Our frequent correspondent “RepubAnon” asks,

Is there a cat-resistant ink well? (Nothing is cat-proof to a feline determined to remind the primates who is the boss.)

It would indeed be difficult to imagine much of anything that would resist the assault of a determined cat. Much ingenuity went into designing inkwells that were nearly impossible to spill, usually by giving them broad bases that resist tipping. But a cat would inevitably dip an experimental paw in the ink, and then, discovering that a foreign substance had polluted the paw, would begin vigorous flicking. Somewhere in the course of it the inkwell would be knocked off the desk.

Instead of adapting the inkwell, therefore, Dr. Boli would suggest adapting the room to the inevitable. One might consider speckled wallpaper and a Rorschach-patterned rug. These decorations would only acquire more character when the cat discovered the inkwell and allowed natural feline instincts to operate.