The line of grey cats which had started with Kiwi’s kittens Stardust and Ariel was continuing. We had always wondered whether Stardust was the father of Twilight’s (grey) daughter Storm as we knew of no other grey cats in the neighbourhood.

So when we saw Storm in the fields the following year with a kitten of her own, it was no surprise that he was completely grey.

What was a surprise, however, was that he had a damaged tail – more than half of it was withered and hanging from the stump. Maybe it had got trapped in a stone wall, or maybe he had been the victim of an attack by a rat. Either way, he was an exceptionally lively and active kitten who wasn’t letting his stump of a tail hold him back, and we named him Tumbleweed.

Thundercat, one of the neighbourhood alpha-males, was his designated kitten-sitter and they would spend time together in the field while Storm was out and about. Thundercat was tolerant of kittens generally, even those who were not his offspring, which was unusual for an alpha-male as they generally only tolerated their own progeny and were less than patient with others.

As the months progressed, Tumbleweed grew into a sturdy with a fluffy, medium-long coat. He was easy to spot with his distinctive grey fur, circular eyes and short tail.

He had a playful character and his easy-going ways meant that he instantly felt at home in the garden when he came to visit for the first time, and was welcomed by the members of the Garden Family. Maybe he had inherited some of Stardust’s character – after all, he had been the chief snuggler in the garden for quite some time, dispensing love and comfort to all who needed it.

Tumbleweed’s plush coat took quite some looking after and he would groom himself on the windowsill in the afternoon sun, politely hinting at the same time that it might be time for tea in the garden. He was a statuesque cat with a big personality and saw the best in everything. No wonder everyone loved him.