A Morrowind modder added the family cat to protect their kids from mudcrabs

rockpapershotgun.com:

As a dedicated reader of readme files, I am delighted to learn of a Morrowind modder who added the family cat to comfort their children, who were afraid of mudcrabs. Stripes the cat arrives in Bethesda's fantasy RPG as a fierce protector to help fight those horrible creatures, and assure everyone that everything is okay. What a lovely little tale, and a lovely little cat. I downloaded the mod and took Stripes along on my own adventure, have a look.

Building on (and requiring) Emma's Companionable Cats, the Stripes the Cat mod lets you recruit a furry friend to follow and fight with you. And the readme file, oh gosh, the readme file is why I read readme files. Creator "NoUsernamesNotTaken" explains:

"I made this for my kids when they were little. They liked to play but were terrified of mudcrabs so I made them a companion protector based off the family cat.

"He was a stray cat that showed up one day and made himself at home. He would follow along side when ever we went for a walk with the kids or when walking the dog. The dog had to be on a leash, but not Stripes he faithfully walked right beside us every where we went. So this mod is actually realistic in that regard. And because he is a little furball he collects static electricity and will attack with shocking touch.

[. . .]

"Just like Emma's cats you can tell him to follow or stay through dialogue, but i also added spells you can cast on Stripes to make him to follow, stay, or play. This was much more fun and easier for my kids."

Wonderful. Perfect. I love it.

While NoUsernamesNotTaken released the mod this week as part of the Morrowind May Modathon, it sounds like they made it a while back. I've noticed quite a few people releasing older work lately, particularly