Find the Cat #109: 8x8 Grid Puzzle (Medium)

medium

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

0 / 8 cats · 0:00
Red (1)Orange (10)Yellow (5)Green (13)Teal (8)Blue (10)Purple (8)Pink (9)

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 Red region has only one open square left: R3C1. Put a cat there.
  2. Wherever the cat in the Yellow region ends up, it rules out R2C7. Cross that square out.
  3. Wherever the cat in the Teal region ends up, it rules out R5C2 and R7C3. Cross those squares out.
  4. The Orange and Yellow regions can only use rows 1 and 2, so rows 1 and 2 are already spoken for. Cross out R1C5, R2C4, R2C5 and R2C6.
  5. The Pink region has only one open square left: R4C6. Put a cat there.
  6. Wherever the cat in the Purple region ends up, it rules out R6C7 and R8C5. Cross those squares out.
  7. Wherever the cat in column 5 ends up, it rules out R5C4, R6C4 and R7C4. Cross those squares out.
  8. The Yellow and Blue regions can only use columns 7 and 8, so columns 7 and 8 are already spoken for. Cross out R8C7.
  9. The Purple region has only one open square left: R6C5. Put a cat there.
  10. The Teal region has only one open square left: R7C2. Put a cat there.
  11. Column 7 has only one open square left: R1C7. Put a cat there.
  12. The Orange region has only one open square left: R2C3. Put a cat there.
  13. The Green region has only one open square left: R8C4. Put a cat there.
  14. The Blue region has only one open square left: R5C8. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Red region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 8 color regions range from 1 square (Red) to 13 squares. It can be solved in 14 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.

When you fill the last cat, press Check Answer -- the grid is verified against the stored solution and any broken rule is named so you know where to look.

More medium puzzles