What the Cats of Neko Atsume Are Reading
Whether you check on your cats daily, twice daily, or scoff at the thought, you’ve probably heard of Neko Atsume, the tamagotchi-like game where players set out food and toys to attract cats who then leave them currency in the form of sardines so players can buy more food and toys (and repeat).
I’m the twice daily player (minimum); I have the Japanese version on my iPad and the English version on my cell. I’ve collected all the cats and nearly all the mementos. What I’m trying to say is I’ve spent a lot of time with these adorable pixel-kittens. So naturally, as a book nerd, I’ve given a lot of thought to what they’re reading.
Warning! Images of Rare Cats contain spoilers
Name: Snowball
Personality: mellow
While lounging around on her favorite Snowy Pillow, Snowball enjoys reading the classic novel Tender Is the Belly by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Name: Shadow
Personality: peculiar
Friends call him a weirdo, but Shadow doesn’t mind; his favorite genre is Weird and when he needs to get away he just dips into Kelly Link’s Catnip for Beginners
Name: Fred
Personality: lady-killer
Currently, Fred is reading Shakespeare’s classic The Maiming of the Shrew—he’s hoping to pick up some tips
Name: Joe DiMeowgio
Personality: team player
When not batting at balls, Joe DiMeowgio enjoys reading up on his favorite game; he’s currently claws deep in Michael Lewis’s Yarnball
Name: Senor Don Gato
Personality: scheming
Senor Don Gato loves a good adventure novel, especially if it involves a little romance; his favorite classic is The Catnip of Monte Cristo
Name: Xerxes IX
Personality: regal
Xerxes will read anything anything about royalty, especially if it’s bloody; his current favorite is the latest in the Song of Mice & Wire series A Frolic of Felines
Name: Chairman Meow
Personality: boorish
Hemingway’s classic A Farewell to Yarns keeps Chairman Meow occupied on long nights spent far from home.
Name: Saint Purrtrick
Personality: awe-inspiring
He may seem pious and virtuous, but Saint Purrtrick loves a bawdy tale or a good fart joke just as much as the next cat, that’s why he never travels without his copy of The Canterbury Tails
Name: Ms. Fortune
Personality: charismatic
Ms. Fortune’s favorite characters have magnetic, day-glo personalities—like Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Cat.
Name: Bob the Cat
Personality: outdoorsy
The only thing Bob the Cat loves more than actually traveling is reading about it; he’s working through every travel book in the library and currently loving Eat, Purr, Lounge by Elizabeth Gilbert
Name: Conductor Whiskers
Personality: vigilant
Conductor Whiskers needs to keep his brain constantly active, which is why he loves true crime novels like Truman Capote’s In Cold Milk
Name: Tubbs
Personality: finicky feaster
When not stuffing himself, Tubbs enjoys staring at the pictures in cookbooks—though those are frustratingly missing from his latest library loan To Kill a Mockingbird
Name: Mr. Meowgi
Personality: mentoring
Mr. Meowgi turns to short fiction when he wants to learn something new; his current favorite is Interpreter of Meowladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Name: Lady Meow Meow
Personality: diva
As a performer and a diva, Lady Meow Meow hardly has time for reading, but she does love to relax in her luxurious hammock and read fabulous memoirs like Just Kittens by Patti Smith
Name: Guy Furry
Personality: artisan
Guy Furry is your average cat—he appreciates the simple things in life: slow living and good food; when he wants to make a delicious meal he turns to the Kittenfolk
Name: Kathmandu
Personality: refined
Kathmandu enjoys the finer things in life: a patch of sun and a good book, like The God of Shiny Things by Arundhati Roy
Name: Sassy Fran
Personality: enthusiastic
When not serving up lattes, Fran is gushing over her favorite reads; as a prominent female in the feline community, she can’t stress enough the importance of We Should All Be Felines by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
Name: Billy the Kitten
Personality: nihilistic
When not pondering his own insignificance, Billy the Kitten enjoys reading about the ultimately useless trials of others, like in Faulkner’s As I Lay Meowing
Name: Frosty
Personality: sensitive
On cold nights, Frosty likes to warm up with a nice thick book; he was last found cuddling Karl Ove Knausgard’s My Snuggle.
There’s just one Rare Cat who’s book of choice I couldn’t put my finger on. Anyone think they have an answer to that riddle?
Name: Ramses the Great
Personality: riddler
Name: Snowball
Personality: mellow
While lounging around on her favorite Snowy Pillow, Snowball enjoys reading the classic novel Tender Is the Belly by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Name: Shadow
Personality: peculiar
Friends call him a weirdo, but Shadow doesn’t mind; his favorite genre is Weird and when he needs to get away he just dips into Kelly Link’s Catnip for Beginners
Name: Fred
Personality: lady-killer
Currently, Fred is reading Shakespeare’s classic The Maiming of the Shrew—he’s hoping to pick up some tips
Name: Joe DiMeowgio
Personality: team player
When not batting at balls, Joe DiMeowgio enjoys reading up on his favorite game; he’s currently claws deep in Michael Lewis’s Yarnball
Name: Senor Don Gato
Personality: scheming
Senor Don Gato loves a good adventure novel, especially if it involves a little romance; his favorite classic is The Catnip of Monte Cristo
Name: Xerxes IX
Personality: regal
Xerxes will read anything anything about royalty, especially if it’s bloody; his current favorite is the latest in the Song of Mice & Wire series A Frolic of Felines
Name: Chairman Meow
Personality: boorish
Hemingway’s classic A Farewell to Yarns keeps Chairman Meow occupied on long nights spent far from home.
Name: Saint Purrtrick
Personality: awe-inspiring
He may seem pious and virtuous, but Saint Purrtrick loves a bawdy tale or a good fart joke just as much as the next cat, that’s why he never travels without his copy of The Canterbury Tails
Name: Ms. Fortune
Personality: charismatic
Ms. Fortune’s favorite characters have magnetic, day-glo personalities—like Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Cat.
Name: Bob the Cat
Personality: outdoorsy
The only thing Bob the Cat loves more than actually traveling is reading about it; he’s working through every travel book in the library and currently loving Eat, Purr, Lounge by Elizabeth Gilbert
Name: Conductor Whiskers
Personality: vigilant
Conductor Whiskers needs to keep his brain constantly active, which is why he loves true crime novels like Truman Capote’s In Cold Milk
Name: Tubbs
Personality: finicky feaster
When not stuffing himself, Tubbs enjoys staring at the pictures in cookbooks—though those are frustratingly missing from his latest library loan To Kill a Mockingbird
Name: Mr. Meowgi
Personality: mentoring
Mr. Meowgi turns to short fiction when he wants to learn something new; his current favorite is Interpreter of Meowladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Name: Lady Meow Meow
Personality: diva
As a performer and a diva, Lady Meow Meow hardly has time for reading, but she does love to relax in her luxurious hammock and read fabulous memoirs like Just Kittens by Patti Smith
Name: Guy Furry
Personality: artisan
Guy Furry is your average cat—he appreciates the simple things in life: slow living and good food; when he wants to make a delicious meal he turns to the Kittenfolk
Name: Kathmandu
Personality: refined
Kathmandu enjoys the finer things in life: a patch of sun and a good book, like The God of Shiny Things by Arundhati Roy
Name: Sassy Fran
Personality: enthusiastic
When not serving up lattes, Fran is gushing over her favorite reads; as a prominent female in the feline community, she can’t stress enough the importance of We Should All Be Felines by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
Name: Billy the Kitten
Personality: nihilistic
When not pondering his own insignificance, Billy the Kitten enjoys reading about the ultimately useless trials of others, like in Faulkner’s As I Lay Meowing
Name: Frosty
Personality: sensitive
On cold nights, Frosty likes to warm up with a nice thick book; he was last found cuddling Karl Ove Knausgard’s My Snuggle.
There’s just one Rare Cat who’s book of choice I couldn’t put my finger on. Anyone think they have an answer to that riddle?
Name: Ramses the Great
Personality: riddler
