The Sphynx’s riddles were getting easier, but also more pointed.

Riddle me this, Batcat! What has two parents in the morning, none in the afternoon, and smells like an unventilated cave full of litter and bat poop all of the time?

The Sphinx’s riddle from Greek mythology is maybe the most famous riddle in human history- what walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? The answer is “man” which Oedipus guesses correctly, causing the Sphinx to promptly commit suicide in a fit of shame rage. The Sphinx’s riddle has been referenced numerous times across a variety of works. Most memorably for me, there is a pair of Sphinxes in The Neverending Story (at least the movie, I’m having a hard time remembering if this happens in the book) that don’t require you to answer a riddle, but will incinerate you on the spot if you have low self esteem. This is the weird stuff my childhood is made of.

Sphynx cats are a fur-less breed that has a unique wrinkly alien cat look to them. I say this lovingly; I find them quite interesting!

The Riddler is a clever Batman villain but I imagine as a cat he would not be as smart as he is rude. But seriously, Batcat, working out of a dank cave isn’t going to make you smell great.