It wasn’t only The Cat who was bringing up a young family that spring – Kiwi was also caring for a litter, which we had named The Blossoms. She had hoped to have her kittens in the garden, but it was not to be as The Cat unfortunately took a strong dislike to Kiwi and chased her out, forcing her to give birth in the fields.

Kiwi had at least three kittens, and she was not going to take the big step of bringing them for weaning until they were all strong enough to make the trek together, from the prickly pear bushes in the fields up the road where she was raising them, to the drive. This placed a great strain on Kiwi who was having to feed bigger, stronger, hungrier kittens (who were more than ready for weaning), while also looking after the weaker one(s) at the same time. There were times when she looked utterly exhausted in the heat of the day, walking from the drive to the bushes and back several times a day. Sadly, the weaker kitten(s) passed away, and so the day came when Kiwi brought her remaining two kittens to the drive – on the other side of the gate which would keep Kiwi and The Blossoms safe from the wrath of The Cat in the garden.

The kittens were both grey, a sturdy boy and a more delicate girl. We named them Stardust and Ariel. Stardust was protective of his mother and sister, and Kiwi was a content and calm mother. The kittens took to solid food immediately and Kiwi could at last relax a little and regain her strength.

Stardust and Ariel were initially very wary of humans, but as the days passed, Stardust became friendly although Ariel was never completely relaxed. Kiwi took them into the nearby fields on both sides of the road, showing them the rest of the neighbourhood. But they always came back to the drive to eat and it soon became their base, meaning that Kiwi could spend some time out and about on her own, knowing her family was safe.

The Cat also spent time in the drive and the fields, but seemed ambivalent about Kiwi and The Blossoms’ presence, so long as they stayed out of the garden. Kiwi was smart and she understood this, and so The Cat’s rules were observed and both families flourished.