Stray players on PC are currently living the dream with mods that let them swap their own cats into the game.
The game's furry protagonist is an orange tabby whose antics have hypnotized cats the world over. He's partly based on Murtaugh, the cat whose human is one of the cofounders of developer Blue Twelve – you can read more about him and the other feline inspiration over on the PlayStation blog.
The choice to limit players to the nameless ginger stray, rather than opening up the floor to character creation, is a deliberate one, but you can now disregard this completely if you're on PC thanks to a slew of Stray mods.
There are a bunch of feline variants available that'll let you find the closest match to your own moggy. So you can step into their adorable little beans and whisk (er) them off on an adventure. This Twitter thread has rounded up some of them to give you an idea of what's available:
stray modders making the playable cat look like their cat > pic.twitter.com/2Vu7sfhA6cJuly 24, 2022
How to change the color of the cat in Stray
Modder Sirgalahad1972 is doing a lot of the heavy lifting with these Stray mods. On their mod page alone you'll find a couple of different black-and-white cats, a Siamese cat, a brown cat, and a red cat to name a few. They've even got some accessories if you feel that your Stray needs a statement piece. There are glasses, an eyepatch, and a jaunty newsboy cap to choose from.
If you're in the market for something a little bit different, there's also a Garfield mod, and this absolutely terrifying GTA: San Andreas CJ mod that words can't adequately describe.
Once you've found a clone of your cat on the site, follow the instructions on the mods' page to swap it in. We also have a handy guide on how to install Stray mods to walk you through the process. There's even a Stray multiplayer mod out there if you don't mind splitscreen.
Why doesn't Stray let you change the cat's color
Speaking to Kotaku, Stray producer Swann Martin-Raget said the conversation around cat customizsation was a "heated debate." But ultimately it came down to what the studio was capable of, and the narrative of the game itself.
"We are a small team, and production-wise, it was quite tricky to have something that really was at the quality level we wanted. But also … the story is quite important for us, and this character – it’s really his story. So we wanted him to be recognizable and unique in the game."
PS4 and PS5 players will be stuck experiencing the game as intended. Although on the plus side, they can play Stray for free. But if you're on PC, feel free to put Mr. Bigglesworth the Second into the game and see if he recognizes himself on the big screen. And don't forget to share the video. It could always use more cat videos.
