In all the years we looked after The Cat, we never saw her sleeping with her belly exposed. Kittens – yes, they were relaxed enough to sleep without a care in the world. But adult feral cats – no, they were too wary.

So it was unusual that four members of The Cat’s family were the exception to the rule, namely her son Ana, and all three of The Furries (Whitefur, Greyfur and Blackfur).

This is a relatively early photo of Ana, as he was still fully-tailed. Over the next year, he grew considerably and, as one of the main alpha-males of the neighbourhood, was no longer inclined to sleep on his back or in compromising positions. But as an up-and-coming male, he still had times when he was quite uninhibited as he was in this photo, taking his siesta alongside his mother on the windowsill in the drive with the cool of the glass against his back on a hot, summer’s day.

Whitefur was the only girl from The Cat’s litter ‘The Furries’, and grew up to be quite a tomboy. She was not a ‘mother’s girl’ in any respect, and was just as independent as her two brothers. She eventually made her home in the fields opposite with her brother Greyfur, returning to eat in the garden with her mother.

Greyfur grew into the biggest of his litter – a chunky, solid cat who eventually made the choice to relocate into the fields opposite as he was too big to safely jump over the gate without damaging his joints. But, for such a solidly-built cat, he was surprisingly graceful and a proponent of ‘sleep-dancing’, which he is doing here in the corner of the garden, napping alongside his mother, The Cat.

If anything, Blackfur was the joker of the family. Maybe it wasn’t a purposeful thing, but he could be a comical cat, sleeping upside down in the most strange places and positions. Here you can still see his scars from when he was hit by a car on the road. Maybe that was why he decided not to join his brother and sister on the other side of the road as he eschewed the road after being so badly injured.

In contrast to her offspring and their belly-up sleeping positions, The Cat was not tempted and her belly remained a mystery to the world.