Pocket Gamer's recommendation-a-day advent calendar: Neko Atsume

Every day, as we count down to the Christmas, we'll be sharing a brilliant and essential game from 2015 that didn't quite make our game of the year list. We'll share the very best iOS and Android games of the last 12 months on Christmas Day

December 4th - Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector
iOS (Free) - Android (Free)

You learn pretty quickly upon becoming a cat owner that there is no way for you to sustain any control of this animal you've let inside your home. A cat will wander in and out by itself. It will pee where it wants. It will bring in mangled, half-dead birds, drop them on your carpet, and expect your gratitude in return.

This is why Neko Atsume makes so much sense. You cannot directly interact with the cats in the game. You can only lure them in and enjoy their company for as long as they hang around. They're in control.

The idea is to place food, toys, and furniture around your virtual house and garden. Then you close the app, go about your day, and forget about it. At some point, you'll remember that strange cat game you installed on your phone and return. There will be cats. Cute ones: dressed up as chefs, stuck inside tunnels, laying fat and satisfied after a meal.

The appeal here is getting new cats to visit. Those that leave give you money to spend on new items and so the cycle goes on. Forever you can play host to a range of delightfully individual cats, getting a new mewling surprise day in, day out.