Kiwi had hoped to give birth to her kittens in the garden which would have made life for her, as a CH cat, much easier. But, for some reason, The Cat disliked Kiwi intensely and chased her out of the garden when Kiwi went into labour, so Kiwi gave birth to her kittens up the road, under a prickly pear bush in the fields. Walking to the drive and front path for food and water a minimum of twice daily was hard work for Kiwi and, by the time she decided that the time was right for weaning, she was exhausted.

There were two kittens, both healthy (if a little small and thin for their age), and they were more than ready to start eating solid food.

Kiwi was black with two little white patches – one under her chin, the other a bikini patch – and the kittens were grey with similar white spots. We named the boy Stardust and his sister, Ariel. The family spent some of their time in the front path and the drive, the kittens playing, clambering through the plant troughs, and sleeping in the plants.

The rest of their time they spent out in the fields with their mother.

As Stardust and Ariel became more independent, they started coming to the garden to eat. The Garden Family members were quite happy for them to join the group, and The Cat seemed ambivalent.

Naturally, Kiwi herself was reluctant to spend time in the garden due to The Cat’s intense dislike of her (plus being a CH cat made making a high-speed exit from the garden well-nigh impossible).

Then Ariel stopped growing. She became listless and uninterested in eating and, sadly, passed away one sunny afternoon in a plant pot by the road. Kiwi and her companion Longtail walked along from the prickly pear bushes to pay their respects; how they knew that Ariel had passed away, we will never know, but they arrived within twenty minutes.

Stardust and Ariel had spent all their life together and it was not a surprise that Stardust pined for his sister. He mourned her loss deeply. He refused food and water, he didn’t move from his favourite box for days. He began to lose ground, to fade as Ariel had. In desperation, we took him into the garden, hoping that the stimulation of the other cats would work its magic, which indeed it did. He started to take an interest in his surroundings. He started to eat and drink, explore his new surroundings and meet his new family. He seemed to have rediscovered himself.

Stardust’s life turned around. The Garden Family adopted him as one of them and, being an affectionate boy, Stardust returned the compliment in the only way he knew – by cuddling. First, young Tiger whose mother Visitor Cat had also been chased out of the garden by The Cat. Maybe Stardust knew that Tiger was a kindred spirit.

And then Greyfur and Blackfur, The Cat’s sons. They were not particularly cuddly cats, but it seemed that no one could resist a Stardust Snuggle.

At least, Stardust had found his vocation.