CATherapy 2027

CATherapy is a cozy, cooperative, meta-progression game about healing mental health through the comfort of cats. Players work together to manage a cat therapy center, rescuing cats from the streets, building rooms in the office, and matching clients with their ideal therapy cats. Every cat has unique traits, and finding the right matches for each client is central to success.

Gameplay unfolds over in-game days and weeks. On a player’s turn, they may rescue a cat, build a new room, or gather kibble and litter to support their cats. Clients are then assigned to therapy rooms, where the right combination of cats can reduce their anxiety, anger, depression, social struggles, and other mental health symptoms. Poor matches create challenges, including negative reviews and resource loss, adding tension and encouraging teamwork.

Players must carefully manage shared resources like kibble and litter to maintain the office, handle random events, and meet weekly operating costs. Random events create moments of risk and strategy, requiring players to decide when to spend resources or adapt their plans. Each week ends with a cost assessment—if players can pay for cats, room upkeep, and failed clients, they can continue to the next week or pack up the campaign and resume later.

Success is measured by maintaining a thriving CATherapy office while keeping clients and cats happy. As the office grows and more clients arrive, players must balance expansion with sustainability, growing fast enough to meet supervisor expectations while preserving resources. CATherapy combines cooperative puzzle-solving, resource management, and engine-building in a warm, thematic experience that celebrates teamwork, strategy, and the joy of helping others through cats.

—description from the designer