GridMew1Check region E
region E has only one remaining candidate: row 5, column 5. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 9 other cells.Puzzle gm-5-0007
5 × 5 practice
Take this puzzle one clear step at a time.
Try the puzzle yourself, then explore how the deductions build.
Puzzle board · starting state
Your starting point
This original 5×5 board has 5 connected regions and 0 fixed cats. The smallest region is E, with 1 cell. Start by ruling out every other cell in each fixed cat’s row, column and region, plus its immediate neighbors.
The verified route below uses 5 forced placements and 0 candidate-elimination steps after the givens. Region sizes: A: 7 · B: 3 · C: 3 · D: 11 · E: 1. These are observations about this board, not a guarantee that a smaller region always contains the next move.
Read each diagram in sequence. Cats and × marks in the before-state come from earlier deductions. Green outlines identify the current observation. Open the final answer only when you want the spoiler.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check region B
region B has only one remaining candidate: row 2, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 2. Place one cat, then exclude 7 other cells.3Check column 3
column 3 has only one remaining candidate: row 4, column 3. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 3. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.4Check row 3
row 3 has only one remaining candidate: row 3, column 1. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 4. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.5Check row 1
row 1 has only one remaining candidate: row 1, column 2. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 5. Place one cat, then exclude 0 other cells.Show solution · reveals all cat positions
The final cats satisfy every row, column and region quota, with no edge or corner contact.
Cat positions: r1c2, r2c4, r3c1, r4c3, r5c5.