The Cat enjoyed motherhood. It was hard to tell whether she actually realised that she was a grandmother when her daughter Flora had kittens, but the female members of the family seemed to gravitate to The Cat’s side at one time or another, so there was obviously some sort of familial bond.

And then Flora’s daughter Pippin became a mother, and The Cat became great-grandmother to Pascal and Pascha, who were born in the garden one sunny Easter Saturday afternoon. Their father was Izit, a peach-coloured feral who had arrived during the pandemic, and the boys inherited his colour.

Pascal and Pascha suffered badly with a virus when they were tiny which sadly left them both partially sighted. Pascal always seemed frail, but Pascha, apart from his eyesight, was a perfectly fit and healthy kitten; Pippin was an excellent mother and weaning was successful (and a big help, as we could hide their antibiotic tablets in the wet food).

Despite their rocky start, Pascha and Pascal did everything normal kittens would do; they played with tails, found playmates among the other members of The Garden Family, and generally had fun.

They developed well, especially Pascha who enjoyed better general health than his brother. Sadly, this was the year when a large proportion of the cat population was wiped out over the summer months, Pascal included. But up til that point, they were normal kittens, doing normal kitten stuff. They had no idea that they couldn’t see as well as the other cats; they were just happy being Pascha and Pascal.

These photos are from their first four months – more tomorrow of Pascal and Pascha, and the other kittens who were growing up in the garden that spring.