Dog and Cat

Designed by Minoru Abe, produced in Japan circa 1990.
(cardboard box, wood tray, 8 wood pieces, and wood keeper, 5 by 5.25 by 1 inch)

There are four 1 unit square pieces, three 2/3 units high by 1 unit wide pieces, and a large U shaped piece that is 1+23 units high on left and 1+1/3 units high on right, with a step down to a 2 unit wide space and a second step down in the middle to a 1 unit wide space. The directions that are shown on the puzzle box top are to remove the big keeper piece and switch the dog and cat:

   

Besides moving the big piece down at the start and back up at the end, the big piece only moves left once and then back right once in the 67 rectilinear moves solution shown on the following two pages. However, given that it is a tricky solution, and it can be useful to start with the easier problem of solving the puzzle without the small blank piece, which can be solved in 51 rectilinear moves (or 47 rectilinear moves if started with the cat assembly at the bottom).

Dog and Cat Solution, 67 Moves (page 1 of 2)

Dog and Cat Solution, Continued