The opening idea
Brown is confined to R3C7, R4C7 and R5C7. Reserve column 7 and remove R1C7 and R7C7; the bottom pink region then forces R7C3.
Meowdoku Level 17 answer
Try the deductions below first, or open the answer when you want to check your completed board.
Reveal all 7 cat positions
Cat coordinates
- R1C6Row 1, column 6
- R2C2Row 2, column 2
- R3C7Row 3, column 7
- R4C4Row 4, column 4
- R5C1Row 5, column 1
- R6C5Row 6, column 5
- R7C3Row 7, column 3
The 7 cats occupy distinct rows, columns and regions. Neighboring rows place cats at least two columns apart, so no cats touch at a corner.
Why the key move works
Brown reserves column 7
All legal brown candidates are now R3C7, R4C7 and R5C7. They are in one column, so column 7 is reserved for brown. Cross rose R1C7 and pink R7C7. You still do not know the brown cat’s row, but those eliminations are already certain.
See this in the complete process ↓The original app board, in pictures
These are frames from Beyond Gamer’s recorded Meowdoku playthrough. The clean diagrams use the same region geometry; their colors are visual identifiers. Video trial moves are preserved in the source frames and explained in the captions.
Read the regions before choosing a cat
rose: 10 cells; magenta: 1 cell; brown: 9 cells; yellow: 5 cells; sky blue: 13 cells; violet: 1 cell; pink: 10 cells.
Count the remaining candidates in the narrow regions before choosing a square in the larger colors. Follow every region boundary; a color’s cat completes its entire region.
Complete solving process
All steps are shown below. The route uses rule-based deductions and explains each forced square or exclusion. You can use the answer above to check your board without reading the whole sequence.
region 1 has exactly one available square
Place magenta at R2C2
The magenta region is the single square R2C2. Place its cat and close row 2 and column 2. Mark R1C1, R1C3, R3C1 and R3C3 diagonally. These crosses strongly restrict the sky-blue left edge and the yellow strip.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 5 has exactly one available square
Place violet at R6C5
Violet occupies only R6C5. Place its cat and close row 6 and column 5. Cross R5C4, R5C6, R7C4 and R7C6 diagonally. The pink square R5C4 and two bottom pink squares are immediately ruled out.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 2 is confined to column 7; its candidates are R3C7, R4C7, R5C7
Brown reserves column 7
All legal brown candidates are now R3C7, R4C7 and R5C7. They are in one column, so column 7 is reserved for brown. Cross rose R1C7 and pink R7C7. You still do not know the brown cat’s row, but those eliminations are already certain.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 6 has exactly one available square
Pink is forced to R7C3
Pink’s R5C4 cell touches violet, its row-6 cells share violet’s row, and its bottom row loses C2 and C5 to occupied columns. C4/C6 touch violet, and C7 was removed by the brown lock. R7C3 is the only pink candidate. Place the cat there and close column 3.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 3 has exactly one available square
Yellow is forced to R4C4
Yellow runs down column 3 and has one extra cell at R4C4. The pink cat has just used column 3, so every yellow strip cell is unavailable. Place yellow at the extra cell, R4C4, and close row 4 and column 4.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 4 has exactly one available square
Sky blue becomes R5C1
Sky blue’s top and third-row left cells touch magenta or share column 2. Rows 2, 4, 6 and 7 are occupied. In row 5, C2 and C3 are used columns, leaving R5C1. Place the sky-blue cat there. This solves the left edge through the earlier diagonal marks.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 2 has exactly one available square
Brown resolves at R3C7
The three-cell brown choice now resolves. R4C7 is in the solved yellow row and R5C7 in the solved sky-blue row. Only R3C7 remains; place its cat there. The earlier column reservation has produced a precise answer.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 0 has exactly one available square
Rose finishes at R1C6
Only row 1 and column 6 remain empty. Their intersection R1C6 belongs to rose. It does not touch the cats in row 2 or row 3, so place it and check all seven rows, columns and colors.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
What can go wrong on Level 17?
- Do not leave R7C7 open once brown is locked to column 7; it would steal the brown cat’s only column.
- R5C4 is pink but touches the violet anchor R6C5 diagonally.
- Yellow’s vertical strip is not where its cat goes: the pink cat in column 3 forces yellow into its side square R4C4.
Audit the row, column, colored region and immediate diagonal neighbors after every cat. If your copied board gives no solution, check uncertain X marks before changing a region boundary.
The lesson to carry into the next board
A region with a vertical strip and one side square is often solved by column pressure. First reserve brown’s column, then use pink to force yellow’s side square.
On your next puzzle, look for the same type of constraint before choosing a square. A useful question is: “Which row, column or region now has fewer candidates because of my last cat?” Keep the answer tied to a specific marked cell.
Read the illustrated Meowdoku strategy guide ↗Watch the source video
Video loads only when you press play. Open on YouTube ↗
Board transcribed from the original Meowdoku app shown in Beyond Gamer’s linked tutorial. Every region and cat coordinate was independently checked against the opening and completed video frames. Exact constraint enumeration found one solution, and the written logic uses only deterministic rule deductions. The region geometry was additionally cross-checked with the public meowdoku.app data for the same layout; its prose was not reused. Videos may include rejected trial moves (orange crosses) or a different move order; those are not steps to copy. The diagrams and text teach a separate verified route for this exact video layout. No app build number is visible in the tutorial, so this guide identifies the version by source video and board shape.
Sources & further reading
Level 17 questions
What is the Meowdoku Level 17 answer?
For the 7×7 video board, place the cats at R1C6, R2C2, R3C7, R4C4, R5C1, R6C5, R7C3. Match the region shapes first.
How do I get unstuck on Meowdoku Level 17?
After the two singleton cats, mark R1C7 and R7C7. Pink should become R7C3; that placement forces yellow R4C4.
Why does my board look different?
This guide records a specific original app walkthrough. Different game versions, progression or level ordering can show another board with the same number. Compare the opening screenshot and use the solver for a different layout.