The first alpha-male to follow in The Cat’s son Ana Half-Tail’s footsteps was Mr Grey (aka The Evil Grey, and Sunday). Then came Saturday, the first in a line of sturdy orange males which included G5, G6, G7 and Mr Bright. NVQ was black-and-white, and he and Mr Bright had the longest spells of dominance in the fields.

In the last eighteen months after The Cat passed away, a new generation of would-be alpha-males started to emerge. They still had some way to go to rival Mr Bright and NVQ, but they were determined.

Of these males, Thundercat was the oldest and most likely to succeed. He had come from a garden across the fields where cats were also fed – the same garden as Visitor, Sniffly and Ghost Cats, Sabiħa and BBC had come from. Thundercat was not friendly per se but as time passed, he became accustomed to being around us although we were always careful of how we approached him as he was partially sighted in his left eye and sometimes could be caught off guard.

Next was Syllabub, Twilight’s son. Syllabub was a handsome young cat with a smooth grey-and-white coat. He was feral, tolerating the presence of humans only where getting a good meal was concerned.

Syllabub’s younger brother Bala was another of the up-and-coming alpha-males. His father was almost definitely NVQ, one of the earlier generations of alpha-males who was still active in the neighbourhood.

And finally there was Phantom’s son, Muffin. Muffin was still working his way up through the hierarchy, but he was an intelligent cat who was doing well on a combination of stubborn determination and his quick-witted personality.

These males were the future, and the younger females were allying themselves to them. Thundercat was the father of Sherpa (Twilight’s grandson) and probably some of Flora’s kittens, and Syllabub had formed a bond with Phantom. Muffin had been seen out and about with Flora’s daughter Swift, and Bala had his father NVQ’s protective shield around him.

And so the fabric of the different feline families living in the fields and garden continued to be woven tight.