Find the Cat #173: 8x8 Grid Puzzle (Medium)

medium

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

0 / 8 cats · 0:00
Red (9)Orange (9)Yellow (10)Green (14)Teal (1)Blue (9)Purple (5)Pink (7)

Every row, every column and every color region needs exactly one cat -- but no two cats may touch, not even diagonally. This puzzle is a 8x8 grid with 8 colored regions.

  • 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 Teal region has only one open square left: R7C5. Put a cat there.
  2. Wherever the cat in the Purple region ends up, it rules out R4C8 and R6C7. Cross those squares out.
  3. Wherever the cat in the Blue region ends up, it rules out R8C1, R8C2 and R8C3. Cross those squares out.
  4. Wherever the cat in row 1 ends up, it rules out R2C2. Cross that square out.
  5. The Red, Orange and Purple regions can only use rows 4, 5 and 6, so rows 4, 5 and 6 are already spoken for. Cross out R4C2, R4C3, R4C4, R5C3 and R5C4.
  6. Wherever the cat in the Pink region ends up, it rules out R4C1. Cross that square out.
  7. Wherever the cat in the Red region ends up, it rules out R6C2. Cross that square out.
  8. Wherever the cat in row 4 ends up, it rules out R3C6, R3C7, R5C6 and R5C7. Cross those squares out.
  9. Wherever the cat in the Purple region ends up, it rules out R3C8. Cross that square out.
  10. Wherever the cat in the Yellow region ends up, it rules out R2C3 and R2C4. Cross those squares out.
  11. Wherever the cat in column 4 ends up, it rules out R3C3. Cross that square out.
  12. The Red and Pink regions can only use columns 1 and 2, so columns 1 and 2 are already spoken for. Cross out R1C2.
  13. The Blue and Purple regions can only use columns 7 and 8, so columns 7 and 8 are already spoken for. Cross out R1C7, R1C8, R2C7 and R2C8.
  14. The Yellow region has only one open square left: R3C4. Put a cat there.
  15. Column 2 has only one open square left: R5C2. Put a cat there.
  16. The Orange region has only one open square left: R4C6. Put a cat there.
  17. The Green region has only one open square left: R1C3. Put a cat there.
  18. The Purple region has only one open square left: R6C8. Put a cat there.
  19. The Blue region has only one open square left: R8C7. Put a cat there.
  20. The Pink region has only one open square left: R2C1. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Teal region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 8 color regions range from 1 square (Teal) to 14 squares. It can be solved in 20 deduction steps using grouped row/column/region deductions.

Look for a color that sits entirely inside one row or one column. Its cat must be in that line, so every other square in that line can be crossed out.

Stuck? Open the step-by-step solution below -- each step names the row, column or color involved, so you can use it as a hint and then finish the puzzle yourself.

More medium puzzles