Find the Cat #87: 6x6 Grid Puzzle (Easy)

easy

Tap a square: ✕ (ruled out) → 🐱 (cat) → clear

0 / 6 cats · 0:00
Red (9)Orange (1)Yellow (5)Green (7)Teal (5)Blue (9)

Can you place all 6 cats? One per row, one per column, one per color -- and keep them at least one square apart in every direction.

  • One cat in every row and every column.
  • One cat in every color region.
  • Cats can’t touch — not even diagonally.

Step-by-step solution

Squares are written as R<row>C<column>, counting from the top-left. Cross out the squares listed, and place a cat wherever a step says so.

  1. The Orange region has only one open square left: R5C3. Put a cat there.
  2. The Yellow region has only one open square left: R3C4. Put a cat there.
  3. The Teal region has only one open square left: R6C1. Put a cat there.
  4. The Red region has only one open square left: R4C6. Put a cat there.
  5. The Green region has only one open square left: R2C2. Put a cat there.
  6. The Blue region has only one open square left: R1C5. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Orange region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 6 color regions range from 1 square (Orange) to 9 squares. It can be solved in 6 deduction steps using straightforward eliminations only.

A useful habit is to mark squares you have ruled out. Tap a square once for a cross and twice for a cat -- crosses cost nothing and make later deductions much easier to spot.

This is a variation of the Star Battle family of grid puzzles, sometimes also called Queens-style puzzles, with cats in place of stars.

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