The Cat’s fondness for orange gentlemen must have started before we knew her – after all, her Number One Son was Ana, himself orange. Grey cat, tuxedo cats, black cats came and went; sometimes The Cat seemed interested, more often not. So orange was definitely her favourite colour and, in honour of that, here are three photos of orange alpha-males, caught unawares and looking less than fierce.

Saturday was one of the first orange Visiting Cats. The Cat had a soft spot for him and they would nap near to each other in the garden. By then, Ana Half-Tail had left his mother’s side and set off on his own adventures in the fields, no doubt in his own colony where he would be alpha-male, so there was a ‘vacancy’ for a new orange companion for The Cat. Saturday was a big, handsome cat and certainly not the sort of male who could generally be described as ‘cute’, but caught unawares napping in the sun on the roof of a farmer’s store in the fields, he did a very good impression!

A few years after Saturday had moved on, Thundercat started to visit. He was one of the new generation of wannabe alpha-males and was keen to work his way up the ladder. He picked his fights sensibly and, although he never achieved the same physical stature as the likes of Saturday and, later, Mr Bright, he was a powerful and athletic cat. He was partially sighted in his left eye which could put him at a disadvantage, but he adapted well. Thundercat was in demand as a kitten-sitter, having previously looked after Tumbleweed (Storm’s son) in the fields, and Clover (Cracker’s son) in the garden. Here Thundercat is pictured looking after Mr T, a younger son of Cracker.

Mr Bright was a stocky, powerful orange cat, along the lines of Saturday, but with slightly shorter legs. He was a solidly-built and heavy cat which probably accounts for his damaging one of his front legs when he jumped down; of course he was not inclined to rest his leg and continued as normal which only made it worse and eventually he walked with a limp. Oddly, this had no effect whatsoever on his reputation as one of the neighbourhood’s most fearsome alpha-males, and younger cats continued to avoid him at all costs, bent leg or no bent leg.

Doubtless, Saturday, Mr Bright and Thundercat would not have been happy for these photos to be circulated, and you have to wonder whether maybe The Cat saw a softer side to these ambitious gentlemen.