Cat began dancing at Near North Side nightclubs at eighteen, also regularly attending Warehouse and later citing Frankie Knuckles as her mentor and inspiration. In January 1986, she appeared on Ed McMahon's popular talent TV show, Star Search — the first participant to achieve a perfect four-star score. At the contest, she befriended a [url=https://discogs.com/label/737919]"Playmate" model[/url], later going with her to a dinner party where Cat first met Prince. Impressed by her dancing skills, Prince invited Cat to join his [url=https://discogs.com/artist/5830581]new band[/url]; she accepted, turning down an equally compelling offer to participate in David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour.

Cat choreographed U Got The Look music video for Prince, appearing with her trademark "Cat Scat" dance. In May–June 1987, she performed as a backing vocalist and dancer on Sign "☮" the Times Tour in Europe, later appearing in Sign "O" The Times concert film and in Live at Paisley Park 12/31/87 video (released in 2020 on [url=https://discogs.com/master/52497-Prince-Sign-O-The-Times?format=DVD&year=2020]Super Deluxe reissues[/url]). Her photos were used on the cover of the [url=https://discogs.com/master/52776]12"/7" title single[/url] and other artworks and promo materials.

As a vocalist, Cat debuted on "Cindy C." from Prince's canceled [url=https://discogs.com/release/11276350]Black Album[/url] in December 1987, where she rapped slightly-modified Steve "Silk" Hurley's verses from Music Is The Key. She only informed Prince after the track was mixed, but according to Cat's January 2020 podcast interview, the label did reach out and got the clearance. (A few years later, Prince invited Hurley to produce remixes for the Gett Off maxi-single.) Most notably, Cat rapped on Alphabet St., the first single from Lovesexy album.

In 1988 and early 1989, Cat participated in the Lovesexy Tour with over 70 shows worldwide. From November 1988 to February '89, on the break between the US and Japan legs, Glover began to work on a solo album at Paisley Park Studios. Prince wrote a handful of songs for her, including "Cat Attack," "Cat And Mouse," "9 Lives" and "A Man Called Jesus." (After her departure, Prince re-recorded "A Man Called Jesus" with Mavis Staples for her second Paisley Park Studios album, The Voice, in 1993.) According to Glover, she also co-authored "Good Judy Girlfriend," subsequently recorded in 1992 by Carmen Electra.

In February 1989, shortly after the Lovesexy Tour, Cat left the band citing personal disagreements with Prince; the Paisley Park album project was abandoned. Glover moved to London, UK, where she soon signed a contract with Paisley Park Studios, a new label started by former Prince manager, Steven Fargnoli, who continued to represent Cat. The same year, coinciding with the Batman film premiere and Prince's soundtrack, Cat released her debut single, Catwoman, produced and co-written by Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass. She recorded a full-length album, I Am Energy, with Simenon, which remained unreleased due to the conflict of interest with Fargnoli (acting as both her manager and the label's owner).