Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-

language idiom that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures,
and repeated escapes."[1] The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the
"mouse", who despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In
extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is
derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with
prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior may arise from an instinctive imperative
to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat. [2]
In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly
shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate.[citation needed] In
classical game theory, cat and mouse classifies as a "copycat" archetype whereby there
exists no equilibrium, and most importantly, no endgame, its two protagonists, Dot and
Ditto, running amok in their game space to infinity, with no endpoint to their game
anywhere in sight attributable to a defective reward system; conflicting incentives.
Theoretical active reading on "cat and mouse," or "Dot and Ditto" is ominous in its
implication; multiple protagonists, each armed a passive strategy, can remain theoretically
locked in total perpetual war indefinitely, wholly unable to rise to a plateau sufficient to
intellectualize their plight.[citation needed]
The term has also been used to refer to the game hide-and-seek.
Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-
language idiom that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures,
and repeated escapes."[1] The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the
"mouse", who despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In
extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is
derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with
prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior may arise from an instinctive imperative
to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat. [2]
In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly
shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate.[citation needed] In
classical game theory, cat and mouse classifies as a "copycat" archetype whereby there
exists no equilibrium, and most importantly, no endgame, its two protagonists, Dot and
Ditto, running amok in their game space to infinity, with no endpoint to their game
anywhere in sight attributable to a defective reward system; conflicting incentives.
Theoretical active reading on "cat and mouse," or "Dot and Ditto" is ominous in its
implication; multiple protagonists, each armed a passive strategy, can remain theoretically
locked in total perpetual war indefinitely, wholly unable to rise to a plateau sufficient to
intellectualize their plight.[citation needed]
The term has also been used to refer to the game hide-and-seek.