Quick Look: Cats Among The Pigeons
Designer: Kieran Williams, Ian Calow
Artists: Ian Calow
Publisher: Level 46 Games
Year Published: (currently on Kickstarter link at bottom of review)
In Cats Among The Pigeons, the aim is simple – collect 7 pigeons of the same colour flock to win. But watch out for the cat cards – if you have any in your hand, you can’t win!
Sounds simple, right? Well there are also action cards in the deck, allowing you to draw extra cards to find more precious pigeons, get rid of those pesky cats, or to generally cause a lot of chaos and fun!
Review:
Quick Take:
Cats Among The Pigeons gave me a bit of an Unstable Unicorns vibe right away—but it feels like the kind of game that really comes alive with more players at the table.
In my case, I was kind of playing it “solo as two players” while teaching and playing alongside my nonverbal son who has autism. Even in that setup, it held our attention and flowed pretty well once we got going.
Getting It to the Table:
One thing that stood out to me right away—and this is a big one for me personally—is that I didn’t feel overwhelmed going from reading the rules to actually getting it to the table.
That’s honestly where a lot of games lose me. I’ll read the rules, feel like it’s going to be too much to teach or manage, and it either sits on the table for days or goes right back on the shelf (most recently Flip 7 with a vengeance fell into that category for me).
This didn’t do that.
It was pretty quick to get going, and once we started, things made sense within a round or two.
• That “take that” energy
This is definitely a “mess with each other” kind of game. Even with just two players, you can feel how much more chaotic and fun it would get with a full group.
• Easy to learn, quick to play
It doesn’t take long before everyone understands what they’re doing, which makes it much easier to bring to the table—especially with family.
• Art and personality
The art stood out right away and gives the game a strong identity.
• Prototype quality (as expected)
The cards felt a bit flimsy, but that’s clearly just a prototype thing and not something I’d expect in the final version.
There were a few small things that came up during play:
- We weren’t 100% sure if a rainbow pigeon can count when discarding two pigeons of the same color to draw a card.
- I’d love to see a player reference card included in the final version—something with turn structure on one side and action card reminders on the other. That would make it even easier to teach and keep things moving.
Neither of these are deal-breakers, just things that stood out during early plays.
This was honestly one of the most interesting parts of the experience for me.
My son stayed engaged the whole time—which surprised me—and even ended up winning the game. That alone says a lot about how approachable it is.
I may have held back just a little (that “Fresh Start” card would have been rough 😅), but the fact that he stayed with it and participated the whole way through was a big positive.
But that actually kind of fits the feel here.
It has that same light, slightly chaotic, easy-to-explain energy that works really well for family settings.
• Fast turns and quick flow once you start
• Strong “take that” interaction that should shine with more players
• Approachable for family play (even with mixed experience levels)
• Engaging enough to hold attention (especially notable in my experience playing with my son)
• Would benefit from a player reference card for smoother teaching and play
• Prototype components feel light (expected, but noticeable)
• Likely better with more players than just two
Cats Among The Pigeons feels like a game that knows exactly what it wants to be—fast, interactive, and built around player interaction.
It’s not trying to be overly complex, and that works in its favor. This is the kind of game that’s easy to bring out, easy to teach, and likely to get requested again—especially with the right group.
For me, the next step is getting it to the table with more players, because I really think that’s where it’s going to shine the most.
will be live on KICKSTARTER until Sun, April 26 2026 11:00 AM PDT, and has surpassed its funding goal of $2,027. Check it out and back it HERE.
💬 From the Shelf to the Table
Now that this one is off the shelf and onto the table… what do you think?
Did it land the way you expected—or surprise you?
Jump into the community discussion to share your thoughts, rating, or a quick mini-review:
👉 Join the discussion HERE!
Do you find that you’re missing too many reviews as we drop them? Provide your name and email below and we’ll keep you in the know of what we reviewed that week as well as other hot news!!!!!
and Level 46 Games on:
Lake Leafty – Owner