Having posted about The Cat and her daughters, it would be wrong not to mention her sons. This and the following piece will list them chronologically.

When we arrived, The Cat was already living at the property with her two young adult sons, Ana and Pea Cat. Ana was a handsome orange cat, and Pea Cat was black-and-white. Ana proved to be the dominant male and over the years worked his way up to becoming one of the neighbourhood alpha-males (but still spending time with The Cat, back in the garden).

Pea Cat left the garden after he and Ana fought; the winner (Ana) remained, and the loser left. Pea Cat found a new life in the next village, well away from his brother.

Before The Cat was friendly, it was impossible to get close to her kittens so there was no way of knowing what sex they were (expect for assuming that calicos and tortoiseshells were female).

So Fred was the first male kitten that we definitely know of. The family was born and raised in the fields, but came to the garden with their mother, The Cat, for weaning. They were confident and assured, exploring and adventuring the days away. Fred was the brother of three calico/tortie sisters, Fickle, Fleckle and Drip, and was a handsome young tuxedo cat, stylish and debonaire. He was named for Fred Astaire.

Fred was adventurous and a born leader, protecting his sisters and heading up the family group.

The following year, The Cat had a family of three kittens consisting of two calico girls (Ratchet and Sprocket) and a male grey-and-white tabby called Pedal. Pedal was a born protector and grew into a most handsome young man, doing his best to protect his mother’s garden from the adult neighbourhood alpha-males.

Even as a youngster, Pedal stood firm with male visitors to The Cat’s garden; obviously he was in no position to engage in physical combat as he was only a quarter of their size, but his sheer persistence and fortissimo wailing was often enough to dissuade them.

The Cat’s offspring were always loyal, and her sons in particular were keen to protect their mother and her realm.