The Catfather Slot Review
The boss of this syndicate is an orange cat in a bowler hat, his consigliere wears sunglasses and a gold chain, and the errands are run by a mouse in spectacles. There’s a game that knows exactly what it is, and this Pragmatic Play slot plays it straight-faced enough to get away with it. It runs on a 5×3 grid with low volatility, an RTP of 94.00%-96.52% set by the casino, and a ceiling of 2,251x the bet.
The theme is the reason to be here rather than at The Dog House or Lucky Tiger. Bowler hats, gold chains, nine paylines of organised crime played for laughs: the symbols are the personality, and the game never winks harder than it needs to.
Base Game & Features
Bets run from 0.09 to 243.00 per spin across nine fixed paylines. Every symbol pays in both directions, and only the highest win counts on each line. That two-way setup is the quiet star here: a game with nine lines plays closer to eighteen when both directions are live.
The payline count matters more than it looks for a second reason. Both-direction pays mean a matching run can start from either edge, so a five-symbol stretch of cats pays no matter which end the first cat sits on. Nine lines, two directions, one grid that behaves bigger than its spec sheet.
Bet construction is worth a glance before you spin. The total stake is built from coins per line and coin value, both adjustable in the bet menu, and the credit display can be flipped between coins and cash at the click of a label. Set the coins and the coin value, and the rest of the maths follows.
The wild is a box of black cats, and it’s the richest symbol on the reels by a wide margin. It substitutes for everything except the scatter, and it’s the only symbol that pays for just two of a kind.
Symbol values, as multiples of the total bet:
- Wild (black cats in box): 2 pays 0.5556x, 3 pays 5.5556x, 4 pays 27.7778x, 5 pays 555.5556x
- Orange cat (bowler hat): 3 pays 5.5556x, 4 pays 11.1111x, 5 pays 22.2222x
- Grey/white cat: 3 pays 2.2222x, 4 pays 4.4444x, 5 pays 11.1111x
- Siamese cat (sunglasses, chain): 3 pays 1.1111x, 4 pays 2.2222x, 5 pays 7.7778x
- Siamese cat (purple cap): 3 pays 0.8889x, 4 pays 1.6667x, 5 pays 3.8889x
- Orange cat (glasses and mask): 3 pays 0.7778x, 4 pays 1.3333x, 5 pays 3.3333x
- A: 3 pays 0.5556x, 4 pays 1.1111x, 5 pays 2.7778x
- K: 3 pays 0.3333x, 4 pays 1.1111x, 5 pays 2.2222x
- Q: 3 pays 0.2222x, 4 pays 0.8889x, 5 pays 1.6667x
- Scatter (mouse with glasses): 3 pays 2x, 4 pays 5x, 5 pays 20x
The cat hierarchy is steep. The boss in the bowler hat is worth four times the grey understudy at five of a kind, while the royals bring up the rear with a modest staircase of their own. The scatter pays on any position, so it doesn’t need a line at all.
Wins on a line are calculated on the bet per line, and the scatter multiples above are the exceptions that work off the total bet instead. It’s a distinction worth holding onto when you’re sizing up a win mid-spin.
Random Stacked Wilds
This is the base game’s one trick, and it’s a good one. At random, before any spin completes, one or more of reels 2, 3 and 4 can be fully covered with wilds. Any combination of those three middle reels qualifies: one, two or all three.
Because the wild also carries the top paytable value, a stacked reel isn’t only a connector. Three full wild reels with matching cats at either edge would stack up line wins from both directions at once.
The feature doesn’t appear during free spins, so the base game keeps it entirely to itself. The scatter still counts even when it’s covered by stacked wilds, which stops a lucky stack from burying a bonus trigger.
The timing is the part to notice. The stack lands before the spin resolves, not after, so a spin that looked dead on the first two reels can still come good once the middle of the grid fills. There’s no warning and no meter charging towards it, which is what keeps an otherwise sedate base game alert.
The controls stay conventional. Autoplay runs until you stop it, the bet menu handles coins per line and coin value, and the spin speed cycles between normal, quick and turbo. Sound effects, ambient music and the intro screen can each be toggled off separately in the settings menu.
The Catfather Free Spins
The scatter is a mouse in spectacles, paying on any position and triggering free spins. It counts even when it’s covered by stacked wilds, so nothing gets between the mouse and his moment. Hitting three or more anywhere on the reels starts the round:
- 3 scatters: 10 free spins
- 4 scatters: 15 free spins
- 5 scatters: 25 free spins
Every win in the round is multiplied by 4x, and free spins winnings are added to the payline win, with all wins calculated on the bet per line. The multiplier applies across the board rather than climbing, which suits the game’s low-volatility temperament: steady, quadrupled, no chasing.
There’s no retrigger ladder, no symbol upgrade, no pick-me on top. What the round offers is the two-way paylines and the 4x, and stacked wilds sit it out entirely.
On a nine-line grid the round resolves quickly. Ten spins at the entry trigger is a short stay; the 25-spin version for 5 scatters is where the multiplier gets room to work through the cat hierarchy more than once. The scatter’s own pay lands too, added on top of whatever the round itself produces.
It’s a round with no moving parts beyond that, and for a low-volatility game that’s a coherent choice. The excitement budget was spent on the base game’s stacked reels; the bonus simply pays out what that base game would pay, four times over.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7/10
This is a slot you play for the long afternoon, not the big night out. The syndicate cats are charming enough to keep you company, and the reason to pick The Catfather over plainer nine-liners is that both-direction pays and surprise stacked wilds make a small grid feel busy without ever getting expensive.
The stacked wilds are the best thing in it, because they’re the only moment a low-volatility game gets to feel dramatic: a dead spin rescued by two full wild reels pays from both edges at once. The free spins round is the weakest, though: a flat 4x with no stacked wilds and no retrigger is a round that resolves politely and forgets itself.
It suits players who like a calm session and small, steady returns, and it’s a genuinely good fit at the 0.09 minimum. Anyone chasing a five-figure ceiling won’t find it in this family. But the crew here runs a tidy little operation, and if that’s the afternoon you want, the door’s open.
The Catfather FAQs
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What is the RTP of The Catfather?
The RTP ranges from 94.00% to 96.52%, and the casino sets which figure applies, so it’s worth checking the specific game information at your chosen site. -
Is The Catfather high volatility?
No, it’s a low-volatility slot. Wins tend to come steadily in smaller amounts rather than in rare large hits. -
How do you trigger free spins in The Catfather?
Land 3 or more scatter symbols, the mouse with glasses, anywhere on the reels. 3 scatters award 10 free spins, 4 award 15, and 5 award 25. -
Does the Random Stacked Wilds feature happen during free spins?
No. Stacked wilds only occur in the base game, on any combination of reels 2, 3 and 4, and they don’t appear at all during the free spins round. -
What do free spins wins pay in The Catfather?
All free spins wins are multiplied by 4x. Free spins winnings are added to the payline win, and wins are calculated on the bet per line. -
Do symbols pay left to right only in The Catfather?
No, all symbols pay both left to right and right to left, and only the highest win is paid per line. The scatter pays on any position. -
What is the minimum and maximum bet on The Catfather?
Bets run from 0.09 to 243.00 per spin, one of the wider ranges you’ll find on a nine-line game. -
What is the maximum win on The Catfather?
The maximum win is 2,251x the bet.
