The following year, Ana became a big brother. The Cat’s four kittens spent time in the garden with their mother; none of them were friendly – they were all feral, just like The Cat. As they grew bigger, they spent more time in the fields, becoming more independent and venturing further.

In a half-hearted attempt not to become too attached to them, we decided not to give them ‘proper’ names, but identify the kittens only by colour. But Ginge, Tabby, Blackie and Splodge were ‘proper’ names, and our plan (such as it was) was doomed to failure from the start.

How could you not get attached to them? It was a slippery slope, and the humans were slipping fast.