History VideoGame / TheCatLady

'''The Cat Lady''' is a side-scrolling, story-heavy horror adventure game developed and released in 2012 by Harvester Games, also known for their 2009 game ''VideoGame/{{Downfall}}.''

* AdventureGame

* CrossDressingVoices: The third Parasite, who is female, is voiced by Creator/DavidFirth. Joe's [[spoiler:undead]] wife is voiced by the game's creator, Remigiusz Michalski.

** 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.]]

* DiabolusExNihilo[=/=]OutsideContextVillain: 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]].

* 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 [[ItGotBetter only]] [[AllJustADream temporary]].]]

* [[ChekhovsHobby Chekhov's Career]]: Susan's former career as a nurse is established in dialogue, and she eventually utilizes knowledge from her profession.

* DiabolusExNihilo[=/=]OutsideContextVillain: 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]].

* DisappointingLastLevel: The last chapter has few frights or intense moments until the end where the last parasite is confronted, [[spoiler:Joe Davis, who not only comes out of nowhere if you haven't played Downfall, he has almost nothing to do with the story]].

* BechdelTest: Passes with flying colors. Susan and Mitzi have a close friendship, and they talk about a wide variety of subjects. The cast has many members of both genders.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: 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 shoots the Eye of Adam]].

* 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.]]

* [[spoiler: AnArmAndALeg:]] The first Sacrifice of Blood necessary to leave the Queen of Maggots' realm and return to the world of the living. Fortunately, it's [[ItGotBetter only]] [[AllJustADream temporary]].

* [[spoiler:DeadAllAlong: Poor Liz.]]

* [[spoiler: EvilCripple: The Eye of Adam]].

* GoodTimesMontage / [[FallingInLoveMontage Becoming Friends Montage]]: The first part of Chapter 5.

* 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.]]
** It might be a bit easier to get through if the player has ever been depressed, but not by much. 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.]]

* {{Hikikomori}} / NoSocialSkills / NotGoodWithPeople: Susan. [[spoiler: She gets better in some of the endings]].

* [[spoiler:InfantImmortality: Averted. Made worse by Susan's distraction being the reason the child dies.]]

* {{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.
* JerkassHasAPoint: 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.

* 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.
** The ''opening credits'' are presented as Jump Scares.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: 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.

* MeaningfulEcho: "Just a... ''parasite''."

* MeaningfulName: Susan's second name, Ashworth, describes her own feeling of self-worth (or rather, lack thereof) very fittingly.

* MultipleChoicePast: [[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]].

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[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]].

* PayEvilUntoEvil / SerialKillerKiller: Susan Ashworth's primary goal throughout the game when she's not suicidally depressed is to kill five human monsters called Parasites.

** It's also similar to RealLife in that some people will treat someone who has attempted suicide like they're completely insane, even if they're stable and on medication.
** May not make sense in context to people in the United States, though, as doctor-patient privilege prevents a doctor from informing others (including authorities) about someone's psychological state or medical history without the patient's consent or a court order. Mitzi also called an ambulance, not the police, so how they found out about it is confusing. However, since this takes place in Britain, their laws may be different.

* [[spoiler: PsychoPsychologist]]: Three guesses who.

* ShoutOut: "[[StarWars It's a TRAP!!!]]" and "[[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny What's up, Doc?]]"

* ZombieGait: The third Parasite, [[spoiler: the pest control guy's wife]]. Seriously, a human being ''does not'' walk like '''that'''.

* BlatantLies: 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 commit suicide]], and the door's mechanism will [[spoiler: cut Susan's arm off]].

** May not make sense in context to people in the United States, though, as doctor-patient privilege prevents a doctor from informing others about someone's psychological state without a court order. Mitzi also called an ambulance, not the police, so how they found out about it is confusing. However, since this takes place in Britain, their laws may be different.

** Susan DOES have polite, apologetic responses as well. 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".
** Both he and the Dog Lady have another good reason to object to Susan feeding the cats, though--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 the cats are a neighborhood nuisance, despite the fact that Susan has been feeding the cats for years.

** He's a {{Jerkass}} because of how he chooses to handle his anger towards her, though. He also calls pest control on what are essentially innocent creatures--the cats have no idea they're bothering him, they just know it's dinner time when the piano plays!

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-->''Thanks for nothing. Goodbye.''

[[caption-width-right:350:''"All I want to do is live. But I have to die..."'']]

-->''In my head it's like hell''

-->''God please wash me with your rain''

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/13538-the-cat-lady_8929.png]]

-->''"I've been to hell and back, my boy. I am ''stronger'' than you."''
-->--'''Susan Ashworth'''