Meowdoku Tips and Tricks

Six logic tricks that solve every Meowdoku level, from your first Easy board to the toughest Expert. No guessing needed.

Meowdoku is a cat sudoku-style puzzle: one cat in every row, column and color region, and no two cats touching, not even diagonally. Every level has exactly one solution, so there is always a next step you can prove. If you are new, read the rules and controls first. Then try these tips in order. The first two will carry you through most Easy levels, and the last two are what Hard and Expert are all about.

1. Start with the smallest region

A region with only two or three cells has very few places for its cat, so every other cell on the board that conflicts with all of those places can be crossed out quickly. If a region has a single cell, put the cat there right away.

2. Cross out everything a cat rules out

The moment you place a cat, it blocks its whole row, its whole column, its whole color region and the eight cells around it. Mark all of those with an ×. Better still, turn on Auto dots in the settings and let the game do it for you. A tidy board makes the next deduction jump out.

3. Look for a region stuck in one line

If every open cell of a color sits in the same row, then that row's cat must come from this color. That means no other color can use that row, so you can cross out the rest of the row. It works the same way for columns. This is the most useful trick in the game, and the solver and hints call it the region line.

4. Count regions against lines

Here is the same idea scaled up. If two regions live entirely inside the same two rows, those two rows are completely used by those two regions, so every other cell in those rows is empty. Three regions inside three rows work the same way, and so do columns. When a board feels stuck, count how many regions are confined to a few lines.

5. Test a cell in your head

Pick a cell and imagine a cat in it. If that would leave some row, column or color with nowhere to go, the cell must stay empty, so cross it out. This what-if check is the key to Hard and Expert boards, where simpler tricks run out. Do not place the cat for real: only imagine it.

6. Let the hint teach you

When you are truly stuck, press Hint. The cat does not just point at a cell: it explains the reasoning, such as the only spot left in a row or a region stuck in a line. Hints are free and never count against you. Still no luck? Paint the board in the Meowdoku solver and step through the solution one move at a time.

What to expect on each difficulty

• Easy (7×7): tricks 1 to 3 are enough, and a starter cat is already placed for you.
• Hard (8×8): expect region lines and the odd what-if check.
• Expert (9×9): every level needs at least one what-if check, and some need a long chain of them. Each level page shows the hardest step it needs.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting diagonals. Two cats in neighboring cells clash even when they touch only at a corner.
• Guessing. If you are about to guess, you have missed a deduction. Look again at the smallest regions.
• Ignoring the colors. Many players only watch rows and columns. The regions are what make each puzzle unique.

Tips FAQ