Cat and mouse

For other uses, see Cat and mouse (disambiguation).

Felis catus versus rattus rattus; domestic cats often capture and release their prey multiple times before the target of the hunt stops moving for good.

Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes." The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse", who, despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior may arise from an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.

In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate. Furthermore, the term has been used to refer to the game hide-and-seek.

See also

• Arms race
• Belling the Cat
• "Cat and Mouse in Partnership", a Brothers Grimm fairytale
• Cat play and toys
• Red Queen's race
• Tom and Jerry franchise