Find the Cat #153: 8x8 Grid Puzzle (Medium)

medium

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

0 / 8 cats · 0:00
Red (8)Orange (10)Yellow (1)Green (3)Teal (4)Blue (16)Purple (15)Pink (7)

Find the 8 hidden cats. Each row, each column and each colored region holds exactly one, and cats never sit on neighboring squares, diagonals included.

  • 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 Yellow region has only one open square left: R8C7. Put a cat there.
  2. Wherever the cat in the Green region ends up, it rules out R2C4, R3C2 and R4C3. Cross those squares out.
  3. Wherever the cat in the Orange region ends up, it rules out R3C1. Cross that square out.
  4. Wherever the cat in the Teal region ends up, it rules out R2C5 and R4C6. Cross those squares out.
  5. Wherever the cat in the Pink region ends up, it rules out R5C8. Cross that square out.
  6. Wherever the cat in the Red region ends up, it rules out R6C1, R6C2, R6C3, R6C4 and R6C5. Cross those squares out.
  7. Wherever the cat in row 1 ends up, it rules out R2C1, R2C6 and R2C8. Cross those squares out.
  8. Wherever the cat in row 2 ends up, it rules out R1C2, R1C3 and R3C3. Cross those squares out.
  9. Wherever the cat in the Green region ends up, it rules out R1C4. Cross that square out.
  10. Wherever the cat in column 1 ends up, it rules out R2C2. Cross that square out.
  11. Row 2 has only one open square left: R2C3. Put a cat there.
  12. Wherever the cat in column 2 ends up, it rules out R4C4. Cross that square out.
  13. Wherever the cat in column 4 ends up, it rules out R5C2, R7C2 and R7C5. Cross those squares out.
  14. Column 2 has only one open square left: R4C2. Put a cat there.
  15. Row 7 has only one open square left: R7C4. Put a cat there.
  16. Column 1 has only one open square left: R1C1. Put a cat there.
  17. Wherever the cat in the Pink region ends up, it rules out R3C6. Cross that square out.
  18. Wherever the cat in row 5 ends up, it rules out R6C6. Cross that square out.
  19. The Red region has only one open square left: R6C8. Put a cat there.
  20. The Pink region has only one open square left: R5C6. Put a cat there.
  21. The Teal region has only one open square left: R3C5. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Yellow region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 8 color regions range from 1 square (Yellow) to 16 squares. It can be solved in 21 deduction steps using "wherever it goes" eliminations.

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.

More medium puzzles