The object of the game is to attract cats to your side of the board.
Players achieve this by matching the toys the cat requires by positioning their four left most toys. You can see the toys each cat requires by looking in the positions 1 to 4 at the bottom of each cat card. There is, by default a player preference setting that highlights a cat when the toys it requires are in the correct positions. Advanced players will most likely feel they don't require this assistance and turn this preference off.
There is a second player preference designed to help new players that will highlight cats and toys that have a toy in the correct position. This activated by hovering over a toy. This preference is also turned on by default.
Red, yellow and blue cats have two toys whilst black and white cats have three toys making them harder to attract and worth more points.
You can exchange the position of two toy cards by clicking on them both.
With the selection finalised hit the confirm button.
Then your opponent's corresponding toy is compared to yours - if one is weaker it is eliminated from this round. The relative strength of the toys in given in the reference card bottom left. So, for example, if your toy in position 1 is a mouse, it is weaker than yarn and stronger than the feather. It has no effect or is not effected by the laser pointer, catnip or scratching post.
Each cat is then checked to see if it has been attracted by a player. If a cat is attracted by both players it is discarded and replaced by a new cat from the deck.
If no cat is attracted for two successive rounds, each player must select a cat to be discarded and replaced.
The game ends when one player attracts seven cats. The player with the highest score wins.
Your score is determined by how many cats you have of each color according to the reference card top left. For example, if you have two blue cats (5) and three red cats (9) your score will be 14.
A tie is decided by the player with the largest set of black or white cards, then the player with the largest set of colored cards, then the most black and white cards combined. If still tied then both players are the winner.
There are two advanced game options - one where toys not used one round must be used the next.
The second option adds one purple cat worth ten points - Muffin requires four matched toys to attract her.