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Puzzle · Logic
Cat Nap: rules, controls and solving tips
A cozy cat logic puzzle in the Star Battle and Queens family: one cat in every row, column and colored room, and no two cats may touch.
Daily 7×7 puzzle · Unlimited practice, 5×5 to 8×8Free · No account needed
A cozy cat logic puzzle, like Meowdoku: place one cat in every row, column and colored room, and never let two cats touch. A new daily puzzle plus unlimited practice from 5×5 to 8×8, with Undo and step-by-step logic hints.
How to play
- The board is a square grid divided into colored rooms, with as many rooms as rows. Each room is also labeled with a letter in its first cell.
- Place exactly one cat in every row, every column and every room. A 7×7 board needs seven cats.
- Cats may never touch, not even diagonally. Each cat needs all eight neighboring cells free of other cats.
- Tap a cell once to mark ✕ (no cat), a second time to place a cat and a third time to clear it. Cats that break a rule turn red and show an exclamation mark.
- The puzzle is solved when every row, column and room holds one cat and no cats touch. Every puzzle has exactly one solution that you can reach by logic, without guessing.
- Hint fills in the next logical step and explains the rule that forced it. If a cat or ✕ is in the wrong place, Hint points to it first.
Controls
- Mouse or touch
- Tap a cell to cycle it: ✕, cat, empty. Undo takes back the last change and Clear board removes everything on the current puzzle.
- Keyboard
- Arrow keys move between cells; Space or Enter cycles a cell. X marks, C places a cat and Delete clears. U or Ctrl+Z undoes and H shows a hint.
Score and progress
There are no lives, scores or countdowns. A quiet timer runs beside the board, and the finished board shows your time and how many hints you used. Daily puzzles and practice wins are remembered on this browser when local storage is available.
Tips
- Start with the smallest room. A room of one or two cells leaves its cat very few places to sleep.
- When every open cell of a room lies in one row or column, that room’s cat fills the line. Cross off the rest of that row or column.
- Look around each candidate cell. If a cat there would touch or share a line with every open cell of another room, that cell is out.
- Count rooms against lines. When two rooms fit only in the same two columns, those columns belong to them, so other rooms cannot use them.
- Use ✕ freely. Crossing off cells is how the single remaining spot in a row, column or room appears.
New to this kind of puzzle? Read Meowdoku rules and tips: the rules explained and the patterns that crack these boards.
A new challenge arrives every day at midnight UTC. More daily puzzles
Questions before you play
What are the rules of Cat Nap?
Place exactly one cat in every row, every column and every colored room of the grid. Two cats may never touch, not even diagonally. A board of N rows has N rooms and needs N cats.
Is Cat Nap the same as Meowdoku?
Cat Nap is our own free browser game in the same family of logic puzzles as Meowdoku, Star Battle and Queens. It uses the same kind of rules: one per row, column and region, with no touching. It is not affiliated with Meowdoku or its makers.
Is there a daily puzzle?
Yes. A new 7×7 daily puzzle starts every day at midnight UTC, and everyone gets the same board. Practice mode adds unlimited puzzles in 5×5 Easy, 6×6 Medium, 7×7 Tricky and 8×8 Hard.
Do I ever have to guess?
No. Every puzzle is checked to have exactly one solution that logical steps reach. If you are stuck, Hint fills in the next step and names the rule that forces it.
Is Cat Nap free?
Yes. Every puzzle, Undo and Hint are free in your browser, with no account, download, lives or timer pressure.