The Cat was a calm character. She did not seek approval or crave attention; she was a good mother, placid with her kittens and not anxious like some, and this was the atmosphere in which her families grew up.

Once she had decided that humans weren’t too bad after all, we were able to observe her bringing up her kittens, mostly in the garden. During that time, The Cat had six daughters, each chronologically represented in one photo with a caption telling their story.

1. The Cat and her daughter Sprocket, one of two daughters that spring. The following year, The Cat and Sprocket joined forces and brought their litters up together in one big family. They were two very different characters – The Cat was a laid back and experienced mother, and Sprocket was a first-time mother, very diligent and loath to be separated from any of the kittens even for a few minutes.

2. The Cat and her daughter Ratchet, sister to Sprocket. Sadly, Ratchet only lived for a few months which makes this ‘I-love-you-mum’ photo even more poignant.

3. The Cat and her daughter Big Bang. This was the year when The Cat and Sprocket raised their families together but despite this, Big Bang was strongly bonded to her birth mother. As Big Bang grew older, Sprocket seemed to be irritated by Big Bang’s bond, especially when Sprocket was taking the kittens out of the garden on their evening adventures and Big Bang refused to go, preferring to stay at home with her mother.

4. The Cat’s second daughter that year (and sister to Big Bang) was Prince, the black cat being washed by The Cat in this photo. Prince was an independent character and not as close to her mother as was Big Bang. Prince’s name gives away the fact that we thought she was male for quite some time!

5. The Cat and her daughter Whitefur. Whitefur grew up into an independent young lady and was never demonstrably close to her mother. Despite that, in her old age The Cat enjoyed the company of Whitefur above that of any of the rest of her female family. Maybe they were kindred spirits.

6. The Cat’s last daughter, Flora, remained strongly bonded with her mother until the end of The Cat’s life. After The Cat passed away, Flora inherited the garden and became the new matriarch. She was never friendly and remained aloof throughout our time there, although she was an excellent mother and raised her litters in the garden.

The header photo shows Ratchet and Sprocket in the garden.