Cats Against the World: The Card Game That Obsesses Us

Cats Against the World is an unofficial expansion to the hugely popular party game Cards Against Humanity. Like the original game, it is quick to learn, easy to play, and is sure to amuse players. Suitable for as few as 2 players and up to as many as 20 players, it takes around half an hour to play a game. Because some of the questions and answers are very heavily adult-themed, it has a recommended age of 17+.

Cats Against the World is an expansion, which means you do need a copy of the original game to be able to play it, but the expansion adds 9 question and 27 answer cards to the original deck of 100 questions and 500 answers. The cards can be played interchangeably and the original and this expansion can be combined with any of the massive number of other expansions that are available.

All proceeds from the Cats Against the World game go to cat SOXRescue cat rescue charity in Bakersfield, California.

Unfortunately, it seems that this game is currently no longer available at the time of writing, although you might get lucky on eBay or similar websites.

What is Cats Against the World?

Cats Against the World is an unofficial expansion to the party game phenomenon that is Cards Against Humanity. The expansion doesn’t change the gameplay mechanics or add any new elements to the game, but it does introduce a host of cat-themed question-and-answer cards that are ideal for cat-loving gamers.

About Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity was launched in 2011. Within a month, it had become the biggest-selling game on Amazon. It is described as being “a party game for horrible people” and consists of 600 cards. There are 100 fill-in-the-blank cards and 500 answer cards.

All players receive ten white answer cards. Make two piles of cards in the middle of the table, one of black fill-in-the-blank cards and another pile of white answer cards. According to the rules, the first person to ask the black question card is the person who most recently went for a number 2.

Each round, one person plays a black fill-in-the-blank card from the top of the pile and all other players play what they deem to be the funniest answer in their hand. The cards are shuffled, and the original player chooses which card they think gives the funniest response. The person who played the cards takes the question card and places it in front of them, denoting a point. Generally, a game ends when one player reaches five, seven, or ten points, although it is up to the players around the table to choose the target score.

The cards have very adult themes, which means the game is only really suitable for adults, but it is described as being the perfect icebreaker because it gives players a glimpse into the minds of everybody else around the table. Such is the popularity of the game that there have been multiple variations and variants produced, the game has been published in dozens of languages, and there are many different expansions available, including both official and unofficial expansions.

Cards Against Humanity is available free. The publisher provides a free PDF file that includes all the cards in the original game. Players can download and print the cards, although, with 600 of them, it will take a while to print and a lot longer to cut them out. If you’re going to laminate the cards as well, it represents a massive undertaking.

Cats Against the World

Cats Against the World is an unofficial expansion, which means it wasn’t made by the original game publisher. It was made by a cat charity in Florida called SOXRescue. All proceeds of sales from the expansion went to the charity, with the money initially being used to set up their first physical cat rescue center and further funds being used to care for the cats.

The expansion doesn’t change the game or add any new mechanics, but it does include additional cards that are added to the base game. The game is played in the same way, but with the new cat cards shuffled into the base deck. The new cards only make up a small number of the total deck, but because every player is given one black card and ten white cards, some of those new cards will likely be seen each game.

Examples of some of the new answer cards include “pee on the things you love” and “enjoy the empty cardboard box from stuff my human bought me that I’ll never play with – ever”: both of which are sentiments that most cat owners can sympathize with. The expansion is great for cat lovers as well as those who know a cat lover.

How to Combine the Games

Combining the expansion with the original game is easy. Simply shuffle the new black cards with the existing black cards and the new white cards with the existing ones. The game is then played exactly as normal and follows the original game’s rules.

About SOXRescue

SOXRescue is a cat rescue charity based in California. Thanks to the launch and sale of Cats Against the World, they now have a physical rescue center in Bakersfield and are looking to launch a cat refugee campground where visitors can camp with cats.

The charity is named after a young, abandoned kitten taken in by the founders. The couple couldn’t afford the cost of much-needed surgery and raised funds through posters and social media. While they raised the money, Sox suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. The founders used the money to set up SOXRescue in a bid to save other cats and kittens.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I Play Cats Against the World Without Cards Against Humanity?

Cats Against the World is an expansion, which means you must have or be willing to buy a copy of the original Cards Against Humanity game to be able to play it. You can combine this with other expansions to make one massive deck, but you won’t be able to play the game with just the expansion.

Is It Suitable for People of All Ages?

Cards Against Humanity is generally rated as being suitable for people aged 17 or over and you need the base game to be able to play Cats Against the World. Therefore, it is only suitable for adults.

Does the Money Go to Charity?

All proceeds from the sale of Cats Against the World go to the SOXRescue charity. However, the money from the sale of Cards Against Humanity and its official expansions does not go to charity.

Are There Other Cards Against Humanity Expansions?

There were six official expansions, each consisting of 100 cards, made for Cards Against Humanity. These were later combined to create two expansions of 300 cards each. A series of smaller expansions were also made available, including the fascism pack, college pack, and weed pack among others. There are also a lot of unofficial expansions that work in the same way and combine with the original game but were not made by the original publisher.

Conclusion

Cards Against Humanity was a party game phenomenon on its launch, and it remains massively popular today. Although it can, theoretically be played by any number of people, it plays best with between six and eight people. The huge deck of cards can be expanded with official expansions, and many companies and individuals have also created unofficial expansions.

Cats Against the World is one such unofficial expansion and includes 36 cards related to cats and the perils of owning cats. It is a brilliant addition for cat lovers, and proceeds from the sale of these packs went to help rescue abandoned and homeless cats.

See also:

• How Big Is a Cat Brain? Vet Explains Feline Anatomy

• 90 Gangster Cat Names: Ideas for Your Badass Feline

Featured Image Credit: MyraMyra, Shutterstock