Dr. Cat (David Shapiro)

Dr. Cat (born David Shapiro) is a game designer who worked for Origin Systems from 1986 to 1991, where he worked on Ultima V, Ultima VI, and Runes of Virtue. He is best known for his role, along with Manda Dee, in founding the independent gaming company Dragon's Eye Productions, which developed the free-to-play multi-user game Furcadia.

At Origin
Dr. Cat was the first Origin Employee hired after the company was founded in 1983. He attained the position after answering an advertisement in The Space Gamer magazine, which announced the company's existence and mentioned it's need for programmers, game designers, artists, and writers. According to Dr. Cat, he was the only applicant to respond.

In Game Counterparts

 * Dr. Cat: Dr. Cat appears in Ultima V and Ultima VI as the proprietor of The Cat's Lair. In Runes of Virtue, he makes an appearance as an anthropomorphic cat person who offers the player hints, and in Runes of Virtue II he serves as the proprietor of a bar in Jhelom.
 * Gertan: Gertan, a wounded fighter found near Cove during Ultima VI, is based on Dr. Cat's Dungeons & Dragons character.