GridMew1Check row 2
row 2 has only one remaining candidate: row 2, column 5. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.One right-edge cat completes two distant constraints
Original puzzle gm-5-0011
By GridMew · Published 15 October 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026
5 × 5 intro
Read the starting position, follow the deductions, and check the move that is easy to misread.
Puzzle board · starting state
How to approach this board
Coordinates such as r2c3 mean row 2, column 3. Count rows from the top and columns from the left.
The givens at r3c3 and r4c1 make row 2 the useful starting line. Its remaining cell, r2c5, affects both the top row and the bottom-right part of the board.
5×5 · 2 fixed cats · 3 explained deductions. Region sizes: A: 6 · B: 6 · C: 4 · D: 4 · E: 5.
A deduction worth checking
Placing r2c5 removes r1c4 by touching and r5c5 by column. Those two different effects explain why both ends of the puzzle tighten at once.
A move to double-check · r5c5
Do not retain r5c5 because it is several rows away. It competes with r2c5 for the same column’s single cat.
Green marks the cell being discussed, not a cat to place. This is the position before step 1; compare the deduction below.
Read the starting board as text
Each line is one row, left to right. Matching letters belong to the same connected region.
A A A B B A A A B B C C C B B D D C E E D D E E E
Fixed cats: row 3, column 3; row 4, column 1. One cat is required in each row, column and region.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check 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 2. Place one cat, then exclude 0 other cells.3Check row 5
row 5 has only one remaining candidate: row 5, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 3. 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, r2c5, r3c3, r4c1, r5c4.
Try another puzzle
Let the fourth row settle the top edge
gm-5-0002 · 5×5 · intro
Practice single-candidate placements on another 5×5 board.
Read this walkthrough →A bottom-right cat clears a path through row 3
gm-6-0005 · 6×6 · intro
Transfer single-candidate placements to a 6×6 grid; compare how the candidates change.
Read this walkthrough →A shared neighborhood settles the right edge
gm-6-0007 · 6×6 · challenge
Compare this route with shared-neighbor exclusions, and check why that different rule is needed.
Read this walkthrough →