Cat-Tastic Party Games

Posted on Feb 1st 2016

Exclusively written for
thePartyWorks.com
By Mary Ann Ross
March 12, 2010

These games are for the kids to play
making believe they are cats and kittens.

Children enjoy games and the grown-ups should enjoy the games because these are party activities that keep the kids occupied. Select the games based on the age of the kids attending. You’ll recognize some of the party games from parties you attended as a child … just the names have been changed to adapt to the CAT/KITTEN party theme but these standard party games can be changed to fit any theme! (ie, Bingo, Hot Potato, Musical Chairs, Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The same can be done with foods served at the party… change the name to fit the party. If you are a cat lover, then you are well aware that cats will not do anything they don’t want to do so these games are designed for the kids to act like kittens to play these games. The children will love being able to talk ‘CAT’ with words such as MEOW, MEW, and they can PURR softly or loudly, happy or sad purrs or giggly purrs.

Greet the kids at the door and let them know they are NOW Kittens and Cats. Search the internet for Cat or Kitten Masks you can make yourself and prior to the party, print, color (if necessary) and cut out. Add a ribbon to tie the mask on the children’s heads. For older kids, think about letting them color their own “mask” and add a collar area around the kitten’s neck and provide rhinestones, glitter, gems, buttons, etc. for the kids to decorate. Have a contest for the most beautiful collar, the ugliest collar, etc.

Before the party, create name tags and write one for each guest with using their own special kitten name that you have assigned. Throughout the whole party, each guest shall be called by the cat name shown on the name tag. Greet the kids at the door and pin the name tag on them. (This is only appropriate for school age children).

Some name ideas include:
Fluffy
Snow Ball
Cha Cha
Tigger
Vanilla
Paws
Muffins
Colonel
Lucky
Charlie Brown
Snoopy
Troubles
Use any person’s name
Use the names of flowers

Introduction:
One at a time, ask each child to get up and tell everyone about themselves, including the answers to these sample questions:

My name is…
The color of my fur is…
My eyes are ….
My ears are…
When I sleep, this is what I look like… (animation)
When I eat, this is what I look like…
When I drink water, this is what I look like…
When I clean myself, this is what I look like…

EACH CHILD ASKS one question of the cat that is introducing themselves, i.e. “what do you sound like when you sing?” and the cat sings, i.e. Jingle Bells using the word “meow” and other cat words.

Option 1:
Provide finger paints in a variety of colors, a paint brush (large to paint the hand; small to paint smaller details) and paper to all the make-believe kittens. The kids paint the inside palm of their hands and stamp onto the paper in any way they wish to create a mix/match picture. Using the smaller brush, paint on the details.
Pictures can be awarded prizes based on the ugliest, most recognizable, cutest, most original, etc.

Option 2:
Ask the kitten artists to paint the inside of their palm of one hand and stamp onto the paper… only ONE… and then create it into something.
Again, awards can be given based on most original, funniest, most colors used, etc.

Change the Pin game to Pin the Tail on the Cat;
draw or cut-out a picture of a cat and provide a bunch of cat tails,
playing the game exactly as you would for Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
The person pinning their tail closest to the tail in the picture is the winner!

Simple a re-named standard Musical Chairs Game. Provide one less chair than the total number of guests, start the music… kids crawl around the row of chairs and when the music stops, the kids scramble to sit on a chair. One guest will not get a chair and he/she is out of the game. Start the music, kids march around chairs, stop the music… well, that’s all there is to it. Find music that is upbeat and fun! This game can be played as many times as the kids are enjoying it.

Same as the Musical Chairs game above only you now add hats, one less hat than total number of players. Arrange the chairs so there is a row or two rows back to back, any formation you’d like but the players need to be seated in order to pass the hats around to each other easily. Start the music and the kids continue to pass hats to one another in formation… hat MUST be placed on the heads. Child gets the hat, puts on their head, takes off their head and passes hat to the next player. Music starts and the hats get passed. Music stops and the guest without a hat leaves the game. Play continues until there is only one player left. Hats can include visors, baseball caps, etc. This is really a fun game and adults enjoy playing it, too. His is another game that the guests will want to play several times.