The rules of "Kitty Hide-and-Seek" are known instinctively to kitties. Humans will pick up the subtleties as the game progresses.

Any of the players can initiate a game of Kitty Hide-and-Seek. The kitty initiates a game by emerging suddenly from a hiding place with a cheerful chirp and then promptly dashing back under cover. The human must slowly walk to and fro near the hiding place, bent over and peering around the furniture while muttering 'Is there a kitty in here? Anybody seen a little kitty come this way? Anybody seen a little kitty-cat?"

Once into the game, the human will glimpse the four-legged players emerge silently from hiding place A to slip into secret location B. The skill of the game is to know exactly where the kitty players are at any given time and avoid going straight to the hiding place, while also allowing ample opportunity for the kitty players to slip from one hiding place to another.

Care must be taken to maintain the cat's interest. Several near misses will maintain the interest level. The game mustn't last long enough for kitty to become bored, emerge yawning and stretching and wander off in search of refreshment.

The game, or at least the first half, ends after a patient but fruitless search. Kitty is finally spotted with a triumphant 'There's kitty!' For some feline players, the game ends here with a joyous reunion, but for more energetic kitties, this is merely the end of the first half and they will waste no time in launching into the second half, or "Catch-the-Kitty".

Catch-the-Kitty consists of a chase around the house, with kitty several lengths ahead and a puffing human following, gasping 'I'll have that kitty!' It ends either when kitty rolls belly up with paws waggling at the sky or more likely when the human collapses puffing and panting. Judicious timing is required to maintain the superior demeanour of the cat without inducing heart failure in the owner.