Ana might not seem the most obvious name for a fierce alpha-male cat, so, if you wondered how he came to get his name, read on.

When we first met The Cat, she had two sons, siblings (we assumed) of around one year old, living with her in the garden. Their characters were very different and we assumed that the black-and-white cat was male and the orange cat female.

Year 1 – we thought this was The Cat’s daughter

That summer, The Cat brought her new family of kittens to the drive for weaning. The kittens were super-enthusiastic for solid food and demolished whatever was in the bowl, but little Blackie, the runt of the litter, the smallest and skinniest, was always at the back of the queue, pushed out by his (or maybe her – we never knew for sure) stronger siblings.

And then one day we saw Blackie at the bowl eating. The other kittens were waiting in a queue, and next to Blackie was his big orange sister (as we thought), guarding the bowl so Blackie could eat his fill. We started referring to Blackie’s guardian as ‘sister cat’ and of course that made us think of Sister Act. It seemed a small step from there to calling the orange cat Anagram, or Ana for short.

Around the same time, we named the black-and-white cat Pea Cat because he used to lie in the pea and bean plants.

And then, one spring evening, Pea Cat and Ana fought. It was the sort of fight that two males have when they are fighting for supremacy – hormonally fuelled, vicious, and very, very messy. Ana was the victor and Pea Cat left the garden. And from that day, we knew that Ana was very much a male cat.

Year 2 – Ana, The Cat’s Number One Son

It was time for Ana to take charge; he was his mother’s protector, and her garden would be his base. From there he would go out into the fields, establishing his territory as an up-and-coming alpha-male, and making his mark on the neighbourhood.

Year 3 – Ana, Warrior Cat

The next year was the year of The Tail Incident. Suffice to say that, whatever it was that caused Ana’s tail to be injured and most of it to drop off, he carried on regardless. His territory expanded, as did his reputation, and his name wasn’t getting any smaller either.

Year 4 – Ana Half-Tail, Warrior Cat

Known in the neighbourhood as ‘the cat with the aerial’ on account of his short tail, Ana roamed far and wide. Beyond the culvert lay the next village, and the culvert was where Ana decided his territory ended.

Year 5 – Ana Half-Tail, Warrior Cat, King of the Culvert

The Cat’s Garden was in the middle of the area which Ana ruled as alpha-male; he would disappear for days (or, occasionally, weeks) at a time when he was on a mission and, on his return, his mother was always happy to see her Number One Son.

And that is the (convoluted) story of how Ana got his name.