The Cat brought her offspring up in the feral tradition. They were independent, self-sufficient and confident young cats, equipped with everything they needed to make their own way in the world.

Sometimes, they remained strongly bonded to their mother, and sometimes not, although it was naturally more likely that her daughters would remain close as they were less likely to roam as far as her sons.

The strongest bond The Cat had with any of her sons was with Number One Son, Ana Half-Tail. They actively sought out each other’s company, napped together and ate together (when Ana was not out roaming the fields). It was obvious at that time that The Cat had a soft spot for orange gentlemen, so it was not a surprise that she was drawn to her son who was growing into a fine figure of a cat.

Her next son who we saw grow to adulthood was Pedal. He was not as strongly bonded with his mother, but still felt it was his duty to protect her and his sister, Sprocket, in and around the garden. Pedal and Sprocket themselves were very close and remained so throughout their lives with Pedal remaining in the garden when The Cat and Sprocket joined forces to bring up their kittens together in a single colony.

Then there were brothers Greyfur and Blackfur. They had very different personalities, and it was Greyfur who remained close to his mother even though he eventually left the garden and made his home in the fields opposite, leaving Blackfur in charge of The Cat’s garden. Greyfur was a completely different build to his brother, being big and strong with a wide ribcage and head, although, considering his size, he was a particularly graceful cat.

Blackfur was born last and was the smallest of the litter; he was a classic tuxedo cat and more slender in build than his brother. He remained in and around The Cat’s garden into adulthood but never seemed to have any particular affinity with his mother.

And The Cat’s last son was Furrileesa, brother of Flora. He had a gentle disposition and was a lot less feisty than his calico sister. It’s possible that his personality was dictated by the fact that his mother and sister had the sort of big characters that go with tortoiseshell and calico cats.

Maybe The Cat’s attraction to orange gentlemen dictated that Ana Half-Tail would be the closest of all her sons; maybe he reminded his mother of his father – who knows? So much about The Cat will always remain a mystery.