Find the Cat #296: 10x10 Grid Puzzle (Hard)

hard

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

0 / 10 cats · 0:00
Red (1)Orange (12)Yellow (7)Green (15)Teal (12)Blue (10)Purple (14)Pink (8)Brown (11)Grey (10)

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 10x10 grid with 10 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 Red region has only one open square left: R4C2. Put a cat there.
  2. Wherever the cat in the Blue region ends up, it rules out R6C1. Cross that square out.
  3. Wherever the cat in the Grey region ends up, it rules out R7C1, R8C1, R9C1 and R10C1. Cross those squares out.
  4. The Blue region has only one open square left: R6C3. Put a cat there.
  5. The Yellow and Grey regions can only use rows 1 and 2, so rows 1 and 2 are already spoken for. Cross out R1C4, R2C4, R2C5, R2C6, R2C7, R2C8 and 1 more.
  6. Wherever the cat in the Green region ends up, it rules out R3C5. Cross that square out.
  7. Wherever the cat in the Teal region ends up, it rules out R3C7, R3C8, R3C9 and R3C10. Cross those squares out.
  8. The Green region has only one open square left: R5C5. Put a cat there.
  9. The Brown region has only one open square left: R7C6. Put a cat there.
  10. The Teal region has only one open square left: R3C4. Put a cat there.
  11. The Orange region has only one open square left: R10C7. Put a cat there.
  12. The Purple region has only one open square left: R8C8. Put a cat there.
  13. The Pink region has only one open square left: R9C10. Put a cat there.
  14. The Yellow region has only one open square left: R1C9. Put a cat there.
  15. The Grey region has only one open square left: R2C1. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Red region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 10 color regions range from 1 square (Red) to 15 squares. It can be solved in 15 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.

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