woohoo! I finished the game in over 2 hours and oh my gosh... I was absolutely blown away by how detailed this game is! And the fact that it's free too... you've done an absolutely amazing job!!!!!
-SPOILERS-
the entire i was playing, I was trying to look for symbolism or reasons for what IT is, and after playing through all the endings, here is my take on the game:
the MC is portrayed throughout the game as lonely, riddled with social anxiety, and maybe even depressed. they're insecure and often down in the dumps, things only changing when they hear someone something call out to them, IT.
IT is a mystery. IT says they love us, yet we die over 30 times in different ways linked back to IT. sure, there are some endings where they show 'kindness' to us, such as the dog park ending where IT warns us to leave, and if we don't, we end up dying. but IT is in control of the universe and thus it wasn't the dog who killed us, it was IT. despite that, IT is also kind as times. in one of the endings, the MC talks to IT about how lonely they feel, and IT comforts them. ofc the MC ends up sleeping next to them forever, but it's one of the more wholesome endings.
i believe that IT symbolizes an abuser, while the MC is the victim. just how MC felt a 'calling' to IT, in real life, abusers will often seek out 'prey' in order to fulfill their sick and twisted fantasies. and once they entrap the MC in a relationship with them, they won't let go. sure, at times they can seem 'cute' or 'innocent-looking' or even 'kind' in order to entice their victim to stay, but it will always end in the victim being harmed one way or another, just like how the MC is in most of the endings.
when MC finally 'kills' IT, only for IT to come back, i believe it represents how a victim may try to forget about their experiences, go to therapy, etc, but they will always live with the trauma they went through.
thus, they can either drown in their trauma and misery (just like in the 'join IT ending') alongside their abuser's other victims, or they can fight for a better future where they don't think about what's happened to them all the time.
hence, in the true ending, MC says that they rarely think about IT or the things they've gone through anymore. and at the end, it's shown that they've even taken in a little black kitten that looks incredibly similar to IT, though not completely the same (scar on its right eye, green eyes). i believe this represents how MC has finally accepted their trauma, and is willing to take risks again and open up to other people (or animals).
also, when MC questions IT about what they mean by 'daydreaming', i believe that represents either how victims daydream about what they could've done differently to prevent what happened to them, or how some victims, in order to cope with their trauma, reimagine the abuse happening to them again and again. for example, some SA survivors imagine themselves having a relationship with their assaulter in order to feel like they have some control, and if they're in a relationship with this person, then surely what happened to them isn't so bad.
but of course, this is all my speculation! i'd love to hear the creator's thoughts on my comment and what their actual intentions were, but once again, brilliant job! one of the best games i've played on itch.io for sure <3
Viewing post in Do NOT Take This Cat Home comments
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the game's story and meaning, and they're pretty spot on! I don't remember seeing anyone else make the connection of the significance of MC taking in a kitten that looks similar to IT -- and how it shows that they're at a point where they're willing to take the risk to open up to new relationships.
The daydreaming was also pretty much what I had mind: The MC had been trying to imagine ways in which their encounter with IT could've turned out better. Better if they'd left IT alone, or better if they'd done something different when taking IT home -- anything at all to make the situation they'd found their self in better. But of course IT wasn't willing to let go of them so easily.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and for playing the game!