On the other side of the garden gate from the garden lay the drive. Many of the Visiting Cats preferred to eat here in the more open surroundings with plenty of escape routes back into the fields, should they be surprised by an unwelcome human or an aggressive cat.

Phantom occasionally visited the garden but, since The Cat used to chase her out, Phantom had never been at ease there. So when she brought kittens for weaning, it was to the drive (or the front path).

Phantom’s daughter Shady had become a member of the Garden Family. She was still undersized and underweight for her age, but she was healthy and active and, like her mother, was probably destined never to be a big cat. She had filled out since she arrived as an undernourished kitten, and was doing well. She felt part of the Garden Family and didn’t seem to have any desire to link up with her original family, spending most of her time in the garden.

Braveheart, Shady’s sister, was a stocky cat and built like her father, neighbourhood alpha-male NVQ. Brother Tuxedo Joe remained smaller (he probably had a different father – maybe Blackfur, judging by his markings); he and Braveheart both favoured the drive although Tuxedo Joe was sometimes spotted in the garden.

So, when it was time for Phantom’s new litter to be weaned, it was naturally to the drive that their mother brought them. There were three – a grey-and-white boy who we named Splendid, and two more – a grey kitten, and a black kitten. Kiwi, Phantom’s best friend, named them Silk and Velvet. She enjoyed spending time with Phantom and her family, supervising their mealtimes generally being part of their family group.

Having been born during that harsh summer, none of the kittens seemed strong, but they were a happy monochrome bunch and enjoyed exploring while their mother watched proudly.

They did all the usual kitten things; they played and napped, they learnt to climb, they avoided the humans, and, if you were Silk, you learnt the art of sleeping in the top of the dead bougainvillea tree – all good life skills for the future.