How to Play The Minister's Cat

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

The Minister's Cat is a spoken word and memory game in which players work through the alphabet, each describing an imaginary cat with a new adjective beginning with the current letter. It demands quick thinking, a decent vocabulary, and sharp attention to what everyone else has already said.

It travels well, needs no equipment whatsoever, and scales from a quiet car journey to a noisy party table. Because the pressure builds steadily as the alphabet progresses and familiar letters give way to Q, X, and Z, even confident players find themselves squirming. That combination of simplicity and genuine tension is why it has endured.

A little history

The Minister's Cat is traditionally associated with Victorian parlour games, and several nineteenth-century collections of parlour pastimes include versions of it, though its precise origins are unclear. It appears in print at least as far back as the 1870s and was widely played in British households through the Edwardian era. The core mechanic, cycling through the alphabet under time pressure, has remained essentially unchanged across all recorded versions.

Setting up

1. Gather at least 3 players. There is no upper limit, though very large groups slow the pace considerably.
2. Sit or stand so that there is a clear, agreed order of play, typically clockwise around a circle.
3. Decide before the game starts on the time limit per turn. A steady clap every two seconds is a common standard. Agree this firmly so there is no dispute later.
4. Agree on any house rules, particularly how to handle Q, X, and Z (see Variations). Write them down if the group is likely to argue.

How to play

1. The first player begins with the letter A and says a sentence of the form: 'The minister's cat is an [adjective beginning with A] cat.' For example: 'The minister's cat is an angry cat.'
2. Play passes to the next player in order. That player must also give an adjective beginning with A that has not been used in this round. 'The minister's cat is an adventurous cat.'
3. Continue around the circle until every player has given a valid A adjective. In the standard version, each player uses the same letter until everyone has had one turn, then the letter advances. In some versions the letter advances with every single turn; agree which rule you are using before play starts.
4. Once the group has completed letter A, move to B and repeat the process. Work through the full alphabet in sequence.
5. A player is eliminated immediately if they: hesitate beyond the agreed time limit, use an adjective that does not begin with the correct letter, use an adjective already spoken by any player in that letter's round, or cannot produce an adjective at all.
6. Eliminated players sit out quietly. They must not prompt or coach remaining players.
7. When a letter's round ends with only one player still able to respond, that player survives and play continues at the next letter with those still in the game.
8. The game ends when only one player remains, or when the group completes the full alphabet. If playing to alphabet completion, scores are tallied instead (see Winning).

Winning and scoring

In elimination play, the last player standing wins outright. In scoring play, each player keeps a running total: one point is lost for every elimination across all rounds, and the player with the fewest lost points at the end of the alphabet wins. If two players are tied, a sudden-death round on the letter of the group's choice settles it. There are no standard published point values beyond this; the elimination format is the most widely played and requires no scoring at all.

The fine points

The most common dispute is over borderline adjectives. A word must function as a descriptive adjective in standard usage. Proper nouns (Amazonian, British) are not permitted unless the group agrees otherwise before play. Colour words (black, brown) are adjectives and are fully valid. Comparative forms (bigger, fastest) are typically disallowed because they describe relative size rather than an inherent quality, but set your rule before you begin. Participles used as adjectives (bewildered, charming) are generally accepted.

The second recurring argument concerns hesitation. If the group is using a clap rhythm, the player must begin speaking before the clap following the end of the previous player's sentence. Beginning to speak and then changing word mid-syllable does not reset the clock. If a player says a word and then immediately corrects themselves, the first word stands and must be judged on its own merits. Appoint one player as judge at the start if your group is competitive; a single arbiter eliminates most arguments.

How to win more often

• Bank unusual adjectives before the game starts. Spend thirty seconds mentally listing words for Q (querulous, quivering, quaint), X (xenial, xeric), and Z (zealous, zany, zonked) so you are not caught cold.
• Listen carefully in the early letters. Players who are not paying attention repeat adjectives and are eliminated by their own inattention rather than any failure of vocabulary.
• Front-load common letters with obscure words. On A, playing 'acrimonious' rather than 'angry' saves the obvious word from being taken and forces rivals onto harder ground.
• Control your pace. Speaking steadily and a fraction deliberately signals confidence and unnerves hesitant opponents. Rushing invites mistakes.
• In the late alphabet, watch rivals visibly struggle. Do not use your best remaining word early; if you can see a competitor is close to elimination, let the pressure build.

Variations

Cumulative Version

Instead of only needing one adjective per turn, each player must recite every adjective used so far in the current letter's round before adding their own. This tests memory as well as vocabulary and dramatically increases the difficulty from the very first round.

Speed Clap Rule

The group claps a steady beat throughout play, typically once every two seconds, and players must complete their sentence within a single beat interval. The pace can be increased as players are eliminated to keep the game short and punishing.

Skip Q, X, and Z

For younger players or mixed-age groups, it is common practice to simply skip Q, X, and Z rather than attempt them. Agree this at the setup stage. Some groups skip only X and Z and allow Q because 'quirky', 'quiet', and 'quaint' are accessible enough.

Team Play

Divide players into two equal teams. Teams alternate turns rather than individuals. Any team member may answer, but the team must produce a single agreed answer within the time limit. Teams lose a life rather than individual members, and the first team to three lives lost is eliminated. This works well for classrooms and large family groups.

The Minister's Cat: frequently asked questions