Ginge, Tabby, Splodge and Blackie were born to The Cat in the fields. Ginge was a fluffy orange-and-white kitten with opalescent eyes.

Tabby and Blackie were the mischief-makers of the family, and closely bonded.

And Splodge was Splodge, busy in her own little world, doing her own thing.

They were a resourceful bunch, and The Cat soon showed her little ones how to get into the drive where there was food available. Before long, they had worked out how to follow their mother up and over the high wall via a stone birdbath and the windowsill, and down the olive tree into the garden – quite a tricky journey for such small kittens. But one thing puzzled the humans – how it was that Blackie was always there first? While the others were still slithering down the olive tree, claws scraping on the bark, Blackie was already relaxing in the garden.

And soon we discovered that Blackie, who was the runt of the litter, had cleverly discovered a drainpipe at ground-level which was a perfect shortcut between the drive and the garden for a slender kitten. Could it be that the smallest kitten might have the biggest brain?

And when we observed Tabby a few days later having an afternoon nap in the garden, we began to think that maybe Blackie was indeed the brains of the family.

It was a hot, summer’s day and best buddies Tabby and Blackie were taking their siesta together under the olive tree. On closer inspection, it was apparent that Tabby was lying with his/her head in a pail.

There was no circulation of air and Tabby’s head was getting hotter and hotter. Suddenly, s/he woke in a panic, desperate for fresh air, rudely waking Blackie who just looked at Tabby in despair, unimpressed at the interruption.

From then on, Blackie took his/her siesta without Tabby, and in a fold of garden netting. This provided all-round ventilation on those hot, summer days and Blackie spent many a happy siesta suspended above the garden wall while Ginge slumbered peacefully below, looking for all the world as though they were in bunk beds.

It seemed that clever little Blackie had triumphed once again.