How to Play Herd Cats Home - Step by Step
The Herd Cats Home page loads a ~30 KB isometric cat puzzle in an iframe. Lead colored cats onto matching home tiles without breaking the 13-step counters. Press Play on this page to start.
Step 1 - press Play and enter a level
Press Play to inject the iframe (~30 KB). Wait for the loading bar, tap the title screen, then click level 1 on the 4x4 grid. Upstream is WMAR-9 black_cat (MIT, JS13K 2025).
Step 2 - read the isometric board
Tiles stack in height. Home pads match cat colors. Move tiles show a step counter. Tree holes link height layers. Black X tiles block paths. Hidden tiles reveal numbers when opened.
Step 3 - move with arrow keys
Press arrow keys to slide the active cat one tile. Cats on the same square stack; taller stacks move together when rules allow. The engine picks which cat moves based on your arrow direction and stack order.
Step 4 - match colors and homes
Each pastel cat must reach its same-color home pad. The black cat leader helps open routes. Swap pads exchange two cats on one tile. Some tiles crumble after use.
Step 5 - manage step counters
Every step onto a counter tile adds one. Counters above 13 fail the level. Cat food bowls reset a counter to zero when the matching cat stands on them at the correct height.
Step 6 - clear all cats home
Win when every cat stands on its home tile. Q undoes one move. R restarts the level. E returns to the level menu. Sixteen levels unlock sequentially; cleared flags save under ftol:herdcathome:CAT.
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Download | ~30 KB | index.html + index.js + css + png |
| Input | arrows, Q/W/E/R | canvas click for menus |
| Saves | level clears | ftol:herdcathome:CAT |
| Levels | 16 | grid 1-16 |
See when to play, comparisons, and Cat Hop Cloud.
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