Find the Cat #278: 10x10 Grid Puzzle (Hard)

hard

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

0 / 10 cats · 0:00
Red (12)Orange (13)Yellow (19)Green (12)Teal (8)Blue (13)Purple (11)Pink (7)Brown (4)Grey (1)

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 Grey region has only one open square left: R1C10. Put a cat there.
  2. The Pink region has only one open square left: R2C8. Put a cat there.
  3. Wherever the cat in the Green region ends up, it rules out R3C3, R3C4, R3C5, R3C6, R4C1 and R4C2. Cross those squares out.
  4. Wherever the cat in the Red region ends up, it rules out R5C4. Cross that square out.
  5. Wherever the cat in the Brown region ends up, it rules out R5C3, R6C5 and R6C6. Cross those squares out.
  6. The Red and Orange regions can only use rows 4 and 5, so rows 4 and 5 are already spoken for. Cross out R5C5 and R5C6.
  7. The Brown region has only one open square left: R6C4. Put a cat there.
  8. The Green and Teal regions can only use columns 1 and 2, so columns 1 and 2 are already spoken for. Cross out R5C1, R5C2, R8C2 and R9C2.
  9. The Red region has only one open square left: R4C3. Put a cat there.
  10. The Green region has only one open square left: R3C1. Put a cat there.
  11. The Blue region has only one open square left: R7C6. Put a cat there.
  12. The Teal region has only one open square left: R10C2. Put a cat there.
  13. The Purple region has only one open square left: R9C5. Put a cat there.
  14. The Yellow region has only one open square left: R8C9. Put a cat there.
  15. The Orange region has only one open square left: R5C7. Put a cat there.

About this puzzle

Where to start: the Grey region is a single square, so its cat is already decided. Its 10 color regions range from 1 square (Grey) to 19 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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