It soon became clear that Lightning had adopted the garden as his home. Where he (for Lightning was a he, and not a she) had come from remained a mystery. Was he a kitten of one of the feral visitors, maybe Visitor Cat or Sniffly Cat, brought to the garden for weaning? Had he simply become lost, separated from his family on a nightly outing and been unable to find his way back home? Had he been dumped outside by someone who didn’t want him? Did it matter? Age-wise the Humans guessed he was around eight weeks old, eating well and able to look after himself as well as any kitten of that age. He was independent and had a penchant for perching on high walls, he was definitely feral and not used to humans.

Over the coming weeks he settled down and after five weeks in the garden permitted his first human contact. He played with sticks and branches. He chased balls, leaping and gyrating mid-air. He came running when he heard the rustle of the packet of crunchy treats. And strangely he formed a strong, familial bond with Dinky, the resident male. Dinky himself had arrived as a kitten, out of the blue, and seemed to have missed out on a large section of his kittenhood – the part which involved having siblings to play with. Lightning filled that gap in Dinky’s life and their revelry in each other’s company was lovely to see.

Lightning’s stay wasn’t without incident. He broke a back leg quite soon after arriving which hampered him for a short while but healed on its own. He unfortunately fell victim of poisoning through drinking water containing plant feed from the trays beneath the pot plants. He fell off a high wall twice. He fell into the neighbouring field twice and had to be rescued. He was an adventurous (and perfectly normal) kitten.

At feeding times Lightning was fascinated by the adult ferals who came to eat. He would sit and stare at them, and two in particular (G7, an orange male, and Sniffly Cat, a calico female) held a curious attraction for him. He would approach, play with their tails, tap them in playful fashion, in a way which made the Humans wonder whether he already knew them. They were patient with him in a way the other visiting ferals weren’t.

The weeks passed and Lightning ventured forth into the fields. He had a methodical approach to his adventures, always starting from the same point and exploring in a straight line, sweeping round to return to his starting place. He roamed further and further, reaching the grove of trees where G7 and Sniffly Cat gravitated back to most days. And one day, exactly six months to the day since his arrival, he disappeared off into the fields at midday and didn’t return. Maybe he had found his family. Maybe he had discovered a colony where he felt comfortable and at home. He was well-fed and healthy and the Humans had no reason to believe any ill had befallen him.

Lightning had ventured forth.