I’ve been wanting to do a writing project of my own after spending years writing for others. At first, I thought about reviewing a horror movie a day. I started and stopped, and just never had the desire to open that Google doc again.

So, I put that project on pause. Then an idea came to me…

Why don’t I combine two of my favorite things: cats and movies? (shoutout to my cat, Duncan, who’s been a helpful writing partner)

I feel like cats often get a raw deal in media depictions, especially compared to dogs. So, I wanted to identify the best movies for cat lovers and the ones to avoid. And since horror is my favorite genre, I figured A Quiet Place: Day One would be a good place to start. I liked the first two in the series. Plus, I’ve seen the adorable Reels featuring Schnitzel, the cat, with stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn (this one is my favorite 😹).

Here’s how it’ll work:

I’ll give some background on the movie and the cat actor(s) (which I’ll be referring to as ‘cactors’).

A short, mostly non-spoilery synopsis.

And then evaluate the movie across 8 categories, giving it a score of 1 out of 10 whiskers 🐱 (1 being absolutely DO NOT watch and 10 being a must for all cat lovers)… and then rate the movie as a whole.

Here are the 8 categories we’ll cover:

Does the cat survive? The most important category.

Does the cat get injured?

Did I Google “does the cat die” in the middle of the movie?

How much screentime does the cat have?

Does the cat have a well-established name, or do the characters just refer to him/her as “the cat”?

Is the cat’s personality established?

Does the cat influence the plot?

Do the humans in the movie love the cat? As cat lovers, we can tell!

Let’s get to it…

Movie Background

A Quiet Place: Day One is described as a 2024 apocalyptic horror film, but it hits multiple genres, including drama (and in its own way, is kind of a buddy film in the vein of Jaws (3 characters trying to survive). My goal is to get a Jaws reference into every review).

It’s directed by Michael Sarnoski, who is best known for directing the small, Nicholas Cage film, Pig. He might seem like a strange choice for the third in a monster-movie series, but it really works, because he knows how to tell human stories. Sarnoski penned the story along with John Krasinski, who starred in and directed the first film and appeared in and directed the follow-up.

It stars my Queen Lupita Nyong’o (who gave an all-time horror performance in Us) as Sam, a terminally ill woman living in a hospice with her cat, Frodo. Joseph Quinn as Eric, a British law student whom Sam and Frodo befriend on their journey. And Schnitzel and Nico as Frodo, the cat.

About the Cactors, Schnitzel and Nico

Several cactors (just go with me on this one) auditioned for the role of Frodo (I need to see this footage). Sarnoski said that he chose Schnitzel because of “his nonchalant confidence, rugged looks, and intelligent face” (aww) and that Nico served as more of a stunt double.

Schnitzel and Nico had 3 months to train for the role with the help of their agent trainer, Jo Vaughan.

Nico is actually an all-white cat. His fur was dyed with an “animal-friendly” semi-permanent color to match Schnitzel’s black-and-white fur.

Schnitzel also appeared in The Marvels (not going to cover this one – I loathe superhero movies).

Movie Synopsis (very slight spoilers ahead)

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ follows Sam, a terminally ill woman spending her remaining days with her cat, Frodo, when an alien invasion abruptly descends on New York City. As sound-hunting creatures overrun Manhattan and escape routes are destroyed, Sam bands together with Frodo and British student Eric. Together, they try to make it to an escape route (if you’ve seen the previous films, you can probably guess what it is) and fulfill one final wish as Sam rediscovers what it means to be alive.

Category Breakdown

Does the cat survive? Yes

Is the cat injured? No, but he’s in peril throughout – many creature attacks, many times he leaps out of Sam’s arms, and so much walking through the rubble of NYC. He makes it through unscathed. That’s movie magic for ya.

How much screentime does the cat have? In my very scientifically sound estimation, Frodo’s in it for about 65 minutes of the 99-minute runtime. For the first 40 minutes, there are stretches without him, especially as the creatures attack. All the commotion scares him, and he runs off. This added an element of suspense, elevating the movie. I did miss him, though. But in the last hour, Frodo appears in most scenes (including the three most harrowing).

Does the cat have a name, and is the name well-established? Yes, Frodo’s name is well-established. Sam introduces him to several characters. The first is at the 6:20 mark when Sam says, “This is Frodo” to a little boy in the theater where they are watching the marionette show.

Did I Google “does the cat die” in the middle of the movie? Yep, during the first attack. It’s incredibly loud, and everything is covered in dust. It’s disorienting, and you don’t see Frodo as you follow Sam’s journey of survival. When they’re reunited, and Frodo nuzzles his face against hers… 😭.

Is the cat’s personality established? Yes, Frodo is a sweet, calm baby. There was some discourse online that there would be no way a cat would ever be that quiet, especially with everything going on around him. But it’s established early on that he’s a therapy cat. He attends Sam’s therapy session, is trained on a leash, and goes everywhere with her, including into the city. It’s clear he’s well-trained and follows commands. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, he meows a few times (at the hospice home before everything goes to hell), and Sam says, “Quiet.” He doesn’t make a sound the rest of the movie, except for some quiet purrs directed at Sam and then Eric ❤️.

Does the cat influence the plot? Yes. Sam is committed to making sure Frodo makes it out alive, risking her life many times. There’s a particularly harrowing sequence about 55-minutes in when they attract the attention of the creatures. They end up in a tunnel of water, and Sam puts Frodo on a makeshift raft and pushes him along. It would have been much easier for Sam to let him go, but of course, she doesn’t.

There’s also the best sequence in the movie, in my opinion. It involves Eric and Frodo. I won’t give any more away, except to say that Eric will do anything to save Frodo, because he owes him and Sam his life.

Then, of course, what happens at the end, which is amazing filmmaking that must be seen.

Do the humans in the movie love the cat? Yes. It’s clear Sam loves Frodo deeply from the very beginning. How she looks at him, how she pets him, how she holds him. And every time Frodo and Sam are reunited, Sarnoski makes a point of showing their expressions… their love leaps off the screen.

Then there’s Eric. They have several scenes together that show how quickly you can bond with a cat. And that ending scene with the note… I’ll never recover. 😭 Just watch it.

Final Thoughts & Movie Rating

In hindsight, perhaps I should have also added an ‘amount of tears shed’ category. This movie would have scored a 10 out of 10 (I was inconsolable at the end). I’m glad I didn’t see this in the theater, or god forbid, on an airplane. There’s nothing quite like being sandwiched between two strangers sobbing uncontrollably. I experienced this while watching Bob Trevino Likes It on a flight back from Germany.

A Quiet Place: Day One is a harrowing, touching movie, with one of the best and most satisfying endings in recent memory. Shrinking down an apocalyptic story to focus on a dying woman’s journey to enjoy one last slice of her favorite pizza, while making sure her cat is okay, worked on me. Sarnoski does a great job of peppering the story with small details to establish the world we are in, so it’s not just big attack after big attack. There’s one scene when Sam is opening a can of food for Frodo, and she has to slowly peel back the lid. You can see the fear on her face the entire time.

The three leads are fantastic, and it’s another stroke of genius to center most of the movie on just them (instead of the often overstuffed approach many big-budget movies take). As established, Lupita IS Queen. The character development is amazing for a 99-minute movie. She starts off defeated (she’s been told she has only a few weeks left to live for the last two years, which would take a toll on anyone’s psyche). She also doesn’t give a fuck… she’s sarcastic and blunt, especially in her early scenes with Alex Wolff’s character, Reuben, the nurse at the hospice. They have great chemistry.

When she meets Eric, we are with her as she rediscovers what it’s like to be alive. After she completes her “mission,” she’s not done yet… an even more important mission lies ahead. Lupita plays the character perfectly.

I was less familiar with Joseph Quinn (although he was great in the 2025 movie, Warfare… great scream acting from him. Want to talk about intense, sheesh). He holds his own in this. His sheer terror is palpable. His desperation to cling to someone is evident. He needs to have any hope of survival, and that’s what Sam and Frodo give him.

I’m giving A Quiet Place: Day One a 9.5 out of 10 on the Whisker Scale 🐱, only taking off half a point because there are stretches without Frodo, especially in the first 40 minutes.

Overall, it gets a 9 out of 10. I would have liked a few more scenes between Sam and the nurse, Reuben. But this is one of my favorites of the last few years. I also appreciated the runtime; a movie like this doesn’t need to be 2 hours.

Even better than the movie is what happened after filming…

Lupita was afraid of cats before shooting began and begged Sarnoski to replace the cat with another animal. Fortunately, he said no, because she fell so in love with the two cats on set that she adopted a cat, YoYo. Go check out her Instagram for some adorable YoYo content.

So, A Quiet Place: Day One isn’t just for us cat lovers. It also acts as a gateway movie to convince non-cat people that cats rule!

Don’t let the horror label scare you off… sure, there are a few scary, suspenseful moments throughout (three in particular), but it’s not too bad, and there’s no gore. You can handle it, trust me!

What’s Next

Up next is 2025’s Caught Stealing. Can it compete with this one? After what the director said about cats, I think not. But I’ve seen the fluff ball star on Instagram and can’t wait to see him in action!

Drop me a comment if you enjoyed this or have any suggestions for movies or categories.

See you next time!