Guide · Updated September 2026

Turn Your City Into a Cat Scavenger Hunt

Every city is quietly full of cats. The one that lives in the hardware store. The gray one that patrols a particular fence. The three that appear on the same warm step every afternoon. Most people walk past all of them. A cat scavenger hunt means you go looking for cats on purpose, with a list.

It works because it flips a normal walk into a small quest. You are not strolling to the shop anymore, you are looking, and the moment you start looking, a familiar block turns into a map of little discoveries. Here is how to set one up, whether you are playing alone, racing a friend, or turning a whole neighborhood into a leaderboard.

The basic game

The core loop is simple. You get a list of cat "types" or situations to find, you go out and spot them, and you photograph each match. Everything else is a variation on that.

You need three things:

A list of prompts (a black cat, a shop cat, a cat in a window, and so on).
A boundary, so the game has edges. One neighborhood, one park loop, one afternoon, or a set number of blocks.
A way to record hits, which for most people is just the camera. A photo is proof, and it is also the souvenir.

Set those three and you can play in the next ten minutes.

Prompt ideas to steal

The prompt list is where a cat hunt lives or dies. Too easy and it is over in a block; too hard and you go home discouraged. The trick is to mix guaranteed finds with a couple of long shots that make people take the scenic route. A good starter list:

A cat asleep in the sun
A cat in a window
A shop cat or a bodega cat behind a counter
A black cat (bonus for the classic "crosses your path")
Two cats together
A cat that comes over when you call or blink slowly
A cat with a tipped or notched ear (it means the cat is neutered and looked after)
A cat somewhere it should not be, like on a car roof or a high wall
The same cat you saw last time, in a new spot

Rare prompts are the ones people remember. "A cat that lets you pet it" can turn a fifteen-minute walk into an hour, and that hour is the whole point.

How to score it

Pick one scoring style before you start so nobody argues at the end. Three that work:

One point per cat. Simplest. Most cats found wins. Great for a group walking together.
Weighted prompts. Common cats are worth one, rare prompts are worth three or five. This rewards effort and patience over just walking fast.
First to finish the list. Turn the prompt list into a checklist and race to complete it. Good for two people who are competitive and short on time.

For solo play, ditch points entirely and set a target: "eight cats before I turn around," or "a new cat on every street." The number is just a nudge to keep going one more block.

Playing with friends

A cat hunt is a genuinely good excuse to see people. It is a walk with a purpose, which is far easier to say yes to than "want to wander around for an hour." A few formats:

Same team, one list. Walk together, split up to cover both sides of a street, regroup to compare. Cozy and low-stakes.
Rival hunters. Same list, separate routes, meet at a cafe to count. The best cats come out in the retelling.
Long-distance. You in your city, a friend in theirs, same prompt list, compare photos over text at the end of the week. The contrast between two cities' cats is half the fun. There is a whole version of this for two people in The Two-Player Cat Game.

The photos are the trophies. By the end you both have a small gallery of everyone you met, which is a much better souvenir than a step count.

Make the whole city a leaderboard

Scoring on paper is fine, but it caps out at the people on the walk. The version that keeps going is when the cats you catch become a shared thing the whole neighborhood is playing.

That is roughly what Cat Collector turns a cat hunt into. It is a free iPhone app: point your camera at a real cat you find, and once the app verifies the cat is real, it lands in your collection as a hand-drawn die-cut sticker card marked with the spot and your name as finder. Each card has a link, so when a friend taps it, that cat joins their collection too. The scavenger-hunt scoring is built in, except your "points" are cats other people wanted to collect.

Then it adds the part paper cannot: a weekly neighborhood Top Cat board that tracks the most-collected local cat. Suddenly the bodega cat everyone loves has a rank, and the hunt becomes your whole area quietly voting on which cat is the neighborhood favorite. Your cats also turn into iMessage stickers you can send in the group chat while you plan the next walk. Free, no email sign-up, and every cat on the board is a real one somebody actually met.

One limit worth naming: the app is a collecting game, not a lost-cat service. If a hunt turns up a cat that looks lost, hurt, or sick, step out of game mode and contact a local shelter or use a lost-and-found app instead.

Hunt kindly

One rule sits above all the others. You are spotting cats, not catching them in any literal sense. Photograph from a comfortable distance and let a cat decide whether to come closer. Never chase, corner, trap, or pick up a cat you do not know, and keep dogs and loud groups back. A cat that runs off is a cat you scared, and that is a lost round, not a won one. In some places, like Istanbul, street cats are treated as beloved shared neighbors rather than strays, and that is a good mindset to bring to any city: you are a guest in their day.

Go find your city's cats

The cats were always there. The hunt just gives you a reason to finally see them. Grab a list, pick a boundary, decide how you are scoring, and go. Worst case you get a long walk and some fresh air. Best case you find the one cat that adopts your whole route, and now you have proof.

New to keeping the cats you meet? Start with How to Remember Every Cat You Meet.

Sources and further reading

Frequently asked questions

What is a cat scavenger hunt?

It is a walking game where you try to spot and photograph cats that match a list of prompts, like a black cat, a shop cat, or a cat in a window. You can play solo, race friends, or team up. The list is the fun part, because it sends you looking places you would normally walk past.

How do you keep score in a cat scavenger hunt?

Pick one method and stick to it: one point per cat, bonus points for rare prompts like a cat wearing a collar or a cat that lets you pet it, or first-to-finish the whole list wins. If you use Cat Collector, the weekly neighborhood Top Cat board scores which local cat gets collected most.

Can I play a cat scavenger hunt alone?

Absolutely, and many people prefer it. Solo, the hunt is really a reason to walk further and pay attention. Give yourself a list, a route, or a target number of cats, and the walk gains a small quest without needing anyone else.

What are good cat scavenger hunt prompts?

Mix easy and hard: a cat in a window, a shop or bodega cat, a black cat, a cat asleep in the sun, a cat that comes when you call, two cats together, a cat with a tipped ear. Rare prompts are what make people take the long way home.

Is there an app for a cat scavenger hunt?

Cat Collector fits naturally. You photograph the real cats you find, each becomes a collectible card, friends can collect your finds by tapping a link, and a weekly neighborhood board tracks the most-collected local cat. It is free on iPhone with no sign-up.

How do I hunt cats without bothering them?

Spot and photograph from a respectful distance and let cats approach on their terms. Never chase, corner, trap, or pick up a cat you do not know. The goal is to notice cats, not to disturb them, so a photo from a few steps away always counts.