# The Isle of Cats

The Isle of Cats is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 60–90 minutes and is meant for ages 8 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 3. It is rated 7.4 out of 10 by 121 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $29.89 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 3)
- **Playing time:** 60–90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 8+
- **Complexity:** 2.4 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2019
- **Categories:** Fantasy, Animals, Puzzle, Nautical, Pirates
- **Mechanics:** Solo / Solitaire Game, Closed Drafting, Income, Open Drafting, Tile Placement, Grid Coverage, Set Collection, Turn Order: Stat-Based, Pattern Building, Square Grid, Hidden Victory Points
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.4 out of 10, from 121 reviews
- **Owned by:** 255 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 1,014
- **Unique players:** 846

**Designers:** Frank West

**Artists:** Dragolisco, Frank West

**Publishers:** The City of Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 29.89 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/the-isle-of-cats-1 |
| Miniature Market | 37.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/isle-cats-2024-tcok625.html |
| Cardhaus Games | 39.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/the-isle-of-cats-boqw/ |
| 401 Games | 47.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Board Game Bliss | 48.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Mathom | 44 € | https://mathom.es/es/la-isla-de-los-gatos/43734-la-isla-de-los-gatos-8436578811502.html |
| Element Games | 40.5 £ | https://elementgames.co.uk/board-games/the-isle-of-cats |
| Good Games | 55.5 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/tcok601 |
| Gameology | 67.95 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Juegos de la Mesa Redonda | 42.46 € | https://juegosdelamesaredonda.com/9422-la-isla-de-los-gatos-8436578811502.html |
| Games Empire | 71.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/theisleofcats |
| Zatu Games | 38.45 £ | https://zatu.com/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Ludifolie | 44.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/9273-l-ile-des-chats.html |
| Travelling Man | 39.99 £ | https://travellingman.com/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Milan Spiele | 49.9 € | https://www.milan-spiele.de/the-isle-of-cats-engl-p-27482.html |
| Philibert | 49.95 € | https://philibertnet.com/fr/lucky-duck-games/87418-l-ile-des-chats-752830297388.html |
| La Gameria | 50 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/la-isla-de-los-gatos-1455.html |
| Spelexperten | 575 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/the-isle-of-cats.html |
| BoardGames.BG | 52 € | https://boardgames-bg.com/the-isle-of-cats.html |
| Cogs Toys and Games | 54.95 € | https://www.cogstoysandgames.ie/products/catan-dawn-of-humankind-1 |
| Dragons Lair | 625 kr | https://dragonslair.se/products/the-isle-of-cats |
| Alphaspel | 689 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/111578-the-isle-of-cats-revised-ed |
| Game Ninja | 949 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/the-isle-of-cats/ |

## Expansions

- [The Isle of Cats: Late Arrivals](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-late-arrivals)
- [The Isle of Cats: Kittens + Beasts](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-kittens-beasts)
- [The Isle of Cats: Kickstarter Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-kickstarter-pack)
- [The Isle of Cats: Boat Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-boat-pack)
- [The Isle of Cats: Kickstarter Pack 2](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-kickstarter-pack-2)
- [The Isle of Cats: Promo Tile Pack 2](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-promo-pack-2)
- [The Isle of Cats: Promo Tile Pack 1](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-promo-pack-1)
- [The Isle of Cats: Promo Tile Pack 3](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-promo-pack-3)
- [The Isle of Cats: Treasure Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-treasure-pack)

## Similar games

- [The Isle of Cats Duel](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-duel)
- [The Isle of Cats: Explore & Draw](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats-explore-and-draw)
- [Race to the Raft](https://www.ludoya.com/games/race-to-the-raft)
- [Calico](https://www.ludoya.com/games/calico)
- [Shallow Sea](https://www.ludoya.com/games/shallow-sea)
- [The Grand Carnival](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-grand-carnival)
- [Fit to Print](https://www.ludoya.com/games/fit-to-print)
- [The Castles of Burgundy](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-castles-of-burgundy-2)
- [The Magnificent](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-magnificent)
- [Patchwork](https://www.ludoya.com/games/patchwork)
- [Rebuilding Seattle](https://www.ludoya.com/games/rebuilding-seattle)
- [Wispwood](https://www.ludoya.com/games/wispwood)

## Rules questions

### Can I rotate or flip cat tiles, and can they hang over the edge or overlap other tiles?

You may rotate and flip tiles, but every tile must be placed entirely inside your boat without overlapping other tiles and must touch the boat interior or other tiles as required by placement rules (p.7).

### How many fish does it cost to rescue a cat — what’s the left/right cost and can I use fish from my basket?

Cats on the left cost 3 fish and cats on the right cost 5 fish to rescue; you may use fish from your basket to pay these costs but the basket is discarded/used when spent as described (p.13).

### How is turn order determined in the Rescue phase when we play speed cards, and what if speeds are tied?

Turn order is determined by the total speed values on revealed rescue cards (higher speeds go earlier), and when speeds tie the players keep their previous relative order (p.12).

### What happens to cats and treasures at the end of the day — do treasures get removed with the cats?

At the end of the day all cats on the island are removed, but treasures you rescued remain on your boat (p.15).

### If I draft/place an Oshax, can I put a family cat on it and what does that count as?

When you place an Oshax you may put a family cat on it; that cat counts both as an Oshax and as a member of that cat family for scoring and effects (p.14).

### When drafting Discoveries, do I have to pay fish to keep a card and what happens to the ones I don’t keep?

You must pay the fish cost shown to keep a Discovery card; cards you don’t pay for are returned/discarded as specified (kept cards cost fish returned to supply, others are discarded face‑down) (pp.9–10).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-isle-of-cats)
- [The Isle of Cats in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/the-isle-of-cats)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/281259)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._