How to Play Meowdoku: The Rules Explained With Pictures
Meowdoku has four rules, and every level follows them. Once you see how one cat rules out cells around it, the game turns from guessing into logic.
The Rules of Meowdoku
- One cat in every color. The grid is split into colored areas, and each color gets exactly one cat.
- One cat in every row.
- One cat in every column.
- Cats never touch, not even corner to corner. Each cat needs all 8 cells around it free of cats.
An 8Γ8 grid has 8 colors and needs 8 cats. A grid always has as many colors as rows, so the count always works out.
What One Cat Rules Out
Each cat you place crosses out a lot of the grid: the rest of its row, its column, its color, and the 8 cells touching it. In Meowdoku you mark those cells with β so you don't place a cat there by mistake.
Most of the game is this: place a cat, cross out what it rules out, and look for the color, row or column that has only one cell left.
Controls: Tap, Double-Tap and Swipe
- Tap once to mark a cell with β ("no cat here").
- Swipe across cells to mark many β at once.
- Double-tap to place a cat.
- A wrong cat costs a heart. You have 3 per level.
Many players lose hearts to accidental double-taps. Mark with β freely, and double-tap only when you are sure.
Hearts and Mistakes
Each level gives you 3 hearts. Placing a cat where the answer has none costs one. Lose all three and the level fails: you can watch an ad for 3 more hearts or restart the level.
In Japanese reviews, γγΌγ (heart) means two things: these mistake hearts, and the likes other players send you on the leaderboard.
Daily Puzzles, Golden Fish and Events
- Main levels: one after another, getting larger and harder. See how many levels there are.
- Daily puzzle: a new puzzle every day with a global leaderboard for the fastest times.
- Golden Fish levels: challenge levels every few levels that pay bonus fish if you finish without mistakes. How they work.
- Events: seasonal puzzles. In early November 2026 the App Store listed "Trick or Meow!" (Halloween) and "Sweet Fall Chestnut Meows!".
Meowdoku vs Queens, Star Battle and Sudoku
| Game | Place | Rules | Same logic? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meowdoku | Cats | 1 per color, row, column; no touching | β |
| Queens (LinkedIn) | Crowns | 1 per color, row, column; no touching | Yes, identical |
| Star Battle (1 star) | Stars | 1 per region, row, column; no touching | Yes, identical |
| Star Battle (2 stars) | Stars | 2 per region, row, column; no touching | Similar, harder |
| Sudoku | Numbers 1β9 | Each number once per row, column, box | No |
FAQ
Can two cats touch diagonally in Meowdoku?
No. Cats can't touch at all, including corner to corner. All 8 cells around a cat must be free of other cats.
Can a color have two cats?
No. Every color gets exactly one cat, and every row and column gets exactly one too.
How do you place a cat in Meowdoku?
Double-tap a cell. A single tap marks it with an X, and swiping marks several cells at once.
How many mistakes can you make?
Three. Each level gives you 3 hearts, and a wrong cat costs one. With no hearts left you can watch an ad for 3 more or restart.
Do you ever have to guess in Meowdoku?
A level with one answer can be solved by logic. When it feels like a guess, the missing step is usually a color stuck in one row, or two colors sharing two rows. Our tips show both, and the solver points out the exact step.
More Meowdoku Guides
This is an unofficial fan guide. HussValley.io is not affiliated with Oakever Games or the makers of Meowdoku. Game names and trademarks belong to their owners.
Need a break from puzzles?Play Trick or Treat Run: a free Halloween chase game in your browser. No download, no account.
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