Board game involving competition between people and animals

Abstract

A method of playing a game involving competition between a person and a cat involves advancing a marker along a path of a game board and selecting an activity card from a plurality of activity cards if the marker lands on a predetermined space of the path. A person attempts to coax the cat to perform an activity indicated on the activity card within a time limit, wherein the person's score is increased if the person is successful and the cat's score is increased if the person is not successful. The cat takes a turn by spontaneously stepping onto the game board, and earns points by interacting with the marker and a random number selection device on the game board. The cat wins if the cat's score reaches a predetermined value before the person wins, and the person wins if the person's score reaches a predetermined value before the cat wins.

1 . A method of playing a game involving competition between a person and an animal, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) increasing a score of the person if the person coaxes the animal to perform a predetermined activity; and    (b) increasing a score of the animal if the animal spontaneously performs a predetermined action.    
   
   
       2 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (b) further comprising the step of: 
 (b1) increasing the animal's score if the animal spontaneously contacts a game board.    
   
   
       3 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (b) further comprising the step of: 
 (b2) increasing the animal's score if the animal spontaneously interacts with an object on the game board.    
   
   
       4 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) choosing a card from a plurality of cards, wherein the card indicates a predetermined activity.    
   
   
       5 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (d) acknowledging a turn of the animal when the animal spontaneously performs a predetermined action, wherein the animal's turn ends after a predetermined time period.    
   
   
       6 . The method as set forth in  claim 5 , step (d) further comprising the step of: 
 (d1) increasing the score of the animal if the animal spontaneously performs a second predetermined action during the animal's turn.    
   
   
       7 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (a) further comprising the step of: 
 (a1) increasing the person's score only if the animal performs the predetermined activity within a predetermined time limit.    
   
   
       8 . The method as set forth in  claim 7 , step (a) further comprising the step of: 
 (a2) decreasing the person's score and increasing the animal's score if the animal does not perform the activity within the predetermined time limit.    
   
   
       9 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (b) further comprising the step of: 
 (b3) including a plurality of animals in competition with the person, wherein a collective score of the animals is increased when any one of the animals spontaneously performs the predetermined action.    
   
   
       10 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (b) further comprising the step of: 
 (b4) including a plurality of animals in competition with the person, wherein each animal has its own score and each animal's score is increased when that animal spontaneously performs the predetermined action.    
   
   
       11 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (b5) including a plurality of animals in competition with the person and with each other, wherein each animal has its own score and each animal's score is increased when that animal spontaneously performs the predetermined action.    
   
   
       12 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , further comprising the step of: 
 (e) declaring a single animal winner if that animal's score reaches a predetermined value.    
   
   
       13 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , step (a) further comprising the step of: 
 (a3) including a plurality of people in competition with the animal and with each other, wherein if a first person fails to coax the animal to perform the predetermined activity within a first time limit, a second person attempts to coax the animal to perform the same activity within a second time limit.    
   
   
       14 . The method as set forth in  claim 13 , step (a) further comprising the step of: 
 (a4) declaring a person a loser when that person's score is reduced to zero, and increasing the animal's score when that person loses.    
   
   
       15 . A method of playing a board game involving competition between a plurality of people and a cat, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) a first person randomly selecting an activity card from a plurality of activity cards and attempting to coax the cat to perform an activity indicated by the activity card within a time limit;    (b) increasing a score of the first person if the cat performs the activity within the time limit;    (c) decreasing the first person's score and increasing a score of the cat if the cat does not perform the activity within the time limit;    (d) acknowledging a cat's turn when the cat performs a first predetermined action, wherein the cat's turn ends after a predetermined time period;    (e) increasing the cat's score if the cat performs a second predetermined action during the cat's turn;    (f) increasing the score of each person who prevents the cat from taking a turn by coaxing the cat not to perform the first predetermined action;    (g) declaring the cat winner if the cat's score reaches a predetermined value before the person wins; and    (h) declaring the person winner if the person's score reaches a predetermined value before the cat wins.    
   
   
       16 . The method as set forth in  claim 15 , further comprising the step of: 
 (i) increasing the score of one of the people if the cat spontaneously lies down on the person's lap for a predetermined period of time.    
   
   
       17 . A method of playing a board game involving competition between a person and a cat, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) advancing a marker along a path of a game board;    (b) selecting an activity card if the marker lands on a predetermined space and attempting to coax the cat to perform an activity indicated by the activity card within a time limit;    (c) increasing a score of the person if the cat performs the activity within the time limit;    (d) decreasing the person's score and increasing a score of the cat if the cat does not perform the activity within the time limit;    (e) acknowledging a cat's turn when the cat steps onto the game board, wherein the cat's score is increased when the turn begins and the cat's turn ends after a time limit;    (f) increasing the cat's score if the cat removes the marker from a space of the path during the cat's turn;    (g) increasing the cat's score if the cat lies on top of the marker during the cat's turn;    (h) increasing the cat's score if the cat interacts with a random number device during the cat's turn;    (i) increasing the person's score if the person coaxes the cat off of the game board within a time limit after the cat's turn has ended;    (j) increasing the person's score if the person coaxes the cat away from the game board when the cat is within a predetermined distance from the board before the cat's turn begins;    (k) declaring the cat winner if the cat's score reaches a predetermined value before the person wins; and    (l) declaring the person winner if the person's score reaches a predetermined value before the cat wins.    
   
   
       18 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 (m) selecting an instructional card if the marker lands on a predetermined space and following instructions on the card, wherein the card includes instructions chosen from the group consisting of adjusting the person's score, adjusting the cat's score, moving the marker, and skipping a turn.    
   
   
       19 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 (n) increasing the person's score if the cat spontaneously lies down on the person's lap.    
   
   
       20 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 (o) increasing the cat's score if the marker lands on a predetermined space of the path.    
   
   
       21 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 (p) increasing the persons's score if the marker lands on a predetermined space of the path.