Phantom was one of the few Visiting Cats who was friendly, but her offspring were not. They did not visit the garden, preferring to eat in the path and drive which were closer to the fields where they lived. So we were surprised to find Shady, Phantom’s daughter, in the garden one morning. For a 4-month old cat, she looked emaciated and malnourished; her head and eyes were huge and her body thin with all her ribs visible.

She knew she needed help, so we gave her protected mealtimes with time for her to eat as slowly as she liked, with one of us standing guard to keep the other cats away from her bowl. She stayed in the garden to regain her strength, and the Garden Family readily accepted her with her soulful eyes and gentle ways.

Also that summer, Dawn brought her new litter to the garden for weaning, as she had done with Linnet and Raven previously. Sadly, the kittens were not strong and only one made it through their first few weeks.

Dawn was keen to get back to her single life out in the fields and she did not have the patience to nurse a sickly kitten so, as it was unlikely that the kitten would live another week without drastic action, we decided to place Sherpa (as we had named him) with Cheese, who had lost both her best friend Souci and all their kittens to the summer virus. It was Sherpa’s only chance. We were taking a huge chance, so we were greatly relieved when Cheese welcomed him.

Within four days, she had taught him to eat and drink on his own, cleaned all the insects and dirt from his fur and taught him how to groom himself, and introduced him to the joy of playtime. Flora’s son Checkers had also formed a strong attachment to Cheese, and Sherpa had latched on to Pippin’s son Pascha, exploring the garden side by side.

Together, they all made the perfect family unit for Sherpa – his new adoptive mother, uncle, and big brother.

Dawn occasionally visited her son, and Shady, who was slowly growing stronger, joined their group. Sherpa was lively and active and growing by the day – just as you would hope a kitten of that age would be doing.

It was heartening to see the change in Shady and Sherpa after their shaky starts, and, with the autumn ahead, they would have a chance to flourish.