Catdoku level 1288 answer and walkthrough

The level 1288 board

Place one cat in every row, every column and every colored patch. No two cats may touch, not even diagonally.

Level 1288 answer

1. Row 1: column 5, in the yellow patch
2. Row 2: column 7, in the sky patch
3. Row 3: column 4, in the rose patch
4. Row 4: column 1, in the mint patch
5. Row 5: column 3, in the lilac patch
6. Row 6: column 6, in the peach patch
7. Row 7: column 9, in the aqua patch
8. Row 8: column 2, in the coral patch
9. Row 9: column 8, in the lime patch
10. Row 10: column 10, in the periwinkle patch

How to solve level 1288, step by step

After every placed cat, cross out the rest of its row, its column, its patch and the four corner squares around it. The steps below assume you do (the in-game auto-paws assist does it for you).

1. Every free square of the periwinkle patch sits in row 10, so the periwinkle cat must come from there and the rest of row 10 can be crossed out. Every free square of the lime patch sits in row 9, so the lime cat must come from there and the rest of row 9 can be crossed out. A cat at row 1, column 6 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 4 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 3, column 5 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 8, column 9 would leave row 9 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 9 would leave row 10 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 10 would leave row 10 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Cat 1 of 10: the lime patch is down to a single free square at row 9, column 8, so its cat settles there.
2. Cat 2 of 10: the periwinkle patch is down to a single free square at row 10, column 10, so its cat settles there.
3. A cat at row 7, column 5 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 6 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 7 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The yellow and sky patches all squeeze into rows 1 and 2, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. Cat 3 of 10: the rose patch is down to a single free square at row 3, column 4, so its cat settles there.
4. Every free square of the mint patch sits in column 1, so the mint cat must come from there and the rest of column 1 can be crossed out. Cat 4 of 10: the coral patch is down to a single free square at row 8, column 2, so its cat settles there.
5. Cat 5 of 10: the lilac patch is down to a single free square at row 5, column 3, so its cat settles there.
6. Cat 6 of 10: the mint patch is down to a single free square at row 4, column 1, so its cat settles there.
7. Cat 7 of 10: the aqua patch is down to a single free square at row 7, column 9, so its cat settles there.
8. Every free square of the sky patch sits in column 7, so the sky cat must come from there and the rest of column 7 can be crossed out. A cat at row 1, column 7 would leave row 2 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Cat 8 of 10: the sky patch is down to a single free square at row 2, column 7, so its cat settles there.
9. Cat 9 of 10: the yellow patch is down to a single free square at row 1, column 5, so its cat settles there.
10. Cat 10 of 10: the peach patch is down to a single free square at row 6, column 6, so its cat settles there.