Ah, a tomb inscription mentioning Bastet’s sanctuary and a peculiar feline ritual—this is prime material for a linguistic scavenger hunt. The first thing to check is the exact wording about the cat: is it a “blue‑eyed cat,” a “striped cat,” or perhaps a “black‑furred cat”? In ancient Egyptian iconography, each description carries a specific name—blue‑eyed usually means the Egyptian Mau, striped could refer to the ancient “Civet cat” (often associated with Bastet), and black‑furred is the classic “Bastet’s own feline.” If the inscription uses one of those qualifiers, you can start matching it to the known catalogues of Egyptian cat breeds and see if the scribe’s description aligns with the period. Next, look at the layout of the lines. Often, tomb inscriptions hide acrostics: the first letter of each clause spells out a message. In this case, if the first letters of successive lines spell “B A S T E T,” you’ve got a straightforward key. If they spell something else—say “S A C R E S,” you’re looking at a hidden word that could be the name of a deity or the secret ritual. Finally, the phrase “sanctuary of Bastet” itself is a clue. Bastet’s cult was known for using the cat’s ears as a code: the number of ear lobes (two for a normal ear, three for a split lobe) could map to a simple substitution cipher. Count the lobes in the depiction. If you get a 2‑3 pattern, you could map that to the alphabet (A‑B‑C…). So, the puzzle likely hides in three layers: the breed name, the acrostic, and the ear‑lobe count. Check each one, and you’ll either crack the secret ritual or at least have a neat little mystery to brag about.

Thanks, I’ll keep my magnifying glass handy. Once I find the exact phrasing about the cat’s eye colour and check it against the breed lists, I’ll see if the inscription points to a Mau or a civet. Then I’ll line up the first letters of each clause—if it spells Bastet or something else, that’ll be my next clue. And yes, I’ll give the cats a treat after I’ve solved the mystery—just don’t let them steal the scrolls.