Silly but actually serious question: if you needed to mic a sleeping cat, how would you do it? Could you do it on a sub-$200 budget? Sub-$100? Sub-$50?

I know very little about sound design but am eager to learn.

@maradydd Mic for what purpose? Recording snoring, breathing rhythm, or just any noises made?
@maradydd Basically, the limiting factor is going to be the combined noise floor, which will be sourced from the surroundings, the sound interface, and the mic itself. Some of those are influenced by the quality of the components, and by using a highly directional mic, you can somewhat control for the surrounding.
@pettter My house is really quiet most of the time, which helps.