Abandonware DOS title

Play Alley Cat online

Alley Cat is a platform game released by Synapse Software in 1984. In Alley Cat, the player controls a cat named Freddy, who navigates an alley and various apartments in search of food and adventure. Freddy earns points by completing tasks in the apartment screens. The ultimate goal is to reach and successfully court the female cat, Felicia, who appears in a special screen after completing certain tasks.

How to play Alley Cat

Input: keyboard
Game modes: single-player

The main goal in Alley Cat is to complete various tasks to earn enough points, eventually leading Freddy to his lady love. Each apartment window represents a different mini-game, and completing these successfully will earn you points. Freddy has a limited number of lives, represented as paw prints at the bottom of the screen. Every hit by an obstacle or enemy reduces your lives, so avoid getting caught!

Gameplay and Controls

  • Movement: Use arrow keys to navigate Freddy around the screen.
  • Jumping: Freddy can jump up walls, cross fences, and enter windows by pressing the action key (like the space bar, depending on your platform).
  • Mini-game entry: To enter a mini-game, position Freddy near an open window and press the jump/action key.

Key mini-games and how to succeed

  • Fishbowl: Catch the fish swimming around the fishbowl. Tip: wait for the fish to swim near Freddy’s position before attempting to catch it, as the fish is fast and tricky to catch directly.
  • Birdcage: Freddy’s task is to catch birds that fly around in the room. Tip: Try to corner a bird in a room, making it easier to catch without too much chasing.
  • Cheese: Freddy has to nibble on chunks of cheese while avoiding an angry mouse. Tip: Start with pieces closest to Freddy and keep moving to stay ahead of the mouse.
  • Dog kennel: Freddy must steal food from the dog’s bowl without getting caught. Tip: Wait for the dog to turn away or sleep, then go for the bowl. Keep an eye on the dog’s movements for the best timing.
  • Trash can: Freddy must knock trash cans down without alerting the guard dogs. Tip: Jump from can to can quickly to keep the noise down, and time your jumps well.

To slow down the game emulation press CTRL+F11, to speed up the game press CTRL+F12. Press Escape (ESC) to exit fullscreen mode.
Alley Cat runs in your browser thanks to the Emularity library.

More about Alley Cat

Status: abandonware

Genre: action

Released in: 1984

Publisher: IBM

Developer: Synapse Software

Download Alley Cat and play it on your computer. An emulator is needed in order to play older games.