How to Play
Every cat wants its own nap spot. Place cats so that every row, every column and every colour region holds exactly one cat. Cats don't share: no two cats may touch, not even diagonally. Each board has exactly one solution, and you can always reach it by logic.
Tap a cell once to mark it ✕ (no cat here), and again to place a cat. Long-press places a cat straight away, or turn on Tap places 🐱. Drag across cells to cross out many at once. A right cat stays put; a wrong one hisses, hops off and leaves a ✕. Undo (or Ctrl+Z / ⌘Z) steps back. On a keyboard: arrow keys move, Space taps, Enter places a cat, X marks ✕.
A sleeping dog 🐶 marks a cell no cat will nap on. On Hard boards a pawprint 🐾 with a number tells you how many cats touch that cell (including diagonally). Stuck? A Whisker Tip highlights the cells that matter and explains the next step in plain words — it never just gives away a cat. Solve with no hisses and no tips for a Purrfect bonus.
One new 8×8 board every day, the same for everyone — and a new cat for your Cat Café.
Play any time: Easy 6×6, Medium 8×8 with dogs, or Hard 9×9 with dogs and pawprints.
Five timed boards from 5×5 to 9×9, with nine lives for the whole run.
- Start with the smallest regions — a region with only two or three spots has very few choices.
- Every time you place a cat, cross out its row, its column, its region and the eight cells around it. (Auto-✕ can do this for you.)
- If all of a region's open spots sit in one row, that row belongs to the region: cross out the rest of that row. The same works for columns.
- Look for a spot that would wipe out every option in another region if a cat napped there — it can't hold a cat.
- Two regions squeezed into the same two rows own those rows; nothing else in those rows can hold a cat.
- Pawprints are strong clues: a 0 empties all eight cells around it, and a number that equals its open neighbours fills them all.
What is Pounce?
Pounce is a daily logic puzzle about cats looking for nap spots. It's in the Star Battle family of puzzles: place one cat in every row, column and colour region, with no two cats touching.
Is there a new Pounce every day?
Yes — one Daily Challenge board unlocks for everyone each calendar day.
What are the rules, exactly?
Each row, each column and each coloured region must contain exactly one cat, and no two cats may be next to each other horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
How do I place a cat?
Tap a cell twice (the first tap marks ✕), long-press it, or switch on "Tap places 🐱" so one tap places a cat. On a keyboard, press Enter on the selected cell.
What happens if I place a cat in the wrong spot?
The cat hisses, hops off and leaves a ✕ behind. It counts as a hiss, which lowers your score a little, but you can always keep going — you can't fail the Daily Challenge.
Does every board have only one solution?
Yes. Every board is checked by a solver before it's published, and it's also checked to be solvable step by step with logic alone — no guessing needed.
What are the dogs?
A sleeping dog marks a cell no cat will nap on. Dogs appear from Medium boards up, and they still belong to their colour region.
What do the pawprint numbers mean?
A pawprint shows how many cats touch that cell, counting all eight neighbours (diagonals too). A pawprint cell never holds a cat itself. Pawprints appear on Hard boards.
How do Whisker Tips work?
A tip finds the next logical step, highlights the cells involved and explains it in a sentence — for example, which row a region is locked into. If you've crossed out a spot where a cat belongs, the tip clears that mark first. Each tip costs 3 points in scored modes.
What is a Purrfect solve?
Solving a board with no hisses and no Whisker Tips. It earns a 5-point bonus. Using Auto-✕ doesn't cost you the Purrfect bonus.
How is Daily Challenge scoring calculated?
10 points for solving, a speed bonus (10 within 2 minutes, 8 within 4, 6 within 8, otherwise 5), minus 2 per hiss and 3 per tip (never below 5), plus 5 for a Purrfect solve.
Does the timer start as soon as the board loads?
No — in the Daily Challenge and Classic the timer starts with your first touch of the board, so you can study it first.
What is the Cat Café?
Every Daily Challenge you solve adopts a cat with its own name, coat and look. Everyone who solves the same day adopts the same cat, and your collection grows on your profile.
What's the difference between Daily, Classic and the Nine Lives Run?
Daily is one shared board per day. Classic lets you play as often as you like at Easy, Medium or Hard. The Nine Lives Run is five timed boards with nine lives shared across the whole run.
How does the Nine Lives Run work?
You play five boards, from 5×5 up to 9×9, each against the clock. A wrong cat or running out of time costs one of your nine lives. Lose them all and the run ends — you keep the points you've banked, and lives left at the end earn a bonus.
Do I need an account to play?
No — guests can play and earn points too. A free account also unlocks streaks, XP, Rank and Achievements.
Can I share my result without spoiling the board?
Yes — the Daily share text shows your time, hisses, tips, score and the cat you adopted, never the board. "Copy Result & Share with Community" and "Share with Friends" are two separate one-time bonuses.
Does playing Pounce count toward my streak?
Yes — completing the Daily Challenge (in any game) advances your daily streak, as long as you play on consecutive calendar days.
Does Pounce work on mobile?
Yes — it's built for touch. The page won't scroll while your finger is on the board, so you can drag to cross out cells.
What's the Pounce leaderboard based on?
Total points from every scored Pounce mode for the period you select (Today, Week, Month, Year or All-time).