over it while the computer itself is attempting to receive an important command. This will likely hit home for cat owners who might have accidentally had their cat send a message to someone that is just a bunch of gibberish.
5Can’t Handle Wearing Outfits
Very early on after the cat gets separated from their family, the player will meet B-12, the little robot companion that will be alongside the cat on their journey. After he introduces himself, he asks the cat to carry him in a special harness that he had perfectly fitted for a potential small animal.
Once the cat gets the harness on, they do not like it one bit. Multiple times, they throw themselves on the ground and don’t move while B-12 tries to encourage the cat that they’ll be fine anddon’t need to fix it. Any cat owner who is used to bringing a cat outside will likely have horror stories of attempting to get their pet to be comfortable in a safety harness or any outfit like this.
4Being Too Curious
There will always be an object that owners bring into their house that a cat will be super nosy about. This could be something harmless like new treats that the owner intends to give the cat eventually to vegetables that they will attempt to bite on the spot because they think it’s theirs.
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But the worst thing to bring home to a cat are bags as they will sniff and dig through any bag that is placed in front of them. This could be bad because cats could get stuck on these objects, as is demonstrated inStraywhen the curious kitty decides to poke their head into a paper bag only for them to get their head stuck in it for a short period of time.
3Using You As A Bed
The most adorable mechanic in Stray is the fact that the lost kitty can curl up at various locations of the world and just take a nap. There is even an achievement tied to sleeping for a prolonged period of time in the game.
There is one particular sleepy moment that owners will absolutely resonate with. While exploring, the cat stumbles upon a robot sleeping on a bench. Players can interact with this robot by having the cat jump on to the robot’s chestand curl up on them. This leads to a nice moment of the robot loving that the cat is sleeping on them, which most real-life owners would understand.
2Tripping People
A cat is going to do whatever they want, even if it means they put people around them at a danger. This includes walking or laying in front of a walking human that doesn’t notice them and making them stumble over them, risking harm for everyone involve.
Luckily, players will get to partake inthis kind of simulator shenanigansthat they wouldn’t get away with otherwise. Placing the kitty in front of a walking robot in the game will watch the robot trip and fall over them, including down an entire staircase if the cat is perfectly positioned.
1Enjoying Boxes
As mentioned earlier, bags can be a danger for cats considering they may get caught on a handle or stick their entire head in a bag only to get stuck. Boxes, on the other hand, are pretty perfect for cats. There are just these perfectly rectangular objects that cats can just make a home with while causing no harm to themselves.
There are a few moments in Stray that the cat will have an opportunity to jump into a box and just chill for a bit. There are even some missions that involve hanging out in boxes to get through stealth sections or just sneak into a place with the help of the robots. But this might not be true to real life, as the cat would likely stay in the box for hours if they could.
Strayis available now on Windows, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
