Catdoku level 394 answer and walkthrough

The level 394 board

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

Level 394 answer

1. Row 1: column 4, in the yellow patch
2. Row 2: column 6, in the sky patch
3. Row 3: column 3, in the rose patch
4. Row 4: column 1, in the mint patch
5. Row 5: column 7, in the lilac patch
6. Row 6: column 2, in the peach patch
7. Row 7: column 5, in the aqua patch

How to solve level 394, 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. Cat 1 of 7: the lilac patch is down to a single free square at row 5, column 7, so its cat settles there.
2. A cat at row 2, column 3 would leave the rose patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 5 would leave row 1 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 3, column 1 would leave the rose patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 4, column 2 would leave the rose patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 3 would leave the peach patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 5 would leave column 4 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 1 would leave the peach patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 3 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Every free square of the peach patch sits in column 2, so the peach cat must come from there and the rest of column 2 can be crossed out. Cat 2 of 7: the rose patch is down to a single free square at row 3, column 3, so its cat settles there.
3. 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 3 of 7: the only free square left in row 2 is column 6, so the cat goes there.
4. Cat 4 of 7: the only free square left in row 1 is column 4, so the cat goes there.
5. Cat 5 of 7: the aqua patch is down to a single free square at row 7, column 5, so its cat settles there.
6. Cat 6 of 7: the peach patch is down to a single free square at row 6, column 2, so its cat settles there.
7. Cat 7 of 7: the mint patch is down to a single free square at row 4, column 1, so its cat settles there.