Despite the fact that a lot of young women in college are only in their late teens/early twenties, a lot of us have already decided what we will inevitably become as we get older: cat ladies. Becoming a cat lady was once seen as a bad thing; a direct result of never finding a spouse and settling down. But thanks to outspoken millennials and country-gone-pop idol Taylor Swift, our generation continues to actively work against this stigma. Anyone can become a cat lady! Regardless of relationship status, your current opinions on cats, and financial independence, you too can become a future cat lady!
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Wow, I wonder how I can start becoming a cat lady myself,” I have great news for you! You can start getting ready today by downloading the free app Neko Atsume on to your smartphone.
Created by the Japanese developer Hit-Point, the app was released in 2014, completely in Japanese. Undeterred by the language barrier, the app became popular with an English speaking audience, and on October 30th, 2015, the app was released in English as well.
So, what is this app? It’s a mildly interactive game where you collect virtual cats. In order to do so, you feed them and buy them toys, and in turn they leave you fish, which are used to buy more things to make your new furry friends happy.
The app may not seem like much, but it’s quite addicting. If you’re strong enough to resist the calling of these cute kitties, I commend you. But, if you’re anything like me, this is how the game will suck you in.
Step 1: At first you’ll think it sounds, honestly, really stupid, and you’ll refuse to download it.
“Virtual cats? Couldn’t I spend my time, I don’t know, actually interacting with the real world?”
Step 2: You’ll download it because you’re curious. Or just really bored.
Maybe your friends will have it and recommend it you or you’ll see it all over the internet. Well, it can’t hurt to see what all this hubbub is really about, right?
(And don’t worry, curiosity won’t kill the cat.)
Step 3: You’ll get your first cat.
One thing about this game is that the cats can’t show up while the app is open. Maybe you’ll be really unsure about this game and whether or not you’ll even enjoy it, but you’ll open up the app and OH MY GOSH LOOK HOW CUTE THAT LITTLE GUY IS. You can also take pictures in the app to save these precious memories.
Step 4: You’ll try to keep the amount of times you open this app really low-key.
Since the app relies on you opening and closing it, it’s really easy to keep doing it within small intervals, and you might get a little carried away.
“Okay, I’m just gonna open this real quick to see if any new cats came and to see if I need to refill their food…”
Step 5: You’ll do anything to get more cats, especially if they’re the rare ones.
You’re not even trying to be low-key anymore. Once you realize that there are cats with puns for names, like Guy Furry and Lady Meow, you’ll be asking friends or consulting Google with what items you need to get the (the different toys and objects you buy attract different cats.) You’ll also need to expand your yard to maximize the amounts of cats you can have at one time because you just need all the cats.
Step 6: You’ll be stuck playing this game until someone wrenches your phone out of your hands.
These kitties are ridiculously adorable, so there’ll be no way you can just quit this on your own. Plus how could you possibly get rid of a huge milestone in your journey to become a true cat lady?