Catdoku
Catdoku is a cozy cat-themed logic puzzle game.
Game details
- Developer
- Sudokuer
- Category
- Puzzle
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch
- Players
- Single player
- Devices
- desktop · mobile · tablet
- Orientation
- Portrait and landscape
- Published
- Game build updated
- Listing updated
- Page content updated
Game previews
About Catdoku
Catdoku is a cozy cat-themed logic puzzle game. Place cats on colorful boards using deduction: each row, column, and color region must contain exactly one cat, while cats must never touch. Solve puzzles across multiple board sizes, earn points, and keep your streak going.
How to play Catdoku
Tap a cell once to mark it with an X. Tap it again to remove the mark. Double-tap a cell to place a cat. You can swipe across cells to mark or clear multiple Xs.
Place exactly one cat in every row, column, and color region. Cats must never touch, even diagonally. Use Cat Tools to place a cat automatically and Hint Tools to reveal a helpful move. Complete the board before you run out of lives, then tap Next Level to continue.
Controls
Mouse
Touch
Three checks before placing a cat
Catdoku is a cat-placement logic puzzle. Every row, every column and every color region needs exactly one cat. Cats must also avoid the eight squares immediately around another cat, including the diagonal neighbors. It does not use the numbers 1–9, Sudoku boxes or falling blocks.
For example, a confirmed cat at row 3, column 3 excludes the rest of row 3 and column 3, its color region and its immediate neighbors. Row 2, column 2 is a touching diagonal neighbor. Row 1, column 1 is farther away: the touching rule alone does not exclude it, although another rule or later deduction might. The Catdoku rules and strategy guide illustrates the difference.
Mark candidates before spending a life
Use X marks as your notes for excluded cells. They are not cats, and an unmarked square is not automatically a safe placement. If a color region has only two candidates, both in the same row, its cat must use that row. You can exclude the other squares in the row without guessing which of the two candidates is correct.
The current game checks the intended solution when you attempt a cat. A square can therefore cost a life even if it has no obvious conflict with the cats already visible. Prefer a placement you can explain: only one square left in a row, column or region, or a deduction that eliminates every alternative.
Use a hint to understand the next deduction
The bulb opens a logical hint when one is available. Read its explanation, then choose Apply to use the proposed change; closing the hint leaves the board unchanged. The current build spends a Hint tool when the available hint opens, so read it carefully. Not every board state has a supported hint. The Cat tool places a missing correct cat automatically.
On a mouse, click to toggle an X, and double-click or right-click to attempt a cat. On touch, tap to toggle an X and use a quick double-tap for a cat; dragging or swiping marks or clears several X cells. Keyboard arrows select a cell, Space or X toggles a mark, and Enter attempts a cat. Try one deduction at a time, then explore more puzzle games when you want a different challenge.
Common questions
Is Catdoku the same as number Sudoku?
No. Catdoku places one cat in every row, column and color region, with no touching cats. There are no 1–9 number sets or standard 3×3 Sudoku boxes.
Are cats forbidden everywhere on the same diagonal?
The touching rule forbids immediate diagonal neighbors, not an entire long diagonal. A farther diagonal square still has to satisfy the row, column and color-region rules.
Does an X count as a cat?
No. An X is your exclusion note. Use the cat-placement action only when you have a reason for the square; a blank square can still be wrong.
Does opening a Catdoku hint immediately change the board?
No. Read the logical hint, then choose Apply to make its proposed change. Closing leaves the board unchanged. The current build spends a Hint tool when an available hint opens.
Player reviews
No player reviews yet.