Warning! Contains spoilers for A Quiet Place: Day One.

Although A Quiet Place: Day One offers many gripping alien-kill sequences and poignant moments, I cannot help but only think about its central cat character because of how it portrays him. Serving as the third installment in the A Quiet Place movie franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One rewinds to the inception of the apocalypse, walking viewers through the chaos and destruction that ensued after the sound-sensitive aliens first attacked Earth. I walked into the film with several intriguing questions surrounding how it would resolve some unanswered questions and plot holes from the previous films.

While I still have some doubts surrounding what suddenly happened to the military in the film franchise’s universe and why the aliens wish to invade Earth, I cannot complain because A Quiet Place: Day One does an incredible job of maintaining the franchise’s high standards. I was impressed by how it not only reinvents its predecessors’ formula but also adds a layer of charm and endearment to its storyline by introducing a cat character named Frodo. The more the movie progressed, the more Frodo grew on me as a character, leaving me feeling fascinated and stunned by his incredible feats.

The Cat Actually Survived A Quiet Place: Day One

Frodo’s Survival Subverts A Common Trope

When A Quiet Place: Day One‘s opening first introduced the cat, I could not help but grow increasingly anxious about its fate. Since the movie unfolds in a post-apocalyptic world, where producing even the lowest decibels of sounds can get one killed, I knew that Sam’s cat, Frodo, was just one “meow” away from a tragic end. While this added another layer of tension to the film’s depiction of the terrifying sound-sensitive aliens, I did not want it to end with Frodo’s demise.

Fortunately, A Quiet Place: Day One used the cat as an effective narrative device while ensuring it survived till the end. Towards the end of A Quiet Place: Day One, I was deeply saddened by Sam and Eric’s separation and Sam’s eventual sacrifice. However, what left me with a semblance of hope was that the cat made it out alive and ultimately ended up on the boat with Eric.

For me, one of the most heartbreaking movie scenes is from I Am Legend when Will Smith’s character has to kill his beloved dog to ensure his survival. Since several post-apocalyptic movies like Mad Max 2 have also not given their central pet companions optimistic endings, I was preparing myself for the absolute worst throughout A Quiet Place: Day One‘s runtime. Thankfully, the prequel movie subverted the trope, leaving me with something worth celebrating after its bittersweet conclusion.

The Cat Not Making A Noise Is More Surprising Than Its Survival

The Cat Meows Only Once In The Entire Film

Given how many humans in A Quiet Place: Day One‘s world do not maintain pin-drop silence and even lack the intelligence to understand the importance of not making any sound to survive, I was surprised the cat understood the gravity of the situation more than anyone else. There are moments in the film where even Eric and Sam take risks by speaking when background sounds are loud enough to bury their voices. However, Frodo does not let out even a single “meow” after the aliens land on Earth. The only time it makes a sound is in an early scene.

Even in the sequence where Frodo follows Eric when he ventures out to find Sam’s medication and the two find themselves surrounded by the alien creatures, I could hear my thumping against my chest because one sound from the cat could have gotten both of them killed. However, like Eric, the cat maintains its composure and climbs a beam to keep distance from the aliens. In a harrowing world where one misstep can get one killed, I was both surprised and impressed by the way Frodo instinctively understood the “assignment” and contributed heavily to Eric and Sam’s survival.

I’m So Thankful A Quiet Place: Day One Didn’t Kill Sam’s Cat

The Cat’s Survival Saves The Movie In More Ways Than One

Since Eric only meets Sam after following Frodo, the two main human characters would never have crossed paths if it wasn’t for Frodo. Given how they survived because they were constantly looking out for one another, Eric would never have reached the boat and even Sam likely would not have tasted her last pizza without their fateful encounter facilitated by the cat. One of the most memorable and heartwarming moments in A Quiet Place: Day One is also when Frodo follows Eric to the pharmacy to seemingly look out for him.

With the cat being the narrative device for some of the most crucial story elements and soul-stirring moments in A Quiet Place: Day One, his death would have shattered me. Considering how A Quiet Place: Day One‘s portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world is, anyway, highly upsetting, Frodo’s demise would have made it a little too grim for me. Therefore, I am happy that the cat survived and even found a kind owner like Eric after losing Sam in A Quiet Place: Day One‘s ending arc.