‘Stray’: How a virtual orange tabby is helping real cats

The virtual cat hero from the new video game sensation ‘Stray’ doesn’t just wind along rusted pipes, leap over unidentified sludge and decode clues in a seemingly abandoned city. The popular game has resonated with cat lovers and some of them are using the game to raise money for real cats. — Annapurna Interactive via AP

NEW YORK: The virtual cat hero from the new video game sensation Stray doesn’t just wind along rusted pipes, leap over unidentified sludge and decode clues in a seemingly abandoned city. The daring orange tabby is helping real world cats as well.

Thanks to online fundraising platforms, gamers are playing Stray while streaming live for audiences to raise money for animal shelters and other cat-related charities. Annapurna Interactive, the game’s publisher, also promoted Stray by offering two cat rescue and adoption agencies copies of the game to raffle off and renting out a New York cat cafe.