Find the Cat #163: 8x8 Grid Puzzle (Medium)
mediumTap a square: ✕ (ruled out) → 🐱 (cat) → clear
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.
- The Pink region has only one open square left: R8C5. Put a cat there.
- Wherever the cat in the Yellow region ends up, it rules out R1C3, R1C4, R2C1, R2C2, R2C6, R2C7 and 3 more. Cross those squares out.
- Wherever the cat in the Purple region ends up, it rules out R1C1, R3C1, R4C1 and R6C2. Cross those squares out.
- The Teal region has only one open square left: R1C2. Put a cat there.
- The Red region has only one open square left: R3C6. Put a cat there.
- The Yellow region has only one open square left: R2C4. Put a cat there.
- The Blue region has only one open square left: R5C7. Put a cat there.
- The Orange region has only one open square left: R7C8. Put a cat there.
- The Purple region has only one open square left: R6C1. Put a cat there.
- The Green region has only one open square left: R4C3. Put a cat there.
About this puzzle
Where to start: the Pink region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 8 color regions range from 1 square (Pink) to 15 squares. It can be solved in 10 deduction steps using "wherever it goes" eliminations.
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.