Cat Lady: Box of Treats
Cat Lady: Box of Treats Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Your game of Box of Treats should include the following. If it does not, contact [email protected] for assistance.
- 54 Game cards
- 13 Stray Cat cards
- 10 Shared goals
- 6 Wooden Treat tokens
- 4 Victory Point tokens
- 6 Starting cards
- 9 Turn cards
- 1 Score pad
- 1 Rulebook
Setup
The new game cards are added to the main deck depending on the number of players:
- 2–player game: Remove all cards with a number 3+, 4, 5+, and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 3–player game: Remove all cards with a number 4, 5+, and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 4–player game: Remove all cards with a number 5+ and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 5–player game: Remove all cards with a number 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them. Deal 1 additional stray cat for a total of 4 stray cats available to players.
- 6–player game: Remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them. Deal 1 additional stray cat for a total of 4 stray cats available to players.
5-6 Player Scoring Notes
At the end of the game, the player who has the most costumes gains 6 VP as normal. In addition, the player with the second most costumes gains 3 points.
If 2 or more players tie for the most, they divide 9 VP evenly among themselves (rounded up) and the player with the second most does not gain any VP for costumes.
If 2 or more players tie for the second most, they divide the 3 VP evenly among themselves (rounded up).
Expansion Symbol
Cards in the Box of Treats expansion are marked with an expansion symbol in the bottom left corner of the card to differentiate them from the cards in the base game.
New Card Types
Box
When you take a box card, place it face up in front of yourself. Each box requires a specific type of cat to be filled. For example, the box that requires an "orange chicken cat" can only be filled with a cat that has orange as one of their colors and has chicken as one of their feeding needs.
At the end of the game, only your filled boxes score. Each filled box scores 1 VP for each box you have (filled or empty).
You may fill a box with a cat that is not fully fed (even hungry cats can fill a box). Cats from the main deck and stray cats can be used to fill boxes.
A cat can only be used to fill 1 box: you cannot use the same cat to fill 2 boxes.
Example: You have 2 filled boxes and 1 empty box. Your filled boxes each score 3 VP for a total of 6 VP (3 VP for the Gray Cat box + 3 VP for the White Milk Cat box = 6 VP total).
Cat Brush
When you take a cat brush card, keep it in your hand until you choose to play it during one of your turns. Playing a cat brush allows you to take 1 cat from the grid of 9 cards and replace it with one of your cats that you already have. If you do not have any cats, you cannot play a cat brush.
You may swap any cat you have, regardless of whether it is a stray cat or came from the main deck. However, you cannot swap one of your cats with a stray cat: the cat you take must come from the grid.
The cat token does not prevent you from swapping a cat from any row or column.
Cat brush cards remaining in your hand at the end of the game have no value.
Chicken & Tuna
If you take a chicken & tuna food card, you must discard it and take a chicken and tuna food token.
Gray Cats
There is a new color of cat: gray! Gray cats can be distinguished by the letter "G" in the top left corner of the card.
Cats that are considered to be all colors (Sweetheart and Henrietta Van Weedle) are considered to be gray as well.
Laser Pointer
When you take a laser pointer card, keep it in your hand until you choose to play it during one of your turns.
Playing a laser pointer takes up your entire turn. Playing a laser pointer allows you to take any 2 face up cards from the grid of 9 cards. Then place one more card from the grid into the discard pile.
The cat token does not prevent you from taking or removing cards from any row or column. After that player turn ends, the cat token does not move.
Laser pointer cards remaining in your hand at the end of the game have no value.
Example: A player uses a laser pointer to take a box and a catnip. The player adds those cards to their collection. Then the player takes the shopping bag from the grid and places it in the discard pile. The player then refills the grid with 3 new cards. The player does not take a normal turn of taking 3 cards in a row or column.
Shopping Bag
When you take a shopping bag card, keep it in your hand until you choose to play it during one of your turns.
Playing a shopping bag allows you to gain 1 food of each type (1 tuna, 1 chicken, 1 milk). If you do this all opponents will take a victory point token which is worth 2 VP at the end of the game. If you use a shopping bag, you must gain all 3 food: you cannot choose to only take 1 tuna for example.
Shopping bag cards remaining in your hand at the end of the game have no value and are not considered when determining the player with the most leftover food.
Treat
Treats are a tasty new type of food! Like other food, when you take a treat card, you must immediately discard it and collect a treat token, which you keep until the end of the game.
When you are feeding your cats, you can use 1 treat to fully feed 1 cat instead of fulfilling their normal feeding needs. However, they lose all abilities and their normal points. When a cat is fed with a treat instead of their normal feeding needs, the cat is always worth 1 VP.
Treats are considered food for abilities and when determining the player with the most leftover food at the end of the game.
You cannot use a wild food as a treat.
When you feed a cat with a treat instead of their normal feeding needs, you cannot feed the cat more food just to get rid of leftover food.
If a cat needs 2 or more food and you feed them with a treat instead of their normal feeding needs, they are not considered to be a 1 food cat.
When you feed a cat with a treat instead of their normal feeding needs, the cat's feeding needs remain unchanged. For example, if a cat's feeding needs are 2 chicken and it is fed with a treat, the cat is still considered to eat chicken.
Example: Mina needs to be fed 1 tuna and 1 chicken but you only have 1 chicken and a treat. You feed Mina 1 treat instead of her normal feeding needs, so she is only worth 1 VP. It does not matter how many multicolored cats you feed since her ability is lost when she is fed with a treat instead of her normal feeding needs. You cannot feed Mina a chicken since she has already been fully fed with the treat.
Shared Goals
Shared goals allow you to partner up with a fellow cat lady and achieve awards. Playing with goals is optional when playing with 3 or more players, and everyone should agree upon whether or not to use them at the start of the game. Shared goals cannot be used when playing with only 2 players or when using the solitaire variant.
During setup at the start of the game, shuffle the goals and deal 1 goal face up between each player. Place 2 goals face up off to the side to form the pool of goals. Return the remaining goals to the box since they will not be used this game.
The player on your left or right is considered your partner for the goal that is between you.
Example: The partner on your left shares the goal "14 Fed Cats" and the partner on your right shares the goal "8 Toys" with you. During your turn, you may swap one of these goals with a goal from the pool.
You may only have 1 goal with the partner on your left and 1 goal with the partner on your right.
During your turn, in addition to drafting a row or column of cards from the grid, you may swap 1 of your goals with 1 of the goals in the pool. You may only swap 1 goal per turn.
Each goal has requirements for you and your partner to meet, as a group, by the end of the game. If the requirements are met, the goal is achieved and both you and your partner gain the indicated VP. If the goal is not achieved at the end of the game, it has no value.
Example: You and the partner on your right share the "8 Toys" goal. At the end of the game, you have 3 toys and your partner has 6 toys. This is enough toys to achieve the goal, so you gain 3 VP and your partner gains 3 VP.
Rules Clarifications
Feeding Needs - Any Food
Some cats have an "any food" symbol for their feeding needs, represented by a number followed by a question mark.
When a cat has "any food" for its feeding needs, it can be fed any food of your choice (chicken, tuna, or milk). An "any food" cat can be fed wild food, but the player must declare which food type the wild represents.
Example: Mister Fit needs to be fed 2 "any food." He can be fed 2 chicken, or 2 tuna, or 1 chicken and 1 tuna, for example.
Feeding Needs - 1 and 2 Food Cats
Some abilities and requirements refer to 1 food cats and 2 food cats. A cat is considered to be a 1 food cat if its feeding needs is exactly 1. Likewise a 2 food cat is a cat whose feeding needs are exactly 2. It doesn't matter if the cat needs 2 different food or 2 food of the same type.
Example: Ringo needs exactly 2 food and is considered a 2 food cat.
Feeding Needs - Cat Types
Some abilities and requirements refer to a type of cat by their feeding needs. A cat is considered to be the type of food that is listed in their feeding needs or if you feed it that type of food. This applies to each type of food including tuna, chicken, and milk.
Using tuna for example, Banjo is worth 1 VP for each tuna cat you feed. A cat is considered to be a "tuna cat" if they have tuna listed in their feeding needs or if you feed the cat tuna. If you use a treat to fully feed a cat instead of fulfilling their normal feeding needs, it is still considered to be a "tuna cat" if they have tuna listed in their feeding needs. If cat has "any food" for its feeding needs, it is only considered to be a "tuna cat" if you feed it tuna.
Multicolored Cats
Some cards and shared goals refer to multicolored cats. Any cat that has more than 1 color is considered a multicolored cat. For example, a black and white cat is considered a multicolored cat.
Cat Clarifications
Aoshima & Friends
This cat card counts as 3 cats for abilities that refer to the number of cats that you have.
Each cat is considered to be 1 color, as shown in the card's illustration. This card is not considered to be a multicolored cat. It is considered to be a 1 tuna cat, 1 chicken cat, and 1 milk cat.
You cannot use Aoshima & Friends to fill a box.
As per the normal rules, you cannot partially feed a cat. Therefore, if you cannot feed all of the required food (1 tuna, 1 chicken, 1 milk), then you may not feed Aoshima & Friends any food at all.
If you cannot feed the cat, you lose 6 VP total (you lose 2 VP for each cat).
Biddy
If Biddy is revealed during setup and you are not playing with shared goals, simply replace Biddy with another card from the stray cat deck.
Calf
You may feed Calf up to 5 of any type of food(s). Calf is worth 2 VP plus an additional 1 VP for each food that you feed her. For example, if you feed Calf 1 food, she is worth 3 VP. If you feed Calf 5 food, she is worth 7 VP.
If you do not feed Calf any food, you lose 2 VP as normal.
Choupette
If you feed Choupette at the end of the game, you may take any 2 cards from the grid of cards. You may take cards from a row or column that the cat token is next to. If you take a card that requires you to play it during your turn, like a shopping bag or lost cat card for example, you can play it at the end of the game but it is not considered to be taking an extra turn.
Elvis
If fully fed, Elvis counts as 1 costume.
If Elvis is fed and you have no other costume cards, you do not lose 2 VP at the end of the game since Elvis counts as 1 costume.
Little Nicky
If you feed Nicky at the end of the game, you choose one of your other fed cats. Nicky scores an amount of VP equal to the amount of VP that the chosen cat is worth.
Marshmallow
Marshy is worth VP equal to the total amount of points that you gained from all of your sets of toys.
Mister Fit
Only food that you used to feed your cats count towards Mister Fit's ability: leftover food does not count as food that you used. Wild food is considered to be the type of food that you used it for (tuna, chicken, or milk).
Mr. Zoe
At the end of the game, you may discard any number of spray bottle and lost cat cards you have for 2 VP each. Mr. Zoe is worth the total VP you gained this way.
Tomasso
If you feed Tomasso at the end of the game, he counts as 1 toy of your choice (cat tower, feather wand, mouse toy, scratching post, or yarn ball). You may add this toy to score for a set as normal. If you have a set of 5 unique toys, you cannot add Tomasso's toy to make a set of 6 unique toys.
Solitaire Variant
This variant allows you to play solitaire games of Cat Lady. A cat player represents the opponent that you are playing against. You must gain more VP than the cat player in order to win the game.
Setup
Follow the setup instructions for a 2–player game (see page 3), but only deal 2 stray cats (instead of 3 stray cats).
Shuffle the 6 starting cards and draw 2 at random. Follow any instructions listed on the card and return the remaining starting cards to the box. Starting cards give the cat player an advantage for that game.
Shuffle the 9 turn cards to form a face down turn deck.
Place the cat token above the top left column of the grid.
The cat player takes the first turn of the game.
How to Play
You and the cat player continue taking turns until the end of the game. The cat player follows some special rules, as described on the following pages. Otherwise all of the basic rules of playing Cat Lady are unchanged.
Taking a Cat Player Turn
The cat player (with your assistance of course) draws the top card from the turn deck to determine which row or column they take that turn. After taking their turn put the turn card into a discard pile.
Important: The cat player CAN take rows and columns that the cat token is next to.
The cat player must take a row or column that has the most of a required card type, as described by the turn card's title.
If none of the required cards are in the grid, take the row or column depicted by the arrow on the turn card.
If a row and column tie for having most of a required card, look at the arrow depicted on the card to break the tie:
- If the arrow selects a row, then take from the tied row.
- If the arrow selects a column, then take from the tied column.
If multiple rows or columns tie for fulfilling the condition of the arrow, you choose which of the tied rows or columns the cat player takes.
After the cat player has taken a row or column, refill the 3 cards as normal. Move the cat token next to the selected row or column and then take your turn.
Example: The required card type is "Most Toys" and there is a row with 2 toys and a column with 2 toys. The turn card depicts an arrow selecting a row, so the cat player takes the row with 2 toys.
Example: The required card type is "Most Toys" but there are no rows or columns with any toys. The cat player takes the bottom row, as depicted by the arrow on the turn card.
All tuna, chicken, and milk are considered wild food to the cat player (i.e., a cat that needs 3 chicken can be fed with 2 tuna and 1 milk). Treats are not considered wild food.
Remember to count the starting card for the cat player during scoring.
The cat player will try to earn as many VP as possible. Some guidelines are posted below to help score for the cat player.
- Feed stray cats first Try to feed all of the cat player's stray cats before feeding cats from the main deck.
- Feed least to most food Try to feed all of the cat player's cats that require the least amount of food for their feeding needs first and feed cats that require the most amount of food last. In other words, feed all of the cats that require 1 food for their feeding needs first, followed by cats with 2 feeding needs, followed by cats with 3 feeding needs, etc.
Following these guidelines will generally result in scoring the most VP for the cat player.
End of the Game
The game ends when an empty row or column needs to be refilled and there are no cards remaining in the deck, as normal.
The player with the most leftover food after feeding their cats must lose 2 VP, as normal.
The cat player scores 1 VP for each cat brush, laser pointer, and spray bottle they have.
Other Cat Player Rules
When the Cat Token card is drawn, take the 3 cards in the row or column the cat token is in front of. [Printed as "the cat token if front of."] Then shuffle the Cat Token card and the other discarded turn cards into the Turn Card deck.
If the cat player ever has 2 lost cat cards, they immediately discard them to gain the leftmost stray cat. If there are no stray cats available to gain, the cat player gains 2 VP instead.
If you want to increase the difficulty of solitaire play, you can give the cat player an additional starting card. If you want to play on an easier mode you can have the cat player start with only 1 starting card.
Wild Toy
The wild toy counts as 1 toy (cat tower, feather wand, mouse toy, scratching post, or yarn ball) based on what the cat player needs to complete a set and score as many VP as possible. If the cat player has a set of 5 unique toys, the wild toy cannot be added to make a set of 6 unique toys.
Most Food
A row or column must provide at least 2 food tokens to be considered to have the most food. If a row or column only provides 1 food token, it cannot be considered to have the most food.
Note that some food cards, like the "chicken & tuna" card for example, provide more than 1 food token.
Most 6 VP Cats
A row or column must have at least 1 cat that is worth 6 VP to be considered to have the most cats. If a row or column has cats but it does not have any cat that is worth at least 6 VP, it cannot be considered to have the most cats (even if the cats' combined points would score 6 VP).
Cat Token
When this turn card is drawn, the cat player simply takes the row or column that the cat token is next to. The cat token remains next to that row or column. After the cat player takes their turn, shuffle this and the other played cards back into the Turn Card deck.
Quick Reference
Setup
- Game cards form the main deck, which will have a different number of cards depending on the number of players:
- 2–player game: Remove all cards with a number 3+, 4, 5+, and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 3–player game: Remove all cards with a number 4, 5+, and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 4–player game: Remove all cards with a number 5+ and 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them.
- 5–player game: Remove all cards with a number 6 in the top right corner and return them to the box. Then remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them. Deal 1 additional stray cat for a total of 4 stray cats available to players.
- 6–player game: Remove 6 cards at random and return them to the box without looking at them. Deal 1 additional stray cat for a total of 4 stray cats available to players.
- Shuffle the main deck face down and deal 9 cards face up in the center of the table to form a 3x3 grid.
- Shuffle the stray cat deck and deal 3 cards face up off to the side. Return the remaining stray cats to the box since they will not be used this game. Place all food and VP tokens off to the side in reach of all players.
- The player who has the most cats in real life is the starting player and takes the first turn of the game. The player sitting counterclockwise from them takes the cat token and places it next to one of the rows or columns. The starting player is now ready to take the first turn!
Taking a Turn
Take a row OR column of 3 cards from the grid. You cannot take the row or column that the cat token is next to.
Move the cat token next to the row or column that you took cards from.
Then refill the row or column with 3 cards face up, drawn from the main deck.
Your turn then ends and the next player clockwise takes a turn.
End of the Game
The game ends when an empty row or column needs to be refilled and there are no cards remaining in the deck.
The player with the highest total VP wins the game!
If 2 or more players are tied for the highest total, the player who has the most fed cats is the winner. If there is still a tie, the first tied player to win a future game of Cat Lady is the winner.