6 Games that cats would play on road trips

When I have the time for travel, I definitely prefer road trips to flying. It’s such fun to see the sights in cities across the U.S. and the variety of terrain. Of course, not enough can be said about sampling local food while on the road. Yum!

Even though road trips are a total blast, the hours can become long, and one soon looks for entertainment to pass the time. My family went on road trips when I was a kid, and I’ve taken my own kids on cross-country journeys by car. We’ve found that games are the most fun way to engage with one another, enjoy the ride, and have a few laughs.

Imagine for a moment that cats actually like riding in cars. I know it’s a stretch, but stay with me because I’m going somewhere with this. If cats were to go on road trips together, what kinds of games do you think they’d play? I have some ideas! Aren’t you glad you stayed with me? Read on!

1. Who can stay quiet the longest?

This is a game we used to play with my kids when they were young. During road trips they became super chatty, which is great, but several hours of chattiness can be a bit much. And then there was always the obligatory infighting between the two of them. As you can imagine, this wears on a person’s nerves. We used to counter these situations with a game called “Who Can Stay Quiet the Longest?” A contest! They were all over it, and the adults got to enjoy some peace and quiet.

I think this game would be an even greater challenge for cats. I mean, really — how difficult is it for most cats to remain silent during a car ride? My cats begin “singing” as soon as the engine starts, and they usually don’t stop until we’ve arrived at our destination. If I were the driver, I’d very much like my cats to play this game.

“I lose!” Photo via Flickr

2. Pranks on the sleeper

Needless to say, cats typically have no trouble falling asleep. On a long road trip, they’d definitely come face-to-face with The Sandman. At sleepovers, pranks are fun ways to play jokes on the first one who crashes. Kitties would take full advantage of this kind of tomfoolery on road trips. Some of the tricks might include flipping the sleeper’s ears inside-out or dipping his or her paw in water.

“Stay awake. Stay awake.” Photo via Flickr

3. “I’m Going to the Festival of Boxes”

This is a memory game similar to the human’s version of “I’m going on a picnic.” One cat would begin with “I’m going to the Festival of Boxes, and I’m bringing a dead mouse (or whatever).” Then the next cat would repeat the phrase, add their own item, and then repeat the previous one. It continues with each cat recounting all the items (in order) until someone misses one. Last one standing is the winner!

“Your turn.” Photo via Flickr

4. ABC game

This game is played exactly like the human version. Cats choose a topic and then go back and forth, each picking a word in the topic’s category that begins with the next letter in the alphabet. For example, let’s say the travelin’ kitties choose the topic “dogs.” The first cat might begin with “annoying,” followed by the next cat’s offering of “bonehead.” You get the picture. What fun for all!

Four on the floor. Photo via Flickr

5. Car model game

This one is all about counting how many models of cars you can find on the highway. Car lovers really enjoy this game, but even I have spent hours identifying car models that I never knew existed. Now I’m proud to say I’m kind of a pro at naming cars from a distance. Go, me!

Cats would certainly play a form of this classic game, except it’d have a twist. They’d have to look for cars with animals for the models’ name. They’d get double points if the animal is a cat or bird. Imagine the excitement of spotting a Thunderbird, Skylark, Cougar, and Mustang all in the same stretch of road? It’s enough to make a cat stay awake and avoid becoming a prank victim!

“Prairie dog! Bingo!” Photo via Flickr

6. Road trip bingo

Road trip bingo has entertained generations of kids in the backseats of Family Trucksters. You can find various styles of bingo cards online or create your own. The squares usually include items like road signs, farm animals, kinds of vehicles, and truck stops. This game, my friends, is a heck of a good time.

Kitties would create their own bingo cards, for sure. They’d want to make sure they included all their favorite “I Spy” objects they’d see on the side of the road. They’d consist of a variety of birds, rodents, plants, fast food straws, discarded shoes, and piles of sand.

What kind of road trip games would your cats play? Tell us in the comments!