“You Gotta Be Kitten Me!” is a pet-themed card game sold exclusively at Target. Drawing inspiration from classic bluffing games like Liar’s Dice or Coup, it challenges players to be strategic against each other. Players must either bluff or tell the truth to their opponents about the number of accessories at the table. The cards feature illustrations of cats and dogs adorned in clipart accessories like glasses, bow ties, and bowler hats.

Players: 2-10 Players  |   Time: 30 Minutes   |  Ages: 10+

How To Play

Photos taken by (IG) @Penguinsperspective

“The purr-fect bluffing game for your family and friends”

The game is easy to learn, and inside the box is a card with a QR code for a video on the instructions. Every player dealt five cards at the beginning of the game with five tokens featuring dogs and cats. The instructions booklet states that the last person to pet a cat goes first; from there, the game takes off! With a number of 2 or higher, the player must state how many accessories each other player has. For example, “2 Green” or “2 bow ties”. Each player must raise the number as the bids go around the table. 

If a player doubts the bid, they must shout, “You Gotta Be Kitten Me!” At this point, all players must show their cards to tally up the number of accessories to see if the player is telling the truth or being sneaky.

If the number of accessories differs from the stated bid, the one who made the bid loses a card and a token. All player cards are scrapped and dealt out again, with the number of cards in hand decreasing as the game progresses. 

When someone states a bid and another person thinks that bid exactly matches the number of accessories on the table, they can shout, “Purr-fect!”. They must give up a card and a token if their guess is incorrect. However, they receive an additional card and token if their guess is correct.

The decks also have delightful cards that make the game more engaging and fun. “Skip” cards let players skip their turn, so they can’t risk losing anything! “Wild” cards illustrate more giant cats like tigers and lions with multiple accessories to raise the bids!

The game also comes with a sticker sheet for families to make their own purr-sonalized cards so their pets can be added to the game.

Verdict

After playing with a group of four for 45 minutes, we had our first winner. Understanding the instructions took some time, but as the game started, we got into a groove and had a lot of fun. We had a single “Purr-fect” call out that was correct and multiple bluffs, which kept the game going for longer than the box stated. “You Gotta Be Kitten Me!” is a great game to bring on vacations because it is compact and light. The personalization cards are a cute idea; new cards will be in the pile the next time I play with my friends. There were laughs and shouts, and our cats joined the fun.

Thank you to ÜberStrategist for providing a copy of the game for this review!