How to Play Meowdoku

Meowdoku is a cozy logic puzzle in the Queens family. The goal is simple: place exactly one cat in every row, every column, and every colored region — and never let two cats touch, not even diagonally. Every board has one solution you can reach by pure logic, so you never have to guess.

Start playing →

The goal: one solved board

Here is a finished 4×4 board. Notice how each of the four colors holds exactly one cat, each row has one, each column has one, and no two cats sit next to each other — not even on a diagonal. That is always what a solved Meowdoku looks like.

A solved 4×4 board — one cat per row, column, and color region.

The three rules

Every placement must obey all three at once. They are what turn each cat into a chain of consequences.

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One cat per color region

Each colored region — whether a neat block or a winding shape — contains exactly one cat. This 4×4 board has four regions, so it holds four cats.

Four colors → four cats, one in each.

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One cat per row and column

Every horizontal row and every vertical column holds exactly one cat. The moment a cat lands, the rest of its row and column are off limits (shaded here).

One cat rules out its whole row and column (shaded).

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Cats can’t touch — even diagonally

Two cats may never sit on neighboring cells, including diagonals. A cat “guards” all eight cells around it. This is the rule that gives Meowdoku its bite.

No cat may sit in any of the 8 neighboring cells.

Use X markers to think

Tap a cell to mark it with an X. Markers are your memory: they flag cells that cannot hold a cat, so you can see the board narrow down. Double-tap (or right-click) places a cat directly instead.

After placing one cat, mark every cell it blocks with an X.

A worked example, step by step

Let’s solve this exact 4×4 board with logic alone — no guessing. Follow the highlighted cell in each step.

Find a forced cat

Look for a region, row, or column with only one legal cell. Here the blue region has a single spot that can safely start the solve, so a cat must go there. Forced cats are free wins — always take them first.

Blue region: only one cell works → place a cat.

Eliminate with X markers

Mark everything the new cat blocks: the rest of its row and column, plus its diagonal neighbors. This cleanup usually reveals the next forced move.

Block its row, column, and diagonal neighbors.

Chase the next forced cat

With those X marks in place, the second row has only one open cell left, so its cat is forced too. Each placement tightens the board and hands you the next one.

Row 2 now has just one open cell → another cat.

Finish the board

Keep repeating — place a forced cat, mark what it blocks, look for the next one — until every row, column, and region has its cat. No guessing needed. That’s a solved Meowdoku.

Repeat until all four cats are placed. Solved!

Stuck?

Don’t guess — guessing usually wrecks the logic. Tap the 💡 Hint button. It first checks your mistakes (a cat that can’t be right, or an X blocking a needed cell), then points you to a forced move and explains why it works. A good hint teaches; it doesn’t just hand you the answer.

Where to play next

The rules never change — only the board grows.

Normal — starts on tiny 4×4 boards and grows to 8×8. The best place to learn.
Hard — a full 8×8 from level one, with one locked starter cat.
Ultra Hard — the largest 9×9 boards with no starter cat. For experts.