History of Cat Places
The rules come from a logic puzzle devised in 2003 for the World Puzzle Championship in the Netherlands; here sleeping cats take the place of stars.
A puzzle from 2003
Among puzzle fans this kind of puzzle is called "Star Battle". The Dutch puzzle designer Hans Eendebak devised it for the World Puzzle Championship of 2003 in the Netherlands. Since then it has appeared in puzzle magazines, newspapers and apps under many names, often with two stars in every row, column and region of a larger field.
Why cats?
Cat Places uses the simplest form, with one per row, column and room. Instead of stars there are sleeping cats: each wants a spot of its own and does not want to touch its neighbours. The drawings were made for this game.