The opening idea
Reserve row 8 for pink and row 7 for sky blue. Purple and yellow then need columns 1 and 2 between them, so brown cannot use those columns and is forced to R3C3.
Meowdoku Level 20 answer
Try the deductions below first, or open the answer when you want to check your completed board.
Reveal all 8 cat positions
Cat coordinates
- R1C1Row 1, column 1
- R2C5Row 2, column 5
- R3C3Row 3, column 3
- R4C6Row 4, column 6
- R5C8Row 5, column 8
- R6C2Row 6, column 2
- R7C7Row 7, column 7
- R8C4Row 8, column 4
The 8 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
Reserve row 8 for pink
The whole pink region lies in row 8, from C3 through C6. Its cat must occupy that row. Cross yellow R8C1/R8C2 and sky-blue R8C7/R8C8. This is a row lock, not an invitation to put four cats in pink; exactly one of the four pink cells will eventually be used.
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
green: 16 cells; violet: 6 cells; rose: 5 cells; brown: 4 cells; magenta: 18 cells; yellow: 7 cells; sky blue: 4 cells; pink: 4 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 7 is confined to row 8; its candidates are R8C3, R8C4, R8C5, R8C6
Reserve row 8 for pink
The whole pink region lies in row 8, from C3 through C6. Its cat must occupy that row. Cross yellow R8C1/R8C2 and sky-blue R8C7/R8C8. This is a row lock, not an invitation to put four cats in pink; exactly one of the four pink cells will eventually be used.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 6 is confined to row 7; its candidates are R7C7, R7C8
Reserve row 7 for sky blue
The sky-blue region originally occupies R7C7/R7C8 and R8C7/R8C8. The row-8 squares are now unavailable because pink needs that row. Sky blue is therefore locked to row 7. Cross R7C1 through R7C6, clearing yellow and green from the seventh row.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
regions (1, 5) reserve columns [1, 2]
Purple and yellow reserve columns 1 and 2
Purple lies in column 1 plus R4C2. Yellow, after the bottom two rows are excluded, can only use R5C2, R6C1 or R6C2. These two regions need two cats in two different columns, and together their only columns are 1 and 2. No third region may use either column. Cross the brown cells R1C2, R2C2 and R3C2.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 3 has exactly one available square
Brown is forced to R3C3
Brown’s three cells in column 2 have just been removed by the purple–yellow pair. Its only other cell is R3C3, so place the brown cat there. Close row 3 and column 3, then mark R2C2, R2C4, R4C2 and R4C4 diagonally. This is the first actual cat placement of the written solution.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 2 has exactly one available square
Rose is forced to R2C5
Rose’s row-3 squares are closed by brown. Its row-2 options are C3, C4 and C5: C3 shares brown’s column, while C4 touches R3C3 diagonally. R2C5 remains. Place rose there and cross column 5 and the diagonals R1C4/R1C6 and R3C4/R3C6.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 0 has exactly one available square
Green is forced to R4C6
Green loses row 7 to the sky-blue lock and columns 3 and 5 to placed cats. Its top-row C4/C6 cells touch rose, the row-2/3 cells share occupied rows, and R4C4 touches brown. The lower green cells in column 3 are closed. R4C6 is the only survivor. Place the green cat and close column 6.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 7 has exactly one available square
Pink resolves at R8C4
Return to the pink row-8 region. C3 belongs to brown, C5 to rose and C6 to green. Only R8C4 remains, so place the pink cat there. This turns the first row reservation into a precise cat location and closes column 4.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 1 is confined to column 1; its candidates are R1C1, R5C1
Purple now reserves column 1
Purple’s remaining legal cells are R1C1 and R5C1. Both are in column 1. Reserve the column for purple and cross the yellow R6C1. Yellow is now reduced to R5C2 and R6C2, which will provide the next no-touch deduction.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
every possible cat in region 5 (R5C2, R6C2) conflicts with these squares
Remove purple R5C1 by the no-touch rule
Test the two remaining yellow possibilities without choosing either. If yellow is R5C2, a cat at R5C1 would share its row. If yellow is R6C2, a cat at R5C1 would touch it diagonally. R5C1 conflicts with every possible yellow cat, so cross R5C1. This conclusion is certain even while yellow’s exact row is unresolved.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 1 has exactly one available square
Place purple at R1C1
Purple now has only R1C1. Place its cat and close the top row and column 1. This uses the reserved first column and leaves the final three colors in rows 5, 6 and 7.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
every possible cat in region 4 (R5C8, R6C7, R6C8) conflicts with these squares
Remove sky-blue R7C8 using every magenta candidate
Magenta’s remaining candidates are R5C8, R6C7 and R6C8. A sky-blue cat at R7C8 would share column 8 with the first or third candidate, and it would touch R6C7 diagonally. It conflicts with all possible magenta cats, so cross R7C8. This is the same common-conflict principle used for purple, applied on the opposite edge.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 6 has exactly one available square
Sky blue is forced to R7C7
The sky-blue region is reserved to row 7 and now only R7C7 remains. Place its cat, close column 7, and cross R6C6/R6C8 diagonally. In particular, R6C8 is one of the last magenta candidates and must be removed.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 4 has exactly one available square
Magenta is forced to R5C8
Magenta’s R6C7 candidate shares the sky-blue column and R6C8 touches sky blue diagonally. Only R5C8 remains. Place the magenta cat and close row 5 and column 8. This also removes yellow R5C2 by the one-cat-per-row rule.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
region 5 has exactly one available square
Finish yellow at R6C2
Yellow was waiting between R5C2 and R6C2. Row 5 is now occupied, so put the last cat at R6C2. Verify the eight cat columns in row order: 1, 5, 3, 6, 8, 2, 7, 4. Every color, row and column now contains exactly one cat, and no neighboring-row columns differ by 1.
Outlined cells show this step’s change. Cats and X marks carry forward.
What can go wrong on Level 20?
- The board has no singleton opening color; use pink’s row lock before attempting a guessed cat.
- The purple–yellow pair reserves two columns jointly. It does not mean purple necessarily goes in column 1 until its later candidates collapse.
- R5C1 is excluded because every possible yellow cat conflicts with it; no trial and error is required.
- R7C8 is excluded by every magenta candidate, even though the magenta cat itself has not yet been placed.
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
Two regions confined to two columns reserve both columns. A cell that conflicts with every possible cat of a region can also be removed before that region is solved.
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 20 questions
What is the Meowdoku Level 20 answer?
For the 8×8 video board, place the cats at R1C1, R2C5, R3C3, R4C6, R5C8, R6C2, R7C7, R8C4. Match the region shapes first.
How do I get unstuck on Meowdoku Level 20?
If the opening feels stuck, reserve rows 8 and 7, then look at purple and yellow together. Brown should lose all its column-2 cells and become R3C3.
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.