I appreciate the in-depth response!
Spoilers below!
It was definitely my intention to write the relationship formed with the cat as a toxic/abusive one. The cat uses a lot of tactics to keep the protagonist in its clutches (you probably noticed that not ALL of the endings were too bad or even ended the protagonist's death) -- isolation, threats, emotional manipulation, making you think you were the one in control when really the cat was the one controlling the limited "choices" the entire time.
The backstories were actually from three of the cat's many past victims, the ones who help you escape at the end of the game -- that's why their bell chime plays at the beginning of each story. They're trying to reach you as you progress to help you wake up and see that the cat actually does have a reason for choosing the people it calls out to -- it targets vulnerable people who have low opinions of themselves, who feel alone and abandoned, and who desperately want to be seen, heard and loved. Even though the protagonist genuinely does like their solitude, everyone gets lonely from time to time and the cat caught them on a bad day, making them vulnerable to its tricks.
I liked your analysis/theory though! You really captured the depth of what the people in the backstories endured before being targeted by the cat.
Thanks again and I'm glad you enjoyed the game!