Puzzle #18
Cat's Cradle
11 × 11Expert12 colorsPublished October 8, 2026
Solve it in the solver Download .flow
Colors: Blue, Orange, Green, Red, Purple, Brown, Pink, Gray, Lime, Cyan, Yellow, Vermilion.
Two long paths frame this board. Pink climbs the whole right edge and crosses the top-right, and Blue runs from the top row down the left edge and across the lower half to its dot at row 9, column 8. Many decisions on the left come from making sure Blue's lower dot still has room to move.
New to these puzzles? Read how to play first. Connect each pair of dots with a path, fill every cell, and don't let paths cross. This board has exactly one solution.
Hints
Hint 1: where to look
Start in the bottom-right corner, at Pink's dot in row 11, column 10.
Hint 2: the first idea
Pink has to climb the right edge, since every turn to the left seals off a pocket. On the top row, Orange must drop down from its dot instead of heading right, which would box Gray in.
Hint 3: the key step
Several moves on the left are decided by Blue's lower dot at row 9, column 8, which needs room to go up and left. So Blue runs down the left edge, and Orange, Purple and Brown each turn down through the squeezed cells in rows 2 to 4 instead of heading right.
Techniques used: Forced moves, Edges and corners, Dead ends, Bottlenecks, Thinking ahead.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Every step below follows from the rules alone, with no guessing. Try the puzzle first and use the walkthrough when you get stuck.
Step 1 of 20
The bottom-right corner cell has only two usable neighbors, so a path must pass straight through it. Pink steps into it from its dot at row 11, column 10 and turns up the right edge.
Step 2 of 20
At row 10, column 11, Pink could turn left. That seals off a one-cell pocket, so Pink climbs again.
Step 3 of 20
One row up, turning left would seal a two-cell pocket that no color can finish. Pink keeps climbing the edge.
Step 4 of 20
The same thing happens at row 8, column 11, where a left turn would trap three cells. Pink climbs to row 7.
Step 5 of 20
Now jump to the top row. Orange's dot at row 1, column 6 could go right, but a few forced moves later Orange at row 1, column 7 would box Gray in whichever way it went. So Orange drops down one.
Step 6 of 20
Green's dot at row 2, column 8 has three options. Going up seals a one-cell pocket, and going left boxes Gray in. Green goes down one, next to its partner.
Step 7 of 20
Red's upper dot at row 2, column 9 could climb into the top row, but that seals off a five-cell pocket. So Red steps right.
Step 8 of 20
Orange at row 2, column 6 can't go down without boxing Gray in, and going right seals a two-cell pocket. So it heads left along row 2 to column 3. Blue then has only one open side at each step and runs left along the top row into the top-left corner and down one cell.
Step 9 of 20
Brown's dot at row 3, column 5 can't go right without boxing Gray in, so it drops one. That squeezes the cell at row 3, column 6, and Pink climbs through it from its dot at row 4, column 6, up to the top row, across to the corner and down the right edge to connect. Red drops down column 10 and turns left beside its lower dot, Green connects, and Gray steps down from its dot at row 5, column 10.
Step 10 of 20
Blue at row 2, column 1 could turn right. A few forced moves later, though, Blue's far end at row 9, column 8 would be stuck, cutting off Vermilion if it went up and Brown if it went left. So Blue heads down the left edge to row 6, and Orange takes the squeezed cell at row 2, column 2 and turns down into column 2.
Step 11 of 20
Orange at row 3, column 2 meets the same problem. Turning right would leave Blue's lower dot stuck, so Orange connects to its dot at row 4, column 2. The cell at row 3, column 3 now has only two usable neighbors, so Purple passes through it and turns down.
Step 12 of 20
Thinking ahead from row 4, column 9, Red could turn left. A few moves later Purple at row 4, column 3 would have no good move, since going down seals a two-cell pocket and going right cuts Brown off. So Red connects. Gray then squeezes through row 4, column 8 and turns down.
Step 13 of 20
Purple at row 4, column 3 can't turn right without leaving Blue's lower dot stuck. It drops one, beside its dot at row 5, column 2. Brown then takes the squeezed cell at row 4, column 4 and turns down into row 5.
Step 14 of 20
Gray at row 5, column 8 would seal a two-cell pocket by turning left, so it drops one.
Step 15 of 20
From row 6, column 8, going down or left would seal off a three-cell pocket. Gray turns right, next to its other half.
Step 16 of 20
Cyan's dot at row 6, column 6 can't go up, which seals a one-cell pocket, or right, which seals three cells. It drops down one.
Step 17 of 20
At row 7, column 6, going right would seal a four-cell pocket. Cyan turns left.
Step 18 of 20
Yellow's dot at row 10, column 8 can't go left without cutting Blue off, and going right cuts Yellow itself off, so it drops and turns left along the bottom row. A run of forced moves follows. Lime climbs column 10 to row 7 and loops back along row 5 to its dot at row 6, column 5, while Vermilion and Gray connect. Blue leaves its lower dot and heads left along row 10, Yellow runs along row 11 to column 3, and Brown and Cyan each extend one cell.
Step 19 of 20
Brown at row 6, column 4 can't turn left without sealing a one-cell pocket, so it goes down. Cyan has only one open side and drops one cell, bringing its two ends together.
Step 20 of 20
Blue at row 10, column 4 can't go up without cutting Brown off, so it continues left, and the rest is forced. Yellow runs into the bottom-left corner and up the edge to its dot at row 7, column 2. Blue's two halves meet in row 8, one climbing column 2 and the other coming along row 6 and down column 3. Purple, Brown and Cyan all connect.