There are a lot of pets in The Elder Scrolls Online—you can find cats, dogs, senche, and other tamed beasties all over, while there's a whole pet section to the collection tab, so you can bring your own pal along on your adventures. But until now, you've not been able to pet any of them.
High Isle adds one pettable cat, or at least fans have discovered one pettable cat. User jozeeki shared a clip on Reddit of them picking up and stroking a kitty before it leaps away. Interacting triggers a cutscene, a nice breather from skewering Daedra and getting tangled in political conflicts.
According to jozeeki, you can find this cat in Gonfalon Bay "near the crafting writ boards, right outside one of the doors of the crafting hall." They said they'll try to update the thread with a screenshot, so other users can surround this poor cat and pet them. Don't be shocked if you see a group of people in Gonfalon Bay circled around the kitty.
Plenty commented asking for ZOS to "give us a prompt like this with our own pets", although not all pets would fit this well. You can get Dwemer constructs, flying imps, mudcrabs, and a bunch of other unlikely critters—petting cold Dwemer metal might not be as nice as running your hand through cat fur.
Others are more speculative and hopeful, "I wonder if this is a test for cutscenes and pet animations." Maybe—Bethesda did keep a tight lid on pettable cats. It's not as in-depth or expansive as the new card game, sure, but petting a cat is always amazing, and for some, they're jokingly saying it's what's sold them on High Isle. Or maybe they're not joking.
High Isle is out now on PC—it's the newest Elder Scrolls Online expansion, taking us to a resort Breton island where peace talks are being held to try and end the Three Banners War. But if you're not fussed on story, Pippin from LOTR himself is voicing a new character, one who will explain the new card game Tales of Tribute in detail.