Kittens often had special bonds with particular siblings or littermates, but this did not necessarily continue into adulthood. However, in the case of The Cat’s son and daughter Pedal and Sprocket, it did. Their sister Ratchet had sadly passed away before she reached four months old, and maybe losing her reinforced the bond that Pedal and Sprocket shared.

As younger kittens, they played together and napped together. They were both independent and smart enough to spend time on their own, but they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

As the weeks passed and they grew, their playing became less kitten-like. But Pedal and Sprocket were never cats who played rough like some kittens do, clawing and biting – their interactions were always basically affectionate.

As they grew into adolescent felines, their play sessions were replaced by mutual grooming (allogrooming) sessions – something that continued into adulthood. There was no dominant figure in this activity, and they both groomed each other equally. Sprocket and The Cat continued to enjoy allogrooming the following year, when they were raising their families together in The Cat’s Garden.

Unfortunately that autumn, both Sprocket and Pedal became seriously ill. It seems likely that they ate some poison in the fields (maybe a poisoned rat), and there was a time when we feared we would lose them both. Thankfully, they managed to recover although it took time, and Pedal never seemed to regain his previous vigour or grow, as we had expected him to.

One of the first things they did on recovering was to cuddle up together in the garden, safe and well in each other’s arms – the best possible therapy for them both.

And the following spring, only a few days after Sprocket gave birth to her kittens in The Cat’s Garden, she sought the company of her brother and they sat side by side in the drive, washing in unison.

It seemed that Sprocket wanted Pedal to know that he was still a big part of her life, and that having her own family did not mean their sibling relationship had changed.