How to Play Cat and Mouse

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Cat and Mouse is a fast-moving chasing game for six or more players, built around a circle of children who act as a living barrier between a pursuing Cat and a fleeing Mouse. It demands quick reactions, teamwork, and a fair bit of shouting, which is precisely why it has remained a fixture on playgrounds and in PE lessons for generations.

The game is usually played outdoors on a flat open surface with enough room for a circle of players and two runners, though a large hall works perfectly well. It scales easily with group size, keeps nearly every player active at once, and requires no equipment whatsoever, making it an easy go-to for parents, teachers, and group leaders.

A little history

Cat and Mouse belongs to a broad family of circle-and-chase games found across many cultures, and its origins are unclear. Games sharing the same basic structure, a ring of players sheltering a weaker figure from a pursuer, appear in nineteenth-century collections of British children's games, and the cat-and-mouse framing was well established in Victorian schoolyards. Beyond that general record, no definitive single origin or inventor is documented; the game is best understood as a piece of traditional folk play that evolved gradually rather than being invented at a specific moment.

Setting up

1. Choose one player to be the Cat and one player to be the Mouse.
2. All remaining players form a large circle, standing an arm's length apart and joining hands.
3. The Mouse stands inside the circle; the Cat stands outside it.
4. Ensure there is clear space outside the circle for the Cat to run around freely.
5. Agree before the game starts how long each round lasts, or set a clear winning condition (see Winning).

How to play

1. On a agreed start signal, the Cat tries to enter the circle and tag the Mouse.
2. The circle players help the Mouse by raising their joined hands to let the Mouse duck in and out of the circle freely.
3. The same circle players lower their arms and close gaps to block the Cat from entering or exiting.
4. The Mouse may pass in and out of the circle as many times as needed to evade the Cat.
5. The Cat may attempt to break through joined hands, duck under arms, or find any gap; circle players must keep their feet planted and may not deliberately push or shove the Cat.
6. If the Cat tags the Mouse, the round ends immediately.
7. After each round, rotate roles: the Cat becomes the Mouse, the Mouse joins the circle, and a circle player becomes the new Cat. This keeps everyone involved across multiple rounds.
8. Play continues for as many rounds as the group wishes, or until every player has had a turn as Cat or Mouse.

Winning and scoring

There is no single universal scoring system; the game is traditionally played for fun rather than points. The most common playground convention is this: if the Cat tags the Mouse, the Cat wins that round; if a set time limit (typically one to two minutes) expires without a tag, the Mouse wins that round. For a competitive session, keep a tally of wins across rounds and the player with the most wins after everyone has been Cat once is the overall winner. Agree the time limit before play begins and stick to it consistently across all rounds.

The fine points

The most common dispute is whether the Cat is allowed to reach over or under joined hands rather than fully breaking through. The standard ruling is yes: the Cat may reach through any gap or under raised arms to attempt a tag, as long as they do not forcibly pull players apart. Circle players may tighten their grip and crouch, but they must keep their feet planted and cannot move their feet to track the Cat around the outside of the circle.

A second frequent argument is whether a tag is valid when it occurs as the Mouse is half inside and half outside the circle. The standard ruling is that a tag counts anywhere on the Mouse's body regardless of which side of the circle the Mouse occupies at that moment. If there is genuine doubt about whether contact was made, the round is replayed. Rough play, particularly the Cat pulling a circle player's arm or the Mouse shoving a circle player to force a gap, should result in an immediate role swap as a penalty.

How to win more often

• Mouse players: stay close to the circle rather than running to the centre; being near the perimeter means you can dart in or out in a single step, making the Cat's angle of approach much harder to predict.
• Cat players: watch the Mouse's feet rather than their torso. A step toward the circle is the Mouse's tell that they are about to duck through; positioning yourself at that gap a beat early cuts off the escape route.
• Circle players: coordinate lifting and lowering arms as a unit rather than reacting individually. One person calling 'up' or 'down' as the Mouse approaches prevents gaps appearing in the wrong places.
• If you are the Cat and the Mouse is staying inside the circle, move quickly around the outside to force the circle to keep rotating their attention. Tired arms make for weaker defences.
• For younger players, a larger circle gives the Mouse more breathing room and extends the round naturally; for older or more agile players, tighten the circle to raise the difficulty for both Cat and Mouse.

Variations

Two Cats

Add a second Cat outside the circle to increase the pressure on the Mouse and the circle players. Both Cats work independently and either one can end the round with a tag. This variant works best with a larger circle of ten or more players, as two Cats can quickly overwhelm a small group.

Silent Mouse

Circle players are not permitted to speak or call out to guide the Mouse; they may only use arm movements to signal safe gaps. This forces the Mouse to read body language and makes coordination within the circle noticeably harder. A good option for older children who find the standard game too easy.

Timed Relay

Set a fixed time of ninety seconds per round and run through every player as Cat in succession. Record how many seconds each Cat takes to make a tag, or whether the Mouse survives the full time. The Cat with the fastest tag wins; any Cat who fails to tag within the time limit is eliminated from the final ranking. This format suits competitive PE sessions where a clear overall winner is needed.

Cat and Two Mice

Put two Mice inside the circle simultaneously. The Cat must tag both to win the round. The Mice may help each other by drawing the Cat's attention in different directions, but they cannot communicate with the circle players verbally. The round ends only when both Mice have been tagged, making this a significantly longer and more tiring variant that suits larger, high-energy groups.

Cat and Mouse: frequently asked questions