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{{Character
 
{{Character
| name={{PAGENAME}}
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| name= {{PAGENAME}}
| image=CatoNormal.jpg
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| image= CatoNormal.png
| age= 16 (''The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide''),<br /> 18 (film)
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| age= 18 (film)<br /> 16 (''The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide'')
 
| occupation= [[Career Tribute]]
 
| occupation= [[Career Tribute]]
| home=[[District 2]]
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| home= [[District 2]]
| gender=Male
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| gender= Male
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| height = 6'2
| weapon= [[Weapons#spear|Spear]] (novel), [[Weapons#Sword|Sword]] (novel and main in film), [[Weapons#Machete|machete]] (film), long handle [[Weapons#Sickle|sickle]] (film), [[Weapons#Baton|baton]] (film)
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| weapon= [[Weapons#Spear|Spear]] (novel)<br />[[Weapons#Sword|Sword]] (novel and film)<br />[[Weapons#Baton|Baton]] (film)<br />[[Weapons#Machete|Machete]] (film)<br />[[Weapons#Sickle|Sickle]] (film)
 
| fate= Deceased
 
| fate= Deceased
| appears=''[[The Hunger Games]]''
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| appears= ''[[The Hunger Games]]''
|mention = ''[[Catching Fire]]'' and ''[[Mockingjay (novel)|Mockingjay]]''
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| mention= ''[[Catching Fire]]''<br />''[[Mockingjay]]''
|portrayer = [[Alexander Ludwig]]
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| portrayer= [[Alexander Ludwig]]
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}}
|caption = |height = 6'2}}{{Quote|No! I can still do this... I can still do this! One last kill... Bring pride to my district!|Cato|The Hunger Games}}
 
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{{Quote|Go on, shoot. And we both go down, and you win. Go on. I'm dead, anyway! I always was, right? I didn't know that until now. Isn't that what they want, huh? No! I can still do this. I can still do this. One more kill. It's the only thing I know how to do. Bring pride to my district. Not that it matters.|Cato's final speech|The Hunger Games}}
 
'''Cato''' was the male [[tribute]] from [[District 2]] in the [[74th Hunger Games]] and one of the main antagonists of ''[[The Hunger Games]]''. He was the leader of the [[Career Tribute|Career]] [[Alliances|alliance]] formed by the tributes from District [[District 1|1]], 2, and [[District 4|4]] (in [[The Hunger Games (film)|the film]] only Districts 1 and 2 were involved) in the 74th Hunger Games. Like [[Katniss Everdeen]], he volunteered for the Games.
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'''Cato''' is the main antagonist in ''[[The Hunger Games]]''. He is the male [[tribute]] from [[District 2]] in the [[74th Hunger Games]] and serves as the leader of the [[Career Tribute|Career]] pack.
   
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
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{{Quote|A monstrous boy who lunges forward to volunteer from District 2.|[[Katniss Everdeen|Katniss's]] first impression of Cato|The Hunger Games}}
The male tribute from District 2 was Katniss Everdeen's main enemy in the 74th Hunger Games. He is probably seen as the most dangerous threat to all the tributes out of all the other Careers. Obscene, vulgar, and relentless, Cato used brute strength for almost everything and fought hard to win. In the book from Katniss' point of view, she refers to him as "a monstrous boy from District 2 who lunges forward to volunteer." He is a Career Tribute, and has trained for [[the Hunger Games]] his entire life. During [[the reaping]], Cato lunges forward and volunteers to be the male tribute, most likely since he had confidence in his abilities and believed he could win.
 
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Cato lived in District 2 prior to the 74th Hunger Games and presumably trained for the [[The Hunger Games (event)|Games]] alongside his fellow district members. Like [[Katniss Everdeen|Katniss]], he volunteered for the Games, most likely because he had confidence in his abilities to win.
   
===Tribute Parade===
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===''[[The Hunger Games]]''===
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[[File:Chariotscatoclove.png|thumb|right|Cato and Clove on their chariot]]
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====Tribute Parade====
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{{Quote|As I glance around, I notice a lot of the other tributes are shooting us dirty looks, which confirms what I've suspected, we've literally outshone them all.|Katniss's thoughts after the [[Chariot rides|tribute parade]]|The Hunger Games}}
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In the film, Cato and his district partner [[Clove]] enter the [[Chariot rides|tribute parade]] wearing Roman-esque outfits. After the parade, Cato glares at the [[District 12]] team, because they have outshone the other tributes.
   
 
====Training Center====
[[File:Ii.png|thumb|left|Cato and Clove in their Tribute Parade costumes.]]In the film, Cato enters the [[Chariot rides|Tribute Parade]] wearing a Roman-like outfit along with his district partner, [[Clove]]. Cato glares and listens to Katniss and [[Haymitch Abernathy]]'s conversation after the parade and gives them a dirty look.
 
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{{Quote|I've been preoccupied with watching the boy from District 2 send a spear through a dummy’s heart from fifteen yards.|Katniss's thoughts in the [[Training Center]]|The Hunger Games}}
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In the [[Training Center]], Cato and his fellow tributes train and prepare for the Games.
   
 
[[File:Catotraining.png|thumb|right|300px|Cato in the Training Center]]
===Training===
 
[[File:Catotrainingcenter.jpg|thumb|left|Cato in the Training Center.]]
 
In the training center, Cato and the other tributes train and prepare for the Games. Cato sees Peeta's weakness and views him as what Katniss describes as a "meal" until Peeta shows his true strength, surprising Cato and the other Careers. Peeta wows his fellow tributes by throwing a 100 pound metal ball into a rack of spears. In the film Cato is angered when he thinks the [[District 6 male (74th HG)|District 6 male]] took his knife, which actually was taken by Rue when he wasn't looking and kept out of sight via the climbing station. He provokes a fight with the other boy, threatening that he will be his first target, until the [[Peacekeeper]]s separate them.
 
   
In the book, Cato trains at the swordsmanship and spear throwing stations and displays his prowess with the weaponry. He most likely shows off his skills with either or both to the [[Gamemaker]]s in his private session. Due to the fact he's been training his entire life, he receives a high score of 10.
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In the book, Cato trains at the spear-throwing station and displays his prowess with the weaponry. He most likely shows off these skills to the [[Gamemaker|Gamemakers]] in his [[Private Training Sessions|private session]], as he receives a high [[Training scores|training score]] of 10.
   
 
In the film, the Careers target [[Peeta Mellark|Peeta's]] weakness and view him as what Katniss describes as a "meal" until Peeta shows his true strength by throwing a 100-pound metal ball into a rack of spears. Later on in the film, Cato is angered when he thinks that the [[District 6 male (74th HG)|District 6 male]] took his knife, which was actually taken by [[Rue]] when he wasn't looking and kept out of sight via the climbing station. He provokes a fight with the other boy, threatening to make him his first target, until the [[Peacekeepers]] separate them.
===Bloodbath===
 
Like most of the other tributes, Cato ran towards the Cornucopia to battle for supplies. In the film, he targets [[District 6 male (74th HG)|the boy from District 6]] first, like he promised in training, and pins him to the ground where he beats him up with his fist. After that is taken care of, he picks up an iron machete and spots [[District 10 male (74th HG)|the boy from District 10]] running towards his direction. He swings his machete into the boy from 10's chest, killing him. Then, after [[District 4 female (74th HG)|the girl from District 4]] tries to slash his head with a sword, he ducks and knocks her weapon off her hands with his machete. He hits her in the stomach with the iron machete and then throws the girl from 4 into a supply crate. Later, he picks up a water canteen near where the corpse of [[District 3 Female (74 HG)|the girl from District 3]] was laying. After hearing [[Glimmer]] cry for help, he runs to the [[Cornucopia]] and makes a quick kill by slashing the [[District 5 Male (74th HG)|boy from District 5]] across the chest and leg. When he runs into the cornucopia, he sees the [[District 4 Male (74th HG)|District 4 male]] trying to escape and slashes his throat open. He then shoves away the boy from 6, who tried to kill Glimmer, by tripping him into the air with a long handle sickle then slamming him in the stomach with it, finishing him off with another stab. After killing him, he finds a sword that he will use for most of the games. Later on, he goes to find the District 4 female with the careers and kills her.
 
   
===Alliances===
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====Interview====
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{{Quote|The monstrous boy from District 2 is a ruthless killing machine.|Katniss's thoughts during the [[interviews]]|The Hunger Games}}
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In the book, Katniss describes Cato as playing up the angle of a "ruthless killing machine." In the film, when questioned by [[Caesar Flickerman]], Cato responds by saying that he is "vicious and ready to go."
   
 
====Bloodbath====
As is typical in the arena, the Career Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games form an Alliance. Unusually, other [[tribute]]s who are not Careers are added to the pack. The alliance included Glimmer, [[Marvel]], Clove, Cato, the [[District 3 male (74th HG)|District 3 male]], the District 4 female, and Peeta.
 
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{{Quote|But it's tempting, so tempting, when I see the bounty waiting there before me. And I know that if I don't get it, someone else will. That the Career Tributes who survive the bloodbath will divide up most of these life-sustaining spoils.|Katniss's thoughts before the [[bloodbath]]|The Hunger Games}}[[File:Pedestalcato.PNG|thumb|right|300px|Cato on his pedestal]]
=== During the Games ===
 
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Though Cato is not mentioned in the book during the [[bloodbath]], he is heavily featured in the movie. Like most of the other tributes, Cato runs toward the [[Cornucopia]] and fights for supplies. He first targets the [[District 6 male (74th HG)|District 6 male]], as he had promised to do in the Training Center, and beats him up. The [[District 10 male (74th HG)|District 10 male]] tries to pass him, but Cato digs his machete into the other boy's chest, killing him. The [[District 4 female (74th HG)|District 4 female]] sees this and runs to Cato, but Cato dodges her attack, knocking the sword out of her hand and throwing her over a crate. Cato then sees the [[District 5 male (74th HG)|District 5 male]] run at him and aims at the boy's chest, ripping it apart. He hears [[Glimmer]] scream, so he takes a knife and stabs the District 6 male with it. Not long after this, as the [[District 4 male (74th HG)|District 4 male]] tries to escape the Cornucopia, Cato slashes his throat, killing him. Cato then finds the District 4 female in the forest and kills her.
On the first night, the Careers go hunting for tributes and discovers the [[District 8 female (74th HG)|District 8 female]] who has started a fire to keep warm. Cato attempts to kill her, but when the Gamemakers withhold firing the cannon, Peeta realizes something must be wrong and goes back to "finish the job." When he leaves, the Careers argue about whether they should kill Peeta now, but decide to let him stay, as he is their best chance of finding Katniss. A few days into the Hunger Games, just after the enormous fire forces the tributes closer, the Careers manage to find and chase Katniss up a tree. Cato attempts to follow and kill her, but falls, as the branches cannot support his weight. Glimmer makes an attempt with her bow and arrows to shoot Katniss, but is inexperienced with it and misses. The Careers, knowing that it will be hard to kill Katniss while she is up in a tree, decide to make a camp below her, so she cannot escape without them knowing.
 
   
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====Alliance====
[[File:Cato_clove_marvel.jpg|thumb|left|255px|Cato, Clove, and Marvel distracted by Rue's fire.]]Katniss sees Rue in a nearby tree, who silently points out the [[tracker jacker]] nest above Katniss, which is sedated from the smoke from the fire. Katniss cuts the branch away and it falls down on the Careers below. While Glimmer and the District 4 female are killed from their stings before they make it to safety, Cato and the other Careers manage to escape to the nearby lake. Katniss runs in the other direction, but goes back for the bow and arrows that a dead Glimmer is clutching, covered in tracker jacker sting pus. Peeta returns and is alarmed that she is still there, and urges her to run. As she does, Cato then crashes through the bush and realizes what Peeta had done. While Katniss escapes, Peeta fights off Cato, resulting in Peeta's leg wound, with the addition of the tracker jacker stings and the burn.<ref name="THG">Collins, Suzanne. (2008). ''[[The Hunger Games]]''. New York: Scholastic Inc.</ref>
 
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{{Quote|The strong band together to hunt down the weak then, when the tension becomes too great, begin to turn on one another. I don't have to wonder too hard who has made this alliance. It'll be the remaining Career Tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Two boys and three girls. The ones who lunched together.|Katniss's thoughts during the early stages of the Games|The Hunger Games}}
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As is typical in the [[arena]], the Career Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games form an [[Alliances|alliance]]. The alliance at first includes [[Marvel]] and Glimmer from [[District 1]], Cato and his district partner Clove from District 2, the District 4 female, and Peeta. Later in the Games, Peeta betrays the Careers and is subsequently kicked out of the pack, while the [[District 3 male (74th HG)|District 3 male]] becomes a new and likely reluctant member.
   
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====First Night====
Sometime later, Cato and the other Careers come across the District 3 male, whom they let join their Alliances on the condition that he would rewire the mines in the arena to protect their supplies. The Careers see the fire lit by Rue (as a decoy for the Careers) and go to kill the tribute that has started it, leaving the District 3 male to guard the camp. When Foxface manages to [[Theft|steal]] some food from the Cornucopia with a series of carefully placed steps, Katniss realizes that the District 3 male has brought the mines back into working order, but Foxface has been stalking them and has found the path to safely reach the supplies, taking only a little at a time as to not alert them. Katniss then carefully shoots a bag of apples, causing them to spill out and activate the mines, which destroy the Careers' supplies. When Cato realizes this, he becomes furious with the District 3 boy's job, and snaps his neck, instantly killing him. The other Careers search for something to [[Salvaging|salvage]].
 
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{{Quote|Go on, then, Lover Boy. See for yourself.|Cato to Peeta|The Hunger Games}}
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On the first night of the Games, the Careers manage to track down the [[District 8 female (74th HG)|District 8 female]] via the fire she foolishly starts in the middle of the night. The Careers attempt to kill her, but when the Gamemakers withhold cannon fire, Peeta goes back to "finish the job." In his absence, the Careers argue over whether they should let him live or not, though they ultimately decide to leave him alive, as he is their best chance at finding Katniss.
   
===The Feast===
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====Tracker Jackers====
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{{Dialogue3|Katniss|How's everything with you?|Cato|Well enough. Yourself?|Katniss|It's been a bit warm for my taste. The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?|Cato|Think I will.|Cato and Katniss}}
During the feast, Cato and Clove form a plan whereby Cato would scout the area for any tributes hiding nearby while Clove obtains their backpack. Cato is out scouting for [[Thresh]], Katniss, and Peeta when Clove attacks Katniss after she makes a run for the feast table holding the supplies. When Thresh hears Clove talk about his fellow district tribute, Rue, he kills Clove by denting her skull with a large stone (though in the movie, he kills her by smashing her head twice against the Cornucopia). Katniss tells Thresh about their Alliances together and how she had sang to Rue until she had died, and then covered her in flowers. Cato hears Clove's screams and rushes to Clove's safety, calling for her to "stay with him" but is too late. Thresh takes both his own and Cato's pack and runs to the safety of his field, knowing Cato will pursue him rather than Katniss in order to claim his pack, which contains the thing he needs most. Cato presumably kills Thresh a few days later during a huge storm, in the fields filled with grain, in revenge for killing Clove (though in the movie, Thresh is killed by the wolf muttations). It is assumed that Cato's (and Clove's) pack contains armor, which would protect Cato and Clove from Katniss' arrows, as she was seen as the biggest threat left in the competition.
 
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A few days into the Games, after an enormous fire forces the tributes together, the Careers find Katniss and chase her up a tree. Cato attempts to follow her into the tree, but he falls due to his heavy weight. Glimmer tries next but meets the same failure. At the urging of Peeta, the Careers decide to make camp below Katniss's tree, so she can't escape without them knowing.
   
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[[File:Failedattempt.png|thumb|left|300px|Cato attempts to shoot Katniss with a bow]]
===Death===
 
[[File:Untitlednn.png|thumb|left|275px|Cato fighting Katniss during last night of the games.]]On the last day of the Games, [[Muttations|wolf-like muttations]] appear out of nowhere, chasing a bloodied and beaten Cato out of the woods. Katniss and Peeta think he is on his way to kill them, so Katniss shoots an arrow at his chest, but it bounces off since he is wearing some sort of body armor that was thought to be in District 2's pack. He rockets past Peeta and Katniss and makes his way to the Cornucopia, to which Katniss and Peeta follow, being chased by a pack of muttations. In the film, he is already on top of the Cornucopia, bloodied, beaten and armed only with his baton, before Katniss and Peeta arrive. While Katniss is busy fighting off the muttations, Cato puts Peeta in a head-lock, cutting off his ability to breathe. In the film, Cato beats both Katniss and Peeta in an attempt to kill them and puts the latter in a head-lock while Katniss is distracted by the mutts. Katniss turns around, ready to shoot Cato with her bow when Cato points out that if she shoots him, both he and Peeta would fall to the muttations. While holding Peeta, Cato gives a [[File:Mm.png|thumb|265px|Cato's final moments.]]speech about being a pawn of the Capitol and states that he only wanted to bring pride to his district, stating all he knew how to do was kill. Almost out of options, Peeta shakily draws an "X" in blood on Cato's hand with his finger. Katniss shoots her arrow at Cato's hand forcing him to reflexively release the almost unconscious Peeta and fall to the mutts. At first Cato fights them off; the sounds of his sword impacting against the mutts' flesh and against the Cornucopia are heard for a long time before eventually he is disabled, leaving him at the muttations' mercy. The muttations brutally attack Cato for what seems to be hours, but he is too exhausted to defend himself.
 
   
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While stuck in the tree, Katniss cuts down a [[tracker jacker]] nest, which falls onto the sleeping Careers and chases them away from her tree. While Glimmer and the District 4 female die from their stings before they can make it to safety, Cato and the others escape to a nearby lake, where they fend off the remaining insects. With the Careers distracted, Katniss manages to pry the bow and arrows from a dead Glimmer's corpse, but Peeta returns and urges her to run. As he does so, Cato cuts his way through the brush and realizes what Peeta has done. Enraged at Peeta's betrayal, Cato engages the other tribute in a fight, a fight which Peeta swiftly loses, escaping only with a severe leg wound, tracker jacker strings, and burns retained from the fire.
After what is perceived to be hours, Katniss hears Cato's moans of pain and despair and decides to use her second to last arrow to end his suffering. She jumps into the mouth of the Cornucopia and finds a savagely-bloodied, barely alive Cato at the back. He mouths, "Please," and out of pity, not vengeance, she shoots the arrow through his skull, killing him instantly. Cato placed 3rd out of the 24 tributes.
 
   
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====Supplies====
In the film, Cato does not suffer for very long. After falling to the muttations, Katniss shoots an arrow into his heart.
 
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{{Quote|When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes.|Cato about Katniss|The Hunger Games}}
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Some time later, while the Careers are still nursing their wounds, Cato and his allies stumble upon the District 3 male, whom they let join their alliance on the condition that he rewires the mines in the arena to protect their supplies.
   
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[[File:Careercamp.png|thumb|right|300px|The Careers' camp]]
===''Catching Fire''===
 
In ''[[Catching Fire]]'', Katniss and Peeta went to District 2 on their victory tour and saw Cato's grieving family. She tries not to look them in the eye, as she was responsible for his death.
 
   
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When the Careers catch sight of smoke from Rue's lit fire (a decoy for the Careers), they go to kill her, taking the District 3 male along at Cato's insistence. In their absence, [[Foxface]] manages to [[Theft|steal]] supplies from the Cornucopia by stepping carefully around the mine indentations. This makes Katniss realize that the District 3 male has reactivated the mines in the form of a booby trap. Carefully shooting open a bag of apples, which spill out onto the ground around the Cornucopia, Katniss manages to activate all the mines at once, effectively destroying the Careers' supplies. When Cato returns with his allies, he descends into a fit of rage and snaps the neck of the District 3 male, killing him instantly. His allies eventually manage to calm him down, and the Careers stride back into the woods to hunt.
===''Mockingjay''===
 
Katniss states that she remembers Cato, Clove, [[Enobaria]], and [[Brutus]]' bloodthirsty eagerness to win the Hunger Games.
 
Katniss goes to District 2 and explains that she remembers how in District 2 during the [[Victory Tour]], she saw Cato and Clove's grieving families at the [[Justice Building]].
 
   
==Possessions==
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====Feast====
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{{Quote|'Clove!' I hear Cato's answer, but he's too far away, I can tell that much, to do her any good. What was he doing? Trying to get Foxface or Peeta? Or had he been lying in wait for Thresh and just badly misjudged his location?|Katniss's thoughts during the [[Feasts|feast]]|The Hunger Games}}
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During the [[Feasts|feast]], Cato and Clove return to the Cornucopia and lie in wait for their backpack, which contains an item that they desperately need. It is unknown why only Clove went in for the backpack, but by the time she is dying at the hands of [[Thresh]], Cato is too far away to save her. As Katniss flees the feast, she sees Cato kneel beside his ally and "beg her to stay with him," though Katniss knows it is too late for Clove to be saved. Sure enough, shortly after Cato arrives, Clove dies.
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By this time, Thresh has stolen both his own backpack and Cato's, which is most likely what motivates Cato to pursue Thresh instead of Katniss. Presumably, Cato follows Thresh and kills him. Katniss speculates that the District 2 backpack contained body armor to fend against her arrows.
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====Death====
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{{Quote|Shoot me and he goes down with me.|Cato to Katniss|The Hunger Games}}
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On the last day of the Games, [[Muttations|wolf-like muttations]] appear out of nowhere, chasing a bloodied and beaten Cato out of the woods. Katniss and Peeta think he is on his way to kill them, so Katniss shoots an arrow at his chest, but it bounces off, since he is wearing some sort of body armor that was thought to be in District 2's backpack. Ignoring Katniss's arrow, Cato rockets past Katniss and Peeta and makes his way to the Cornucopia. The two race after him after catching sight of the mutts.
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[[File:Untitlednn.png|thumb|left|300px|Cato fights Katniss atop the Cornucopia]]
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Once on top of the Cornucopia, Cato takes a few moments to catch his breath before he grabs Peeta in a headlock, effectively cutting off his ability to breathe. When Katniss points an arrow at his head, Cato merely laughs and points out that if she shot him, Peeta would fall to the mutts as well. Almost out of options, Peeta shakily draws an "X" in blood on Cato's hand with his finger. Katniss then shoots her arrow into Cato's hand, forcing him to reflexively release the almost unconscious Peeta and fall to the mutts. At first, Cato fights the mutts off, as the sound of his sword against the Cornucopia can be heard for a long time. Eventually, despite his great strength and skill, he is disabled, and the mutts brutally attack him for what seems like hours, as he is too exhausted to defend himself.
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When dawn comes, Katniss can take Cato's moans of pain and despair no more and decides to use her last arrow to end his suffering. With Peeta's help, she leans down into the mouth of the Cornucopia and finds a savagely-bloodied, barely alive Cato lying at the back. He mouths the word "please," and out of pity, not vengeance, she shoots the arrow into his skull, killing him instantly.
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[[File:Mm.png|thumb|300px|Cato's final moments]]
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In the film, Cato's death differs slightly. Unlike the book, he is already on top of the Cornucopia, bloodied, beaten, and armed only with his baton, before Katniss and Peeta arrive. He manages to attack both tributes at once in a last desperate attempt to kill them and puts Peeta in a headlock while Katniss is distracted by the mutts. When she turns around, ready to shoot Cato with her bow, he points out to her that if she shoots him, both he and Peeta will fall to the mutts. He then rants about how the Capitol has made him into a pawn, as all he knows how to do is kill, and his only goal in life is to bring pride to his district. When he falls to the mercy of the mutts, he does not suffer for very long, as Katniss shoots an arrow into his heart almost seconds after his fall.
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Cato placed third out of 24 tributes.
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===''[[Catching Fire]]''===
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{{Quote|Cato and Clove, the tributes from District 2, might have both made it home if Peeta and I hadn't.|Katniss's thoughts during the [[Victory Tour]]|Catching Fire}}
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====Memories====
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Due to post-traumatic stress, Katniss begins to have frequent nightmares about the arena, one of which involves Cato dying at the claws of the mutts. She later admits that most of the deaths in the Games had not been very pretty, thinking specifically of Cato's and Glimmer's ends.
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====Visit to District 2====
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She later visits District 2 on her [[Victory Tour]] and see Cato's grieving family among the spectators.
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===''[[Mockingjay]]''===
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====Memories====
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{{Quote|Cato and Clove. Brutus and Enobaria. I've seen their eagerness and their bloodlust, too.|Katniss's thoughts on tributes from District 2|Mockingjay}}
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Katniss recounts the bloodlust of tributes from District 2, among them Cato.
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She thinks of Cato several times throughout the book, the first being when she encounters [[Mockingjay|mockingjays]], an incident which causes her to remember how the birds had started singing just before the mutts "gnawed Cato to a bloody pulp." She later remembers how tracker jacker venom had messed with her head, making her question whether Peeta had saved her from Cato or not.
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====Visit to District 2====
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{{Quote|Worn down by the Victory Tour, failing in my attempt to calm the districts, facing the memories of Clove and Cato, particularly Cato's gruesome, slow death by mutts.|Katniss's thoughts about the Victory Tour|Mockingjay}}
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Katniss later visits District 2 and recalls seeing Cato's grieving family during the Victory Tour. While sitting in the entrance hall of the [[Justice Building]], she remembers how weary she had been during her visit to District 2 on the Victory Tour, as it had been hard to face the memories of Cato and Clove, particularly Cato, who had died such a gruesome death.
   
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==Appearance==
During the Games, Cato, being a Career tribute, had many supplies such as medicine, food, water, and weapons from the Cornucopia, but they are destroyed by the mines set up by District 3 boy. Cato was left with his sword, and later he received some kind of high tech Capitol body armor, most likely from his District 2 backpack from the feast. This allowed him to deflect arrows and knives when they were thrown at his body. However, it was too strong when he was attacked by the muttations, which allowed him to suffer for hours while the muttations attempted to tear into his flesh.
 
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{{Quote|Brutal, bloody Cato who can snap a neck with a twist of his arm, who had the power to overcome Thresh[.]|Katniss's thoughts about Cato's physical capabilities|The Hunger Games}}
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In the book, Cato's physical appearance is not addressed beyond Katniss's observations that he is a "physical wonder" with a robust stature and powerful, visibly well-muscled arms. He is capable of snapping a neck with his bare hands and demonstrates his raw physical power several times throughout the book, most notably when he single-handedly fights off a pack of muttations for over an hour.
   
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In the film, he retains his powerful figure, towering over the other tributes at six foot two. This cinematic version of Cato is depicted as having short-cropped, slightly spiked, blond hair and blue eyes.
==Physical description==
 
Tall, strong, muscular, and good-looking, the monstrous boy from District 2 has no restraint when it comes to killing, and is thought to be the most dangerous tribute in the game. He uses all the weapons he can get his hands on. He can easily choke anyone within seconds of getting his hands on their throats, and he proves this raw, physical power by grabbing another tribute (the boy from District 3) and snapping his neck almost instantly. He is one of the most feared tributes in the Games, but is considered the second strongest tribute. This reputation is solidified after supposedly killing the huge Thresh.<ref name="THG" />
 
   
 
==Personality==
 
==Personality==
  +
{{Quote|I believe Cato could easily lose his judgment in a fit of temper. Not that I can feel superior on that point. I think of the moment I sent the arrow flying into the apple in the pig's mouth when I was so enraged. Maybe I do understand Cato better than I think.|Katniss compares herself to Cato|The Hunger Games}}
Defiant and stupidly brave, Cato never gives in. After Katniss blows up the supplies, he unleashes another side of him, a side that convinces Katniss he is not completely sane. Determined to win, he does everything he can to achieve his goal. Cato is bloodthirsty and he does not care who he kills in the process, whose lives are spent, as long as he comes out alive. Like Clove, Marvel and Glimmer he truly hates Katniss either because of her 11 in training, her taunting them in the tree, or the tracker jacker incident. He expresses this when he says that when they find her he will kill her his own way.<ref name="THG" /> He later shows compassion and humanity when Clove is killed, and in the film, by giving a speech at the end about being a pawn in the Capitol's games.
 
  +
Having been raised in the pampered, privileged community of District 2, Cato is arrogant, selfish, and immune to the suffering of others. His competitive nature guides his almost every action, fueling his hatred of Katniss for her high training score and inciting his own loss of rationality when faced with a simple defeat. His temper often gets the better of him, as seen when he is too angry to salvage usable items from the ruins of his wrecked supplies, instead taking his anger out on a fellow tribute. Too often he lets anger get in the way of common sense.
   
  +
[[File:Personalityshotcato.png|thumb|right|300px|A screenshot of Cato, depicting his arrogant and undermining nature]]
Despite his deadly nature, Cato seems to be at least partially loyal to his friends and allies. When his partner from District 2, Clove, is at the mercy of the dangerous [[District 11]] tribute, Thresh, he rushes to her aid, having been searching for Katniss and Peeta. When he arrives, he begs her to stay alive, but he is too late. Cato is genuinely saddened by her death, and in another fit of rage, he chases down Thresh to avenge her death. At the time, they could have used the same deal as Katniss and Peeta and both have been crowned victors.
 
   
  +
As a Career, Cato's arrogance is evident in the way he treats other tributes and the Games themselves. He has little to no regard for human life, thinking only of his own future as a victor, and doesn't take the time to be thorough, as he is overly-confident in his abilities to win the Games. This is seen several times, most notably when he reportedly kills the District 8 female but has to send someone back to finish the job and when he cuts Peeta's leg but doesn't succeed in killing him. In the end, it is his arrogance that costs him the Games, as he underestimates Katniss's abilities during the final stage of the Games, giving her the opportunity to shoot an arrow through his hand and throw him to the mutts.
Cato isn't very thorough during the Games which is displayed when he slashed Peeta in his leg, a place that should have killed him but it didn't, and when he possibly stabbed the District 8 female, but then had to have someone to return when her cannon wasn't released. His arrogance seemed to cost him dearly in the games.<ref name="THG" />
 
   
  +
Despite his cruelty and apathetic nature, Cato eventually realizes his own brutality, as seen during the climax of the film. By the end of the Games, his mind has clearly deteriorated, as he is finally starting to uncover the truth behind his own immense strength and the training he has received as a resident of District 2. Bitter about his own ease when it comes to killing and the predetermined goal of the Capitol's to kill off their tributes, Cato almost seems regretful when faced with another life to be taken. This roundabout as a character is displayed only in the film.
==Victims==
 
Cato, along with the Careers, kills at least six tributes in total. He himself kills at least two tributes. The ones known to be killed by him were most notably Thresh and the District 3 male.
 
   
  +
==Possessions==
In the film and the book, Cato kills the male tribute from District 3, an ally to them. When they go off to kill Rue at one of her fires, they leave him behind to watch their pyramid of supplies, Marvel leaving him with only one spear. He sits waiting in a chair, as Foxface makes her way through the pedestal mines and takes a few supplies from the pyramid, then runs away. He hears her run into the woods and takes off, looking for her with the spear. Katniss has her arrow aiming at a bag of apples, and slices the top off. Without breaking into the bags, Katniss aims for the bottom, and successfully works. The apples fall down to the mines, blowing up all of the supplies that the Careers have hoarded. Cato, Clove, and Marvel all run back angrily. Cato asked the District 3 male how it happened. The others are poking around for items with uses still potential, but the mines blew them to crisp. Cato is so angry, he simply puts him in a headlock (in the film, he snaps his neck), and sharply jerks his head to the side, cracking his neck and killing him, as he falls to the ground. The Careers continue, as Clove tries to calm him down after the killing.
 
  +
{{Quote|He's got some kind of body armor!|Katniss about Cato|The Hunger Games}}[[File:Cornucopia weapons.png|thumb|300px|Cato's sword among other weapons in the Cornucopia]]
  +
At the onset of the Games, Cato has access to almost every resource, as he and his allies hold control over the Cornucopia supplies. Known possessions of the Careers include food, water, medicine, night vision glasses, and weapons of all sorts. After the supplies are blown up, the Careers are left with little to sustain themselves. Cato appears to still possess a spear and a sword following the explosion, as he uses both weapons after the rest of his supplies are obliterated.
   
  +
Cato is later given high-tech body armor from the Capitol, though it is unknown whether this gift came through the District 2 backpack or a sponsor's parachute. It was made of a durable material that could withstand Katniss's arrows and allowed Cato to suffer for hours while the mutts chewed away at his flesh.
In the film, Cato does not kill Thresh. At the bloodbath in the beginning of the games, he kills the District 10 male by slashing his chest with a machete. When the District 4 female confronts him and swings an axe towards his head, he easily dodges and slashes her. He then grabs her and throws her into a supply crate, causing her to somersault. He later finds her in the forest with the rest of the career pack and kills her himself. He kills the District 6 male like he promised him in training. When the tribute attempted to stab him, he grabbed his armed arm and slashed his leg with a scythe, causing him to fall, following up with another slash in the stomach, making him hit the floor with impact. He then slashes him one more time, again in the stomach. Near the end of the bloodbath, Cato is also shown killing the District 4 male by slashing his throat with a machete, causing the tribute to back up until he hits a supply crates, splattering blood on it.
 
   
 
==Victims==
It does not show Cato killing the District 8 female, but rather he hands his sword to Glimmer, who is presumed to do the deed, though this does not happen in the book, as he says, "I stuck her myself."
 
  +
{{Quote|Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking.|Cato reportedly about the District 8 female|The Hunger Games}}
  +
===Tributes===
  +
In the book, Cato makes only one confirmed kill, the District 3 male, though Katniss speculates that he also killed Thresh and the District 8 female. It is probable that he killed several other tributes during the bloodbath, as he was a Career Tribute with infinite access to the weapons in the Cornucopia.
  +
  +
In the film, Cato remains the murderer of the District 3 male, though he does not kill Thresh, who is instead a victim of the mutts. He also does not kill the District 8 female, as he hands his sword to Glimmer, who is presumed to do the deed. In the bloodbath, he makes additional kills that are not cited in the book. Among his victims are the male and female from [[District 4]], the male from [[District 5]], the male from [[District 6]], and the male from [[District 10]].
  +
  +
===Methods===
  +
Cato uses brute strength to kill the District 3 male. In the book, he grabs the boy in a headlock and jerks his head to the side, killing him instantly, but in the film, he simply snaps the boy's neck with his bare hands.
   
  +
During the bloodbath, Cato uses a variety of weapons to dispose of his competitors. His first target is the District 6 male, whom he beats up and later cuts open with a sickle. He disposes of the District 10 male by using a machete on the boy's chest, and kills the District 4 female after she attempts to take him on herself. He does this by easily throwing her into a supply crate and later chasing her down in the woods with the rest of the Career pack, killing her himself. Cato also targets the District 5 male and completes his kill list with the District 4 male, whom he kills by slashing with a machete.
In ''The World of The Hunger Games'' and the Bonus Features trailer, it was revealed that Cato does kill the girl from District 4, notably shoving or throwing her into a supply crate. In the bonus features, he is seen using a baton or machete to hit the District 10 male, causing him to fall onto the floor, but in the film, his jacket color could have altered a bit to look green/black. In the weapons trailer and the bonus features, he is shown using a small scythe like weapon to slash and stab the District 6 male.
 
   
==Film portrayal==
+
==Film Portrayal==
[[Alexander Ludwig]] portrayed Cato in [[The Hunger Games film|''The Hunger Games'' film]].
+
[[Alexander Ludwig]] portrayed Cato in the [[The Hunger Games (film)|film]].
   
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
  +
* Cato was 6'2" and weighed 185 pounds.<ref name="stats">[[File:Statsreference.png|50px]]</ref>
*He received a training score of 10, the same as his district partner, Clove.
 
*His odds of winning are shown as 3-1, making him the tribute with the highest odds. He shares these odds with the [[District 8 male (74th HG)|District 8 male]].
 
*It is shown that he weighs 185 pounds.
 
*Cato is the only known tribute (besides Katniss) in the 74th Hunger Games to have volunteered, although it can be presumed that the other Careers, including his own district partner, Clove, also volunteered - though it isn't known for sure.
 
*In the film, he kills both of the tributes from District 4.
 
   
 
* His odds of winning were 3-1, making him the tribute with the highest odds. He shared these odds with the [[District 8 male (74th HG)|District 8 male]].<ref name="stats"></ref>
*Cato is named after Cato the elder who was a Roman military leader. Which is fitting since the book is Roman themed.
 
  +
  +
== Gallery ==
  +
<tabber>Promo=
  +
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center">
  +
Catoposter.png|Cato's official movie poster
  +
Catotrainingcenter.png|Cato in the Training Center
  +
Career-Tributes.png|The Career pack
  +
</gallery>
  +
|-|The Hunger Games=
  +
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center">
  +
Chariotsclovecato.png|Cato and Clove on their chariot
  +
Chariotscato.png|Cato glares at Katniss and Peeta after the tribute parade
  +
Catoargue.png|Cato accuses the District 6 male of stealing his knife
  +
Judgepeeta.png|Cato, along with Clove and Marvel, target Peeta during training
  +
Catoscore.png|Caesar announcing Cato's training score of 10
  +
Catointerview.png|Cato during his interview
  +
Catohovercraft.png|Cato as he is carried to the arena by way of hovercraft
  +
Cornucopiacato.png|Cato on his pedestal in the arena
  +
Entercornucopiacato.png|Cato enters the Cornucopia
  +
Firestarterkill.png|The Careers prepare to kill the District 8 female
  +
Catotree.png|Cato climbs a tree after Katniss
  +
Upatreecareers.png|The Careers observe Katniss from the ground
  +
Catoyellsatdistrict3.png|Cato yells at the District 3 male
  +
Catoholdspeeta.png|Cato moments before his death
  +
Catosdeath.png|Cato's corpse is left behind by the mutts
  +
</gallery>
  +
</tabber>
   
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{SeriesTP}}
 
 
 
[[Category:Deceased]]
 
[[Category:Deceased]]
 
[[Category:The Hunger Games characters]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
 
[[Category:Tributes from District 2]]
 
[[Category:Tributes from District 2]]
[[Category:The Hunger Games characters]]
 
 
[[Category:Tributes in the 74th Hunger Games]]
 
[[Category:Tributes in the 74th Hunger Games]]
 
[[de:Cato]]
 
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[[fr:Cato Hadley]]
 
[[pl:Cato]]
 

Revision as of 01:02, 6 April 2014

"Go on, shoot. And we both go down, and you win. Go on. I'm dead, anyway! I always was, right? I didn't know that until now. Isn't that what they want, huh? No! I can still do this. I can still do this. One more kill. It's the only thing I know how to do. Bring pride to my district. Not that it matters."
—Cato's final speech[src]

Cato is the main antagonist in The Hunger Games. He is the male tribute from District 2 in the 74th Hunger Games and serves as the leader of the Career pack.

Biography

"A monstrous boy who lunges forward to volunteer from District 2."
Katniss's first impression of Cato[src]

Cato lived in District 2 prior to the 74th Hunger Games and presumably trained for the Games alongside his fellow district members. Like Katniss, he volunteered for the Games, most likely because he had confidence in his abilities to win.

The Hunger Games

Chariotscatoclove

Cato and Clove on their chariot

Tribute Parade

"As I glance around, I notice a lot of the other tributes are shooting us dirty looks, which confirms what I've suspected, we've literally outshone them all."
—Katniss's thoughts after the tribute parade[src]

In the film, Cato and his district partner Clove enter the tribute parade wearing Roman-esque outfits. After the parade, Cato glares at the District 12 team, because they have outshone the other tributes.

Training Center

"I've been preoccupied with watching the boy from District 2 send a spear through a dummy’s heart from fifteen yards."
—Katniss's thoughts in the Training Center[src]

In the Training Center, Cato and his fellow tributes train and prepare for the Games.

Catotraining

Cato in the Training Center

In the book, Cato trains at the spear-throwing station and displays his prowess with the weaponry. He most likely shows off these skills to the Gamemakers in his private session, as he receives a high training score of 10.

In the film, the Careers target Peeta's weakness and view him as what Katniss describes as a "meal" until Peeta shows his true strength by throwing a 100-pound metal ball into a rack of spears. Later on in the film, Cato is angered when he thinks that the District 6 male took his knife, which was actually taken by Rue when he wasn't looking and kept out of sight via the climbing station. He provokes a fight with the other boy, threatening to make him his first target, until the Peacekeepers separate them.

Interview

"The monstrous boy from District 2 is a ruthless killing machine."
—Katniss's thoughts during the interviews[src]

In the book, Katniss describes Cato as playing up the angle of a "ruthless killing machine." In the film, when questioned by Caesar Flickerman, Cato responds by saying that he is "vicious and ready to go."

Bloodbath

"But it's tempting, so tempting, when I see the bounty waiting there before me. And I know that if I don't get it, someone else will. That the Career Tributes who survive the bloodbath will divide up most of these life-sustaining spoils."
—Katniss's thoughts before the bloodbath[src]
Pedestalcato

Cato on his pedestal

Though Cato is not mentioned in the book during the bloodbath, he is heavily featured in the movie. Like most of the other tributes, Cato runs toward the Cornucopia and fights for supplies. He first targets the District 6 male, as he had promised to do in the Training Center, and beats him up. The District 10 male tries to pass him, but Cato digs his machete into the other boy's chest, killing him. The District 4 female sees this and runs to Cato, but Cato dodges her attack, knocking the sword out of her hand and throwing her over a crate. Cato then sees the District 5 male run at him and aims at the boy's chest, ripping it apart. He hears Glimmer scream, so he takes a knife and stabs the District 6 male with it. Not long after this, as the District 4 male tries to escape the Cornucopia, Cato slashes his throat, killing him. Cato then finds the District 4 female in the forest and kills her.

Alliance

"The strong band together to hunt down the weak then, when the tension becomes too great, begin to turn on one another. I don't have to wonder too hard who has made this alliance. It'll be the remaining Career Tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Two boys and three girls. The ones who lunched together."
—Katniss's thoughts during the early stages of the Games[src]

As is typical in the arena, the Career Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games form an alliance. The alliance at first includes Marvel and Glimmer from District 1, Cato and his district partner Clove from District 2, the District 4 female, and Peeta. Later in the Games, Peeta betrays the Careers and is subsequently kicked out of the pack, while the District 3 male becomes a new and likely reluctant member.

First Night

"Go on, then, Lover Boy. See for yourself."
—Cato to Peeta[src]

On the first night of the Games, the Careers manage to track down the District 8 female via the fire she foolishly starts in the middle of the night. The Careers attempt to kill her, but when the Gamemakers withhold cannon fire, Peeta goes back to "finish the job." In his absence, the Careers argue over whether they should let him live or not, though they ultimately decide to leave him alive, as he is their best chance at finding Katniss.

Tracker Jackers

Katniss: "How's everything with you?"
Cato: "Well enough. Yourself?"
Katniss: "It's been a bit warm for my taste. The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"
Cato: "Think I will."
—Cato and Katniss

A few days into the Games, after an enormous fire forces the tributes together, the Careers find Katniss and chase her up a tree. Cato attempts to follow her into the tree, but he falls due to his heavy weight. Glimmer tries next but meets the same failure. At the urging of Peeta, the Careers decide to make camp below Katniss's tree, so she can't escape without them knowing.

Failedattempt

Cato attempts to shoot Katniss with a bow

While stuck in the tree, Katniss cuts down a tracker jacker nest, which falls onto the sleeping Careers and chases them away from her tree. While Glimmer and the District 4 female die from their stings before they can make it to safety, Cato and the others escape to a nearby lake, where they fend off the remaining insects. With the Careers distracted, Katniss manages to pry the bow and arrows from a dead Glimmer's corpse, but Peeta returns and urges her to run. As he does so, Cato cuts his way through the brush and realizes what Peeta has done. Enraged at Peeta's betrayal, Cato engages the other tribute in a fight, a fight which Peeta swiftly loses, escaping only with a severe leg wound, tracker jacker strings, and burns retained from the fire.

Supplies

"When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes."
—Cato about Katniss[src]

Some time later, while the Careers are still nursing their wounds, Cato and his allies stumble upon the District 3 male, whom they let join their alliance on the condition that he rewires the mines in the arena to protect their supplies.

Careercamp

The Careers' camp

When the Careers catch sight of smoke from Rue's lit fire (a decoy for the Careers), they go to kill her, taking the District 3 male along at Cato's insistence. In their absence, Foxface manages to steal supplies from the Cornucopia by stepping carefully around the mine indentations. This makes Katniss realize that the District 3 male has reactivated the mines in the form of a booby trap. Carefully shooting open a bag of apples, which spill out onto the ground around the Cornucopia, Katniss manages to activate all the mines at once, effectively destroying the Careers' supplies. When Cato returns with his allies, he descends into a fit of rage and snaps the neck of the District 3 male, killing him instantly. His allies eventually manage to calm him down, and the Careers stride back into the woods to hunt.

Feast

"'Clove!' I hear Cato's answer, but he's too far away, I can tell that much, to do her any good. What was he doing? Trying to get Foxface or Peeta? Or had he been lying in wait for Thresh and just badly misjudged his location?"
—Katniss's thoughts during the feast[src]

During the feast, Cato and Clove return to the Cornucopia and lie in wait for their backpack, which contains an item that they desperately need. It is unknown why only Clove went in for the backpack, but by the time she is dying at the hands of Thresh, Cato is too far away to save her. As Katniss flees the feast, she sees Cato kneel beside his ally and "beg her to stay with him," though Katniss knows it is too late for Clove to be saved. Sure enough, shortly after Cato arrives, Clove dies.

By this time, Thresh has stolen both his own backpack and Cato's, which is most likely what motivates Cato to pursue Thresh instead of Katniss. Presumably, Cato follows Thresh and kills him. Katniss speculates that the District 2 backpack contained body armor to fend against her arrows.

Death

"Shoot me and he goes down with me."
—Cato to Katniss[src]

On the last day of the Games, wolf-like muttations appear out of nowhere, chasing a bloodied and beaten Cato out of the woods. Katniss and Peeta think he is on his way to kill them, so Katniss shoots an arrow at his chest, but it bounces off, since he is wearing some sort of body armor that was thought to be in District 2's backpack. Ignoring Katniss's arrow, Cato rockets past Katniss and Peeta and makes his way to the Cornucopia. The two race after him after catching sight of the mutts.

Untitlednn

Cato fights Katniss atop the Cornucopia

Once on top of the Cornucopia, Cato takes a few moments to catch his breath before he grabs Peeta in a headlock, effectively cutting off his ability to breathe. When Katniss points an arrow at his head, Cato merely laughs and points out that if she shot him, Peeta would fall to the mutts as well. Almost out of options, Peeta shakily draws an "X" in blood on Cato's hand with his finger. Katniss then shoots her arrow into Cato's hand, forcing him to reflexively release the almost unconscious Peeta and fall to the mutts. At first, Cato fights the mutts off, as the sound of his sword against the Cornucopia can be heard for a long time. Eventually, despite his great strength and skill, he is disabled, and the mutts brutally attack him for what seems like hours, as he is too exhausted to defend himself.

When dawn comes, Katniss can take Cato's moans of pain and despair no more and decides to use her last arrow to end his suffering. With Peeta's help, she leans down into the mouth of the Cornucopia and finds a savagely-bloodied, barely alive Cato lying at the back. He mouths the word "please," and out of pity, not vengeance, she shoots the arrow into his skull, killing him instantly.

Mm

Cato's final moments

In the film, Cato's death differs slightly. Unlike the book, he is already on top of the Cornucopia, bloodied, beaten, and armed only with his baton, before Katniss and Peeta arrive. He manages to attack both tributes at once in a last desperate attempt to kill them and puts Peeta in a headlock while Katniss is distracted by the mutts. When she turns around, ready to shoot Cato with her bow, he points out to her that if she shoots him, both he and Peeta will fall to the mutts. He then rants about how the Capitol has made him into a pawn, as all he knows how to do is kill, and his only goal in life is to bring pride to his district. When he falls to the mercy of the mutts, he does not suffer for very long, as Katniss shoots an arrow into his heart almost seconds after his fall.

Cato placed third out of 24 tributes.

Catching Fire

"Cato and Clove, the tributes from District 2, might have both made it home if Peeta and I hadn't."
—Katniss's thoughts during the Victory Tour[src]

Memories

Due to post-traumatic stress, Katniss begins to have frequent nightmares about the arena, one of which involves Cato dying at the claws of the mutts. She later admits that most of the deaths in the Games had not been very pretty, thinking specifically of Cato's and Glimmer's ends.

Visit to District 2

She later visits District 2 on her Victory Tour and see Cato's grieving family among the spectators.

Mockingjay

Memories

"Cato and Clove. Brutus and Enobaria. I've seen their eagerness and their bloodlust, too."
—Katniss's thoughts on tributes from District 2[src]

Katniss recounts the bloodlust of tributes from District 2, among them Cato.

She thinks of Cato several times throughout the book, the first being when she encounters mockingjays, an incident which causes her to remember how the birds had started singing just before the mutts "gnawed Cato to a bloody pulp." She later remembers how tracker jacker venom had messed with her head, making her question whether Peeta had saved her from Cato or not.

Visit to District 2

"Worn down by the Victory Tour, failing in my attempt to calm the districts, facing the memories of Clove and Cato, particularly Cato's gruesome, slow death by mutts."
—Katniss's thoughts about the Victory Tour[src]

Katniss later visits District 2 and recalls seeing Cato's grieving family during the Victory Tour. While sitting in the entrance hall of the Justice Building, she remembers how weary she had been during her visit to District 2 on the Victory Tour, as it had been hard to face the memories of Cato and Clove, particularly Cato, who had died such a gruesome death.

Appearance

"Brutal, bloody Cato who can snap a neck with a twist of his arm, who had the power to overcome Thresh[.]"
—Katniss's thoughts about Cato's physical capabilities[src]

In the book, Cato's physical appearance is not addressed beyond Katniss's observations that he is a "physical wonder" with a robust stature and powerful, visibly well-muscled arms. He is capable of snapping a neck with his bare hands and demonstrates his raw physical power several times throughout the book, most notably when he single-handedly fights off a pack of muttations for over an hour.

In the film, he retains his powerful figure, towering over the other tributes at six foot two. This cinematic version of Cato is depicted as having short-cropped, slightly spiked, blond hair and blue eyes.

Personality

"I believe Cato could easily lose his judgment in a fit of temper. Not that I can feel superior on that point. I think of the moment I sent the arrow flying into the apple in the pig's mouth when I was so enraged. Maybe I do understand Cato better than I think."
—Katniss compares herself to Cato[src]

Having been raised in the pampered, privileged community of District 2, Cato is arrogant, selfish, and immune to the suffering of others. His competitive nature guides his almost every action, fueling his hatred of Katniss for her high training score and inciting his own loss of rationality when faced with a simple defeat. His temper often gets the better of him, as seen when he is too angry to salvage usable items from the ruins of his wrecked supplies, instead taking his anger out on a fellow tribute. Too often he lets anger get in the way of common sense.

Personalityshotcato

A screenshot of Cato, depicting his arrogant and undermining nature

As a Career, Cato's arrogance is evident in the way he treats other tributes and the Games themselves. He has little to no regard for human life, thinking only of his own future as a victor, and doesn't take the time to be thorough, as he is overly-confident in his abilities to win the Games. This is seen several times, most notably when he reportedly kills the District 8 female but has to send someone back to finish the job and when he cuts Peeta's leg but doesn't succeed in killing him. In the end, it is his arrogance that costs him the Games, as he underestimates Katniss's abilities during the final stage of the Games, giving her the opportunity to shoot an arrow through his hand and throw him to the mutts.

Despite his cruelty and apathetic nature, Cato eventually realizes his own brutality, as seen during the climax of the film. By the end of the Games, his mind has clearly deteriorated, as he is finally starting to uncover the truth behind his own immense strength and the training he has received as a resident of District 2. Bitter about his own ease when it comes to killing and the predetermined goal of the Capitol's to kill off their tributes, Cato almost seems regretful when faced with another life to be taken. This roundabout as a character is displayed only in the film.

Possessions

"He's got some kind of body armor!"
—Katniss about Cato[src]
Cornucopia weapons

Cato's sword among other weapons in the Cornucopia

At the onset of the Games, Cato has access to almost every resource, as he and his allies hold control over the Cornucopia supplies. Known possessions of the Careers include food, water, medicine, night vision glasses, and weapons of all sorts. After the supplies are blown up, the Careers are left with little to sustain themselves. Cato appears to still possess a spear and a sword following the explosion, as he uses both weapons after the rest of his supplies are obliterated.

Cato is later given high-tech body armor from the Capitol, though it is unknown whether this gift came through the District 2 backpack or a sponsor's parachute. It was made of a durable material that could withstand Katniss's arrows and allowed Cato to suffer for hours while the mutts chewed away at his flesh.

Victims

"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking."
—Cato reportedly about the District 8 female[src]

Tributes

In the book, Cato makes only one confirmed kill, the District 3 male, though Katniss speculates that he also killed Thresh and the District 8 female. It is probable that he killed several other tributes during the bloodbath, as he was a Career Tribute with infinite access to the weapons in the Cornucopia.

In the film, Cato remains the murderer of the District 3 male, though he does not kill Thresh, who is instead a victim of the mutts. He also does not kill the District 8 female, as he hands his sword to Glimmer, who is presumed to do the deed. In the bloodbath, he makes additional kills that are not cited in the book. Among his victims are the male and female from District 4, the male from District 5, the male from District 6, and the male from District 10.

Methods

Cato uses brute strength to kill the District 3 male. In the book, he grabs the boy in a headlock and jerks his head to the side, killing him instantly, but in the film, he simply snaps the boy's neck with his bare hands.

During the bloodbath, Cato uses a variety of weapons to dispose of his competitors. His first target is the District 6 male, whom he beats up and later cuts open with a sickle. He disposes of the District 10 male by using a machete on the boy's chest, and kills the District 4 female after she attempts to take him on herself. He does this by easily throwing her into a supply crate and later chasing her down in the woods with the rest of the Career pack, killing her himself. Cato also targets the District 5 male and completes his kill list with the District 4 male, whom he kills by slashing with a machete.

Film Portrayal

Alexander Ludwig portrayed Cato in the film.

Trivia

  • Cato was 6'2" and weighed 185 pounds.[1]
  • His odds of winning were 3-1, making him the tribute with the highest odds. He shared these odds with the District 8 male.[1]

Gallery

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Statsreference
The Hunger Games trilogy
Novels The Hunger GamesCatching FireMockingjay
Main Characters Katniss EverdeenPeeta MellarkGale HawthorneHaymitch AbernathyEffie Trinket
Supporting Characters Primrose EverdeenPresident SnowCinnaMrs. EverdeenMr. EverdeenPresident CoinClaudius TemplesmithCaesar FlickermanMadge UnderseePaylorPlutarch HeavensbeeSeneca Crane
Tributes MarvelGlimmerCatoCloveFoxfaceThreshRueMaysilee DonnerTitus
Past Victors Augustus BraunAnnie CrestaBeetee LatierBlightBrutusCashmereCeceliaChaffEnobariaFinnick OdairGlossJohanna MasonLymeMags FlanaganMorphlingsPorter Millicent TrippSeederWiressWoof
Groups RebellionGamemakersPrep teamTributesVictors
Locations PanemThe CapitolDistrict 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13
Behind the Scenes Suzanne CollinsGary RossFrancis Lawrence
Films The Hunger Games (film)Catching Fire (film)Mockingjay - Part 1Mockingjay - Part 2