The other very cat-like thing about it's head is the position of the eyes. Cats have a more binocular eye position compared to dogs. Though dogs eye position is primarily binocular, a cat's is more so because of its jumping and climbing activity, with the consequent need of finely tuned depth perception and ability to judge distance.
@ kungfuian: I don't know Ueda's style, but with a creature that endearing to the player what would make the game a stand out classic is if the game is a bitter-sweet tragedy. It can happen in many ways: The creature turns Cujo and the boy has to put it down (not something I would like to see, too much bitter, not enough sweet and the emotional bond between boy and creature is effectively broken); the creature is mortally wounded and the boy has to put it out of its misery (pretty heart rending if you've ever had personal experience with a pet); the creature dies while saving the boy, either Gandalf style or Boromir style (this would work well on an emotional level too).
A standard happy ending would be fine too, but it would not establish the game as a guaranteed hall of famer.
Premise of the game?The creature is being hunted down for one reason or another by the baddies and the boy is trying to help get it to safety. Perhaps trying to find its way back to its own kind.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix
