Does the cat die in Stray?

polygon.com:

Stray is a game about an adorable orange cat trying to make its way through a world filled with robots. It’s a perfect concept that BlueTwelve Studio executes well. But naturally, you may be wondering how far Stray goes to show its protagonist in pain, or if it depicts the cat’s death. To ease your anxieties, we’re going to answer two different questions: Can the cat in Stray die if you fail? And does the cat survive Stray’s story?

[Warning: This story contains spoilers for Stray.]

Yes, the cat can die in the same way that Mario can die — temporarily, but not canonically.

Throughout the game, you’ll need to evade tiny, hungry creatures that latch themselves onto the cat. If you can’t shake the enemies and escape, the cat will get overwhelmed by the beasts and collapse on the ground. The screen will go red, but then you’ll return to a checkpoint with the cat healthy and back to normal.

Additionally, the cat does get injured at points during the story, which can be difficult to watch. Know that while you may need to deal with a limp for a short period of time, the cat will return to a healthy state eventually.

The cat does not die at the end of Stray. We won’t specify what happens at the end, but the cat survives to meow, scratch, and cause mischief another day.

With those questions answered, hopefully you can go on to enjoy Stray with less fear over the fate of your feline friend. How your pets respond to the content is another matter, so maybe have a set of headphones available as an option.