Daily Cat Escape

About Daily Cat Escape

Daily Cat Escape takes the idea of Chat Noir, the classic trap-the-cat browser game, and turns it into a shared daily puzzle. It was shown on Hacker News in September 2026, and each day's board is dated and the same for every player.

The board is a field of hexagons with a cat in the middle and a few walls already placed. On your turn you click an empty hex to turn it into a wall. Then the cat moves one step along the shortest route to any edge. If it reaches the edge it escapes; if every route is blocked, you win. The trick is to build a ring far enough out that you can close it before the cat gets there.

The daily boards add special tiles. A cluster tile walls itself and all six neighbours at once, a domino tile sends walls cascading along an arrow until something stops them, and a catnip tile makes the cat nap and skip a turn if it steps there. Badges go to players who match the day's fastest or slowest winning time, awarded at midnight UTC, and signing in keeps your streak across devices.

It suits players who like short strategy puzzles with a clear goal, and anyone who remembers Chat Noir.

How to play Daily Cat Escape

1. Open catescape.dev for the day's board.
2. Click an empty hex to place a wall.
3. Watch the cat take one step toward the nearest edge.
4. Keep placing walls to cut off every route, using the special tiles to your advantage.
5. Trap the cat completely before it reaches the edge to win.

Tips

• Do not chase the cat: build walls a few hexes ahead on the side it is heading for.
• Save a cluster tile for the moment the cat nears an open side; it closes seven hexes at once.
• Lure the cat onto catnip to win a free turn for finishing a wall.

Questions