Over the years we knew her, The Cat became healthier thanks to regular food and water, and having somewhere to wean her kittens. Her fur thickened considerably, and she grew an impressive ruff and side-whiskers in the winter (not to mention fluffy pantaloons). But all this added fluff and fur didn’t deter her from lying in the sun. Maybe she was older than we thought; maybe she liked the warmth of the sun on her bones (because, however much fur she grew, she remained as slender as ever underneath). Whatever the reason, she enjoyed the heat of the sun in the summer, and sought out its warmth in the winter months.

Here are twelve photos, one for each month of the year, showing The Cat enjoying the sun. Each is captioned with the year it was taken.

January 2017 looking out over the fields.
There were gaps between the stones (so the cats could jump up from the field or the drive) which made good viewing points, especially in the afternoon sun.

February 2017 in the garden.
The Cat loved lying on this board in the sun; the upright piece of wood behind provided shelter from the wind, and lying on the wood was preferable to lying in the damp grass at this time of year.

March 2016 lying in a chilli plant in the garden.
Both The Cat and her daughter Sprocket loved to lie in this plant pot and soak up the sun. The chilli plant wasn’t too happy about it, but it had no choice in the matter.

April 2020 in her box on the verandah in the garden.
The Cat was beginning to show her age, sheltering from the cold wind and damp weather. This box in the corner protected her from the wind while making the most of the sunshine, and the box behind was useful at night.

May 2020 behind a plant trough in the drive.
Despite having an entire garden with comfortable long grass and boxes, The Cat still loved to spend time in the morning sun in the drive where she could watch the comings and goings of the Visiting Cats coming from the fields.

June 2015 in the garden.
This is quite an early photo and you can see The Cat’s slender frame under her fur, while she enjoys the sun on her back. She was an exceptionally long cat with really large paws, and, whatever the season, there never seemed to be a lot of cat under her coat.

July 2012 under the olive tree in the garden.
The sun picked out the colours of The Cat’s fur which blended so well with the dry olive leaves on which she liked to lie.

August 2018 in a box on the the terrace.
Strategically positioned in the afternoon sunshine opposite the humans’ kitchen door, The Cat would be the first to know when it was feeding time and could get back down to the garden and over the wall to the drive where she liked to greet us, and walk with us through the gate into the garden.

September 2014 catching the sun at the top of the garden ladder.
Once The Cat got to the top of the ladder, she was at a loss as to what to do next, so she decided to sit on the top rung and enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes before going back down the ladder to her family in the garden.

October 2017 on the water tank on the verandah.
The Cat’s autumn coat was coming and even those big paws were fluffier than they had been during her lean summer months. The water tank was sheltered from the wind and a prime position for sun-worshippers.

November 2020 in the garden.
Enjoying her favourite plank of wood in the sun. It doubled as a scratching post and playground for the kittens.

December 2019 on the water tank on the verandah.
Having a fluffy coat was all well and good during the cold, winter months, but grooming was hard work for an older lady. As The Cat got older, the warmth of the sun became yet more vital for her.