Line #140 VideoGame/TheCatLady


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/82efece6475bb54e1f0c35091af49e67.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"All I want to do is die. But I have to live..."'']]
3
4	->''"In my head it's like hell\
5	And I don't think I've got the will\
6	In my head it's all pain\
7	God please wash me with your rain"''
8	-->-- '''Warmer'''
9
10	''The Cat Lady'' is a side-scrolling {{Horror\|VideoGames}} AdventureGame developed and released in 2012 by Creator/HarvesterGames, also known for their 2009 game ''VideoGame/{{Downfall\|2009}}''.
11
12	Susan Ashworth, known in her neighborhood as the crazy Cat Lady, is a lonely 40-year-old who successfully commits suicide. However, upon death she finds herself in the Afterworld, where she is greeted by a strange old woman who calls herself the Queen of Maggots. The old woman grants Susan immortality and sends her back on one condition: [[SerialKillerKiller Susan must kill five deranged and ruthless "Parasites" who will attempt to hurt Susan -- and others, if they are not stopped.]] Through the course of the game, Susan must confront herself and her own demons as she fights these Parasites for survival.
13
14	The game has been critically lauded, particularly for its story, visual style, and voice talent, especially with regards to how these elements combine to form a compelling depiction of depression. It was also a popular subject of Let's Play runs during its Steam Greenlight campaign. The campaign was successful, and the game is now [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/253110/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1 available for download from Steam]].It eventually became the first game in the ''Devil Came Through Here'' thematic trilogy, alongside the 2016 ''VideoGame/{{Downfall\|2009}}'' remake and 2019's ''VideoGame/{{Lorelai}}''.
15
16	You can also purchase it from a variety of providers through its [[http://www.thecatlady.co.uk/ website]].
17
18	Not to be confused with the CrazyCatLady trope.
19
20	Due to the game's very high StoryToGameplayRatio, expect frequent spoiler tags below.
21	----
22	!!Tropes present in this game:
23	* AcidTripDimension: The alternative dimension version of the hospital, to where Susan is transported after getting a dose of medicine, makes this trope's name quite literal. The Afterworld, where Susan goes after her death, also qualifies.
24	* AfterlifeAntechamber: The Afterworld is explicitly stated to be a gateway of sorts, not the afterlife proper.
25	%%* AlienGeometries: The Afterworld.
26	* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler: The first Sacrifice of Blood necessary to leave the Queen of Maggots' realm and return to the world of the living. Fortunately, it's only temporary.]]
27	* AndIMustScream: One of the possible fates of the last Parasite - if you are able to [[spoiler: convince Mitzi not to shoot him, the two of you leave him in the apartment. He is completely paralyzed except for his left eye, and he has just killed his father, his only caretaker. Unless someone comes to check the room, he is doomed to die from either thirst or starvation, both very painful ways to go.]]
28	* AnimalMotifs: Cats; to a lesser extent, crows and deer.
29	* AntiHero: Even the Queen of Maggots mentions that Susan is really a good person underneath her cynicism, making her a Type III.
30	* ArcWords: "Don't feed the trolls". [[spoiler: This plays a vital part in convincing Mitzi to spare The Eye of Adam who is taunting her in killing him, as killing him would also result in Mitzi's death.]]
31	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Mitzi, as she examines the room she will rent from Susan while attempting to carry on a conversation.
32	* BaldnessMeansSickness: [[spoiler: Mitzi, who wears a black wig to hide the fact that she's suffering from cancer. She removes her wig to earn Susan's trust, who suspects her of being a Parasite after witnessing the Queen of Maggots materialising behind her.]]
33	* BattleaxeNurse:
34	** The suicide ward nurse exhibits shades of this at times when she [[ForYourOwnGood forcibly administers Susan with a sedative]], though on the whole she comes across more as simply being overworked and stressed out.
35	** ''Then'' there's [[spoiler: the Third Parasite]], who cruises straight through this into [[{{Yandere}} murderously jealous]] [[AxCrazy crazy town]].
36	* BedlamHouse:
37	** The mental care hospital where Susan goes to after her first suicide is not entirely the same as a mental ward, but otherwise it fits the trope perfectly. [[spoiler: The main problem is that Doctor X keeps killing the staff, leaving it chronically understaffed.]]
38	** Averted by the ward guards, who, although being firm in not letting Susan leave the ward without permission, and forcibly restraining her as she is injected with a sedative, always interact with her in a respectful manner, even if she's rude to them.
39	* BerserkButton: Susan HATES flowers [[spoiler: because her infant daughter was killed by pollen from a bouquet.]]
40	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Mitzi, as she [[spoiler: pulls out a gun to confront the Eye of Adam and threatens to shoot him dead.]]
41	%% * BewareTheQuietOnes: Susan.
42	* BittersweetEnding: What you get depending on the choices you make throughout the course of the game. Although Susan successfully defeats all the Parasites and manages to find the strength to face living again, [[spoiler: Mitzi either succumbs to her cancer or is killed in the explosion when she shoots the Eye of Adam]]. While most endings are this, however, there is a secret GoldenEnding where [[spoiler:Susan gets over her depression ''and'' Mitzi survives]]. In an interview, [[WordOfGod the creator said]] that he considers [[spoiler: the ending where Mitzi spares the Eye of Adam and later succumbs to cancer]] to be canon.
43	* BlessedWithSuck: Susan's view of the "[[ResurrectiveImmortality gift]]" the Queen of Maggots gives her, at least at first.
44	* BreakingTheFourthWall: The final line of the game [[spoiler: Press Any Key To Live, unlike most games doesn't exit to the main menu but rather closes the game entirely, sending you back to real life.]]
45	* TheCakeIsALie: If you get the crow's riddle right, Susan's reward is [[spoiler:flowers that turn to ash]].
46	* CameBackStrong: Susan. Not forever, though - the Queen of Maggots states that Susan is only immortal while the Parasites are around.
47	%% * CanonWelding: With ''VideoGame/Downfall2009.'' Makes sense, as both titles are by the same developer.
48	* CatsAreMean: Averted; Susan's cats actually save her life several times during the course of the story.
49	* ChekhovsGun: The DeadlyGas made by mixing bleach and pesticide first pops up [[spoiler: when Susan uses it to kill the Second Parasite]] and reappears at the very end of the game [[spoiler: when the Eye Of Adam uses a fish tank's worth to fill his flat with gas]].
50	* [[ChekhovsHobby Chekhov's Career]]: Susan's former career as a nurse is established in dialogue, and she eventually utilizes knowledge from her profession [[spoiler: when pointing out the Eye of Adam's [[MeaningfulName eye controller]] to Mitzi]].
51	* ChekhovsClassroom: Listen carefully to what Liz tells you when talking about herself. The more you answer correctly [[spoiler: while she's on the roof [[DrivenToSuicide threatening to kill herself]]]], the more advantages you'll get later in the game.
52	%% * CondensationClue: Rather, ''part'' of a clue is found this way.
53	* CosmicPlaything: Poor, poor Susan.
54	-->'''The Queen of Maggots:''' You didn't deserve any of that. And yet, it happened.
55	* UsefulNotes/CouncilEstate: A passing line of dialogue implies that the crumbling building where Susan lives is this.
56	* CrapsackWorld: Serial killers everywhere, suicide bombings in London, and the only apparent "God" to speak of is the Queen of Maggots.
57	%% * CrazyCatLady: But of course.
58	* CreepyDoll: The Crow's "daughters", a pair of rather terrifying dolls with wedge-shaped heads. Quite possibly the creepiest things in the game.
59	** Susan can grab a doll's head from one of the First Parasite's pictures and [[spoiler:use it to build a mace to kill him.]]
60	* CruelMercy: Most of the Parasites end up dead at the end of the game, but you can make an exception for [[spoiler:Eye of Adam. If you talk Mitzi out of killing him, he gets to spend the rest of his life in a care home, denied the death he craves and the computer he needs to interact with the rest of the world.]]
61	* CynicismCatalyst: Due to the Queen of Maggots' intervention in Susan's suicide, Susan becomes even more cynical than she was after her DespairEventHorizon, as now she knows that even death holds no solace for her. Exactly how cynical she becomes depends on the influence of the player.
62	%% * DarkAndTroubledPast: Susan and Mitzi. Dark And Troubled Present, too.
63	%% * DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Poor Liz.]]
64	* DeadlyGas: Pops up a few times in the form of the deadly [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide hydrogen sulfide]]. Mitzi[[spoiler:'s boyfriend uses it to kill himself]], Susan uses it [[spoiler: to kill the second Parasite]], and the Eye of Adam uses it to [[spoiler: attempt to kill Susan and Mitzi, claiming his own father's life in the process]].
65	* DeathAsGameMechanic: The protagonist is a {{resurrective immortal\|ity}} who returns to life in perfect health whenever she dies. One particular puzzle sees her blinded by the villains and requires her to find a gun and commit suicide to restore her vision.
66	* DeathIsCheap: Given that Susan becomes immortal in the first chapter. Despite this, the whole thing still manages to be pants-soilingly terrifying. [[spoiler:Susan deliberately kills herself at least once -- possibly more, depending on how you interpret the dream sequences.]]
67	* DeathOfAChild: [[spoiler: Susan's baby Zoe had a rare allergy to pollen. Susan, not knowing, left a bouquet of flowers in her room and left the window open, then got into a row with her husband and did not notice as a storm began outside and Zoe began to suffocate.]]
68	* DespairEventHorizon: Susan crossed it prior to the events of the game, as evidenced by the opening sequence in which she successfully commits suicide. The player eventually gets to play through Susan's memories of the event, [[spoiler: the death of her child during a heated argument with her husband.]]
69	* DiabolusExNihilo[=/=]OutsideContextProblem: Only two of the Parasites, [[spoiler: Doctor X and the Eye of Adam]], are introduced to players in some way and given any build-up. The other three just sort of pop out unexpectedly, which is admittedly part of their scary factor. [[spoiler: The most egregious example of this, however, is the fourth Parasite. Not only does he lack a name or personality, he doesn't even speak like a proper human being. It is subtly implied that he is what's become of Susan's stalker, but this is never elaborated on or confirmed]].
70	* DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody: Susan does this several times, finding her own body three times in three different positions when she is in the land of the dead.
71	* DrivenToSuicide: Susan and many other characters, such as: [[spoiler: Liz the nurse ([[MindScrew at least, that's how it appears]]), Mitzi's boyfriend and other victims of the Eye of Adam, and Susan's husband]].
72	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Surprisingly for a dark story that deals with depression and suicide, it is entirely possible for Susan to [[spoiler: save her friend Mitzi from succumbing to her cancer if she survives the final chapter]], and turn the BittersweetEnding into a SurprisinglyHappyEnding. However, the game makes you ''really'' have to earn the happy end where [[spoiler: Mitzi is alive]].
73	* EatenAlive: [[spoiler:The fourth Parasite, courtesy of Susan's cats.]]
74	* EmptyFridgeEmptyLife: Susan's fridge contains nothing except a microwaveable burger and a bottle of sour milk.
75	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: The second and the third Parasites seem to genuinely care about each other, albeit in a horribly dysfunctional way. Completely averted with the last Parasite, [[spoiler: who kills his own elderly father who has always been taking care of him]]. Although, [[spoiler: Adam may have ordered his father to wear the gas mask, but he decided to give it to Susan and Mitzi, which resulted in his own death.]]
76	%% * EvilCripple: [[spoiler: The Eye of Adam]].
77	%% * ExpectingSomeoneTaller: [[spoiler: Mitzi, regarding the Eye of Adam.]]
78	%% * ExpositionBreak
79	* EyeScream: [[spoiler:The pest control guy's wife blinds Susan with a bottle of extra-strength bleach.]]
80	%% * FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: A lot.
81	* FanDisservice: At one point in the game you stumble upon a real life recreation of "Venus of Urbino" [[spoiler: made with a woman's long-decaying corpse]].
82	* FanService: [[spoiler: Susan's bathing scene at the beginning of Chapter Five]].
83	* {{Fauxshadowing}}: Much of Joe Davis' subplot builds up to him likely being the Parasite, but he is not. [[spoiler: At least in this game.]]
84	* FlowerMotifs: The flowers that are given to Susan by [[spoiler: her old flame]] are lilies. [[spoiler: Lilies are often used to signify death, and it is these flowers which kill Susan's baby.]] Notably, lilies are also extremely poisonous to [[AnimalMotif cats]].
85	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
86	** Liz's story about [[spoiler: the woman in the emergency ward who set her oxygen tanks on fire trying to light a cigarette]], if you hear it, is a hint to what will happen if [[spoiler: Mitzi or Susan kill the Eye of Adam]].
87	** When Doctor X is first introduced, he tells Susan that [[spoiler: his patients are his canvas. It's later revealed that he has been killing female patients and using their dead bodies to recreate fine art.]]
88	** When Susan and Mitzi talk to the Old Man in Chapter 6, he says that [[spoiler:when he dies, he will die in his own home and in his own bed. Except for the bed part, this is just what happens in Chapter 7.]]
89	%% * GoodTimesMontage: The first part of Chapter 5.
90	* GoldenEnding: [[spoiler: The one where Mitzi lives]]. Though it's [[GuideDangIt ridiculously hard to get]] and [[spoiler: [[WordOfGod confirmed]] non-canon.]]
91	* GratuitousAnimalSidekick: Susan's cats in general, and Teacup in particular.
92	* GuideDangIt: Unless the player has inhuman intuition, it is impossible to prevent Susan's breakdown in Chapter 3 without already knowing what to do, either from a walkthrough, a previous playthrough, or SaveScumming, [[spoiler: and consequently it is impossible to get the GoldenEnding on a raw first pass.]] Part of the problem is the game's limitations. For instance, [[spoiler:there's no way to check the milk in the fridge for freshness before pouring it into Susan's coffee. If there were, players would be tipped off not to use it. The only way to know it's spoiled is to have Susan use it first. In a similar way, the player learned from the sequence before to look at all objects. looking at everything in Susan's apartment will cause her to break down easier since she gets confronted with bad memories, bills and the likes. The player needs to know in advance what objects are safe to look at.]]
93	* HandInTheHole: The "Sacrifice of Blood" needed to escape the Queen of Maggots' realm is one of these. [[spoiler: It slices off Susan's arm when she activates it.]]
94	%% * HumanoidAbomination: The Queen of Maggots and likely the Third Parasite, [[spoiler:the pest control guy's wife]].
95	* HeroicBSOD: The premise of Chapter 3 is attempting to prevent Susan from having one.
96	%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: Susan and Mitzi.
97	%%* {{Hikikomori}}: Susan. [[spoiler: She gets better in some of the endings]].
98	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: The Fourth Parasite, whose demand that Susan play the piano is what summons the cats, who attack and eat him alive.]]
99	* HopeSpot: Susan meets [[spoiler: Mitzi who had saved Susan's life by calling the ambulance in Chapter 4]] and wants to be her lodger and friend. All seems well [[spoiler: until the Queen of Maggots materialises behind Mitzi, thus giving the player the strong implication that Mitzi is actually another parasite who wants to torment Susan, and Susan almost starts another breakdown when she realises that she has been tricked again, after the Doctor X incident]]. Subverted, however, when it turns out that [[spoiler: Mitzi is ''not'' a parasite, and genuinely does want to be her lodger and friend. The Queen of Maggots actually appeared behind Mitzi for another reason...]]
100	* ILied: The Queen of Maggots states that the price of leaving her realm is simple; blow out a candle in her house, and give a "small scratch" of blood to open the door back to Earth. The Queen neglects to mention that blowing a candle out [[spoiler: causes someone to die]], and the door's mechanism will [[spoiler: cut Susan's arm off]].
101	* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Susan's main reason for objecting to [[spoiler:Mitzi]] wanting to kill [[spoiler:Eye Of Adam]].
102	* ImAHumanitarian: The second and third Parasites, [[spoiler: the pest control guy and his wife]].
103	* ImprovisedWeapon: Susan creates two of these [[spoiler:to kill Doctor X]]. You get the choice of which one to use.
104	* INeedAFreakingDrink: Eric, after having a bad day in a flashback.
105	* InterfaceScrew: When [[spoiler:the Third Parasite destroys Susan's eyes with [[EyeScream bleach]]]], your entire screen turns black because Susan's cannot see -- however, the usual item interaction prompts and the inventory screen still appear, because she can touch them.
106	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Mitzi (20s) and Susan (40s).
107	* ItsPersonal: Mitzi's motive for lodging with Susan [[spoiler:and finding the Eye of Adam]].
108	* {{Jerkass}}: Susan's husband Eric comes across as this when we meet him [[spoiler: in a flashback to when he was still alive]]. Justified since he's mad that Susan slacks off on her housework, and that she doesn't welcome him back home anymore; the romance is dying. He may also feel jealous because Zoe takes up quite a bit of Susan's time; most of their argument is about how much time Susan is spending with Zoe.
109	* JerkassHasAPoint:
110	** Bryan, Susan's neighbor, doesn't take well to her playing the piano and letting the cats in late at night and threatens to call pest control. He's actually right: people who have work, family and other duties need rest and a good night's sleep. Susan, however, treats him like crap.
111	** Susan DOES have polite, apologetic responses as well, but using them can make her later actions seem passive/aggressive. It's also worth noting that Bryan goes down to yell at her just after she summons the cats--he apparently doesn't give a damn if he ''also'' keeps the neighbors awake with his yelling. Susan can point this out to him, and his response is along the lines of "I don't care if I bother them".
112	** Both he and the Dog Lady have another good reason to object to Susan feeding the cats, though it never comes up in-game. A group of stray cats that have not been [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap-neuter-return Trap-Neuter-Returned]] can breed VERY quickly and become a neighborhood nuisance. Bryan's calling of pest control, however, is more to spite Susan, because nowhere in the game is it stated that anyone else is bothered by them, despite the fact that Susan has been feeding the cats for years. The Dog Lady's objection that "cats spread disease" is unfounded.
113	* JumpScare: Here's a good drinking game: take a drink each time you encounter one of these. You'll get alcohol poisoning by the beginning of Chapter 3. Even the ''opening credits'' are presented as Jump Scares.
114	* KarmaHoudini: A possible option for the first parasite. [[spoiler:If you answered all of Liz's questions correctly, you'll find the key to the exit in her pocket when you discover her corpse later on. Given the ambiguous MaybeMagicMaybeMundane elements behind her post-mortem appearance to Susan, Liz as a SpiritAdvisor may have intended for Susan to escape. However, not killing Doctor X will allow him to kill his latest victim, and he'll escape justice when that part of the building is destroyed, burying all evidence of his madness.]]
115	* KnightsAndKnaves: This is one of the puzzles that shows up. When you meet the Crow, he'll give you the option of two doors to go through. They're guarded by his [[CreepyDoll "daughters"]], one who always tells the truth and the other who always lies. The puzzle is played absolutely straight, and because there's a DialogueTree it isn't hard to find the correct answer, but the presentation is so effective that you'll probably want to deliberately fail the puzzle.
116	* LeaveBehindAPistol: The second parasite talks to Susan as if he's going to give her a gun so she can MercyKill herself after [[spoiler:his wife blinds her with a bottle of bleach]]... [[SubvertedTrope then leaves it just out of her reach]], because [[PrecisionFStrike "Life's a real fucker sometimes."]]
117	* LikeFatherLikeSon:
118	** During a session with Doctor X, when Susan must recollect her past, you have an option to say that Susan's mother committed suicide. And in both cases, the suicide was preceded by [[spoiler: a fight with their husbands]]. This variation only shows up if the father didn't commit suicide or leave home first.
119	** Susan's own suicide attempt, while unsuccessful, can be seen as [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father like Daughter]] if her dad committed suicide, [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Mother Like Daughter]] if her mom did, or [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Parents Like Child]] if both of them did. Susan takes after her parent (or parents) in her suicidal tendencies. Her attempt would have been successful if Mitzi and the Queen of Maggots hadn't intervened.
120	%% * LivingEmotionalCrutch: Mitzi, to Susan.
121	* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: The first parasite describes a woman's scream from being tortured as like 'poetry without words'.
122	* MadArtist: The first parasite is this. [[spoiler: He kills his victims and rearranges their bodies with wire so that they'll resemble different pieces of famous art.]]
123	* MeaningfulEcho:
124	** "It's just a formality."
125	** "Just a... ''parasite''."
126	** "Thanks for nothing. Goodbye."
127	** "Think of a vegetable while I'm gone."
128	* MeaningfulName:
129	** Susan's second name, Ashworth, describes her own feeling of self-worth (or rather, lack thereof) very fittingly.
130	*** Ashworth is also the name of one of England's three high security psychiatric hospitals.
131	** The Eye of Adam is heavy with potential symbolic interpretations and BigBrotherIsWatching connotations, [[spoiler: but applies in a more literal sense when it becomes clear that Adam is crippled and can only communicate -- or do anything at all -- by moving his eye]].
132	* MessianicArchetype: Susan comes back from the dead and becomes immortal for the sake of fighting the Parasites. And, in case it all was too subtle for you, [[spoiler: in the very first chapter of the game, we see her crucified]].
133	* MultipleChoicePast:
134	** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] during Susan's initial discussions with Doctor X - the player is allowed to determine Susan's [[AllPsychologyIsFreudian relationship with her father and mother]].
135	** Played straight in the climax of the game [[spoiler:with Mitzi, who confesses to Susan that she has been lying to her about her mother and that she's really an orphan]].
136	* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: The first Parasite's hobby. Yes, it is shown in great detail. No, it's not pretty.
137	* NearDeathClairvoyance: After being revived from her initial death, Susan gains some form of this, occasionally having visions related to death and the Afterworld.
138	* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
139	** [[spoiler: The fourth Parasite ties Mitzi up and tries to hang her while forcing Susan to play piano. She plays the piano, it summons the cats, who proceed to knock the Parasite down and devour him]].
140	** [[spoiler: The Eye of Adam's refusal/inability to turn off the poison gas when Mitzi and Susan obtain the gas mask ends up killing his father and damning him to a FateWorseThanDeath if Mitzi doesn't shoot him.]]
141	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The police call mentioned below is made tedious by the officer insisting on filling out a long questionnaire on the nature of Susan's call while completely ignoring the severity of her situation. When she tries to point out this is a life and death situation the officer seems upset she wants to skip the paperwork.
142	* ObviouslyEvil: The first Parasite, [[spoiler: Doctor X]]. You might be mistaken about just how evil s/he is, though.
143	* OrphansOrdeal: [[spoiler: Mitzi]]. Inverted with Susan [[spoiler: and her husband]] - it's the [[spoiler: death of their baby daughter]] that sends them both over the edge.
144	* PayEvilUntoEvil: Susan Ashworth's primary goal throughout the game when she's not suicidally depressed is to kill five human monsters called Parasites.
145	* PetTheDog: Susan's happy, welcoming reaction to the cats when she summons them in Chapter 3. Given that Susan's vocal inflection is usually dry and affectless, it's almost stunning to hear her so enthusiastic.
146	* PlotTriggeringDeath: The Queen of Maggot's plan to exterminate the Parasites is only set into motion once Susan takes her own life.
147	* PoliceAreUseless: If you try to call the police during the segment when one of the parasites kidnaps Susan, the police officer on the other end of the phone will hold a long and tedious conversation with Susan before discovering she was recently discharged from the psychiatric ward of the hospital and concluding she's just a crazy person who needs a doctor more than actual police assistance.
148	* ThePowerOfFriendship: [[spoiler: All it takes to make Mitzi abandon the thought of shooting the Eye of Adam is four words from Susan: "I care about you".]]
149	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Before you get to kill the first Parasite, you have a choice of these to say. [[spoiler: Among them is "What's up, Doc?"]].
150	* PressXToDie: Inverted. At the ending, "PRESS ANY KEY TO LIVE."
151	%%* {{Psychopomp}}: What the Queen of Maggots seems to be.
152	%%* PsychoPsychologist: [[spoiler: Three guesses who.]]
153	%%* PurposeDrivenImmortality: Part of Susan's deal with the Queen of Maggots.
154	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Susan getting killed by the First Parasite, [[spoiler:Doctor Xavier Zelmann]], enrages her. The utter betrayal shown after she [[spoiler:opened herself up and discussed her vulnerabilities to the senior psychiatrist]] led her to seek the parasite's death more earnestly than any other parasite. She makes it clear that while it's NothingPersonal to the parasite, it's ''[[ItsPersonal very much personal]]'' to her.
155	--> '''Susan:''' You treacherous dirty bastard!!! I opened my heart to you... and you stabbed me to death in cold blood!!! You'll pay for this, I swear you will!
156	* ScareChord: All over the place. Even ''the opening credits'' pop out with a ScareChord!
157	* SharedUniverse: As the cameo of Joe Davis and his... wife indicates, this game takes place in the same universe and continuity as ''VideoGame/Downfall2009'', the earlier game by the same developer.
158	** Confirmed with the release of the ''Downfall'' remake, as [[spoiler: Susan and Mitzi both appear at the end of the game, implying that the events of ''Downfall'' take place after the events of ''The Cat Lady''.]]
159	** And now there is yet a third game sharing the same universe, ''VideoGame/{{Lorelai}}''.
160	* ShoutOut:
161	** "[[Franchise/StarWars It's a TRAP!!!]]" and "[[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny What's up, Doc?]]"
162	** Mitzi has a poster outright referencing ''VideoGame/Downfall2009''.
163	** The home of the [[spoiler: second and third Parasites]] is laid out like the first floor of the house in ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion''. When the grandfather clock is checked, Susan will remark ironically about secret passage inside it. Not to mention the [[spoiler: third Parasite]], an especially terrifying, [[AxCrazy ax crazy]] {{Expy}} of Nurse Edna.
164	* SkewedPriorities: Susan mentions during the failed call to the police that there's cat and human blood in the basement of the people who kidnapped her. The officer focuses on the cat blood and offers to transfer her to an animal cruelty specialist.
165	* StalkerWithACrush[=/=]AbhorrentAdmirer: Susan's nameless admirer in her flashback, as well as the second Parasite, [[spoiler: the pest control guy]].
166	* StartsWithASuicide: The game opens with the main character committing suicide, successfully, only to be resurrected.
167	* SurrealHorror: Not exclusively, but you can never tell when the world will suddenly just stop making sense.
168	* TemptingFate: [[spoiler: Adam's father when he gives Susan and Mitzi the gas mask to protect them from the poisonous gas.]] He repeatedly tells Susan and Mitzi that [[spoiler: Adam won't kill him, as he is all he has left in the world.]] This goes about as well as you'd expect.
169	* TermsOfEndangerment: The second Parasite continuously refers to Susan as 'sweetheart', 'pussycat' etc.
170	%%* ThanatosGambit: [[spoiler:If Mitzi shoots the Eye of Adam, he manages to pull it off]].
171	* ThresholdGuardian: The Queen of Maggots guards the threshold between life and death. Susan, who wishes to die, has no choice but to accept her quest in some form, as the Queen of Maggots will not let her pass forward into death, and so Susan's only option is to return to the world of the living.
172	* TitleDrop: An optional one occurs after Susan saves a woman [[spoiler: from the [[MadDoctor psychotic parasite Doctor X.]]]] When the woman asks for the name of her savior, Susan has the option of saying, "They call me 'The Cat Lady'."
173	* TookALevelInBadass: Susan gets one at the end of Chapter 4, when she [[spoiler: kills the second Parasite with a batch of [[DeadlyGas poisonous gas]], then relentlessly hunts down and blows away the third Parasite with a shotgun, wearing a creepy gas mask the entire time]]. A far cry from the depressed, suicidal, despairing woman we meet at the beginning of the story.
174	* TookALevelInKindness: Susan develops from a cold, bitter and lonely woman into a warmer, more approachable and selfless individual throughout the game.
175	%%* TortureCellar: More than one.
176	* {{Troll}}: Mitzi is introduced into the story during an attempt to track down 'Eye of Adam', a troll who [[spoiler:goaded her boyfriend into killing himself.]]
177	* UnexplainedAccent:
178	** There's really not much reason for the Queen of Maggots to have a not-quite-French, not-quite-German accent.
179	** There's also Eric, who mostly sounds like a continental European somewhat trying to do a London accent.
180	* WhamLine: Susan sees [[spoiler: the Queen of Maggots behind Mitzi, and after confusing Mitzi for a parasite at first, Susan realizes that Mitzi is actually in danger and is going to die, and tries to warn her.]]
181	-->'''Mitzi''': [[spoiler:I know.]]
182	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: So what happened to Susan's admirer that calls her in the flashback with her husband? Susan never mentions having any more contact with him. It is suggested [[spoiler: he may be the 4th Parasite, his obsession having driven him to inhuman madness.]]
183	* WhatTheHellPlayer: In "Revenge" ending, Susan clearly mentions that [[spoiler: because she is immortal, there was no reason to keep the gas mask for herself and sacrifice Mitzi's life in the process]].
184	%%* {{Yandere}}: The third parasite towards the second one.
185	* ZombieGait:
186	** The third Parasite, [[spoiler: the pest control guy's wife]]. Seriously, a human being ''does not'' walk like '''that'''.
187	** Susan also makes use of this trope when she gets a dose of medicine in the hospital and transports into some sort of alternative dimension version of the hospital. So, maybe the third Parasite isn't a HumanoidAbomination, [[{{WMG}} s/he is just constantly high on something]].
188	----
189	-->''"One day I will get there, I know I will. Even if takes me not nine, but nine hundred lives."''

Context VideoGame / TheCatLady