GridMew1Check row 4
row 4 has only one remaining candidate: row 4, column 2. 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.Use the three completed upper rows as constraints
Original puzzle gm-6-0004
By GridMew · Published 15 October 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026
6 × 6 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 fill rows 1–3. The remaining work is below them, but their columns, regions and touching cells still determine which lower-row candidates survive. Start with row 4 rather than treating the lower half as a separate puzzle.
6×6 · 3 fixed cats · 3 explained deductions. Region sizes: A: 9 · B: 4 · C: 11 · D: 5 · E: 4 · F: 3.
A deduction worth checking
r4c2 is forced. It rules out r5c3 by contact and column-2 cells farther down, directing row 5 toward r5c6.
A move to double-check · r5c3
r5c3 remains in a different region from r4c2, yet the two cells share a corner. Do not let the horizontal region boundary hide that contact.
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 A C C B B A A C C B A A C C C B D A C C C D D F C E E D D F F E E
Fixed cats: row 3, column 5; row 2, column 1; row 1, column 4. One cat is required in each row, column and region.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check row 5
row 5 has only one remaining candidate: row 5, column 6. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 2. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.3Check row 6
row 6 has only one remaining candidate: row 6, column 3. 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: r1c4, r2c1, r3c5, r4c2, r5c6, r6c3.
Try another puzzle
Resolve the two outside rows around three givens
gm-6-0006 · 6×6 · intro
Practice single-candidate placements on another 6×6 board.
Read this walkthrough →A short finish between three fixed cats
gm-5-0004 · 5×5 · intro
Transfer single-candidate placements to a 5×5 grid; compare how the candidates change.
Read this walkthrough →Let a lower row reserve the right-hand region
gm-8-0002 · 8×8 · challenge
Compare this route with candidate locks, and check why that different rule is needed.
Read this walkthrough →