It was noticeable that The Cat’s coat became thicker and longer as the years passed, but she was the exception to the rule as most of the other cats had quite short coats which were practical for living in the fields where there were plenty of different sorts of grasses and burrs to get stuck in their fur.

So, naturally, cats with longer coats stood out and I’ve singled out a dozen of them, both cats and kittens.

Of course, The Cat is first in Part One of the list as, by the time we had been caring for her for four years, her coat was starting to look quite luxurious. As she got older, it became harder for her to look after it, but on the plus side it kept her warm in the winter months.

The next to come along was Fleckle, one of The Cat’s daughters, who was by far the fluffiest kitten in her litter. Her sisters Fickle and Drip and her brother Fred all had short coats.

The first Visiting Cat with a longer coat was Visitor Cat who was quite similar to The Cat in many ways, although probably unrelated. The Cat harboured an intense dislike of Visitor and would not tolerate her in the garden in the early days resulting in Visitor Cat being fed on the top of the garden wall for some considerable time.

The Cat’s son Oranjiboom left the garden at the age of eleven weeks to be rehomed with his brother Tippex, but later photos show that he kept his fluffy kitten fur and developed an impressive plume of a tail. The boys went to live in another village where they led a happy and fulfilled indoor/outdoor life.

Black Tulip was a kitten born to The Cat’s daughter Flora. Despite having a sadly short life due to ill health, Black Tulip showed all the signs of having a medium coat and would have grown into a fluffy adult.

And, finally for today, Tumbleweed, who was the son of Storm (and grandson of Twilight). Tumbleweed was born and raised in the fields but came to the garden occasionally with his mother as a kitten, continuing to visit all through his adult life. He had a spectacular soft, fluffy grey coat and a stump for a tail. Storm herself was completely grey but with a short coat, so we assume that Tumbleweed’s coat must have come from his father, whoever he was.

Come back tomorrow for another six cats with impressive coats 🐾