Sprocket and Pedal have been mentioned regularly, in particular Sprocket as it was she and The Cat who, between them, created the Garden Family colony when they both had their litters within a few days of each other.

But of course Sprocket and Pedal had a sister, a littermate, Ratchet, who is not featured as often because she lived only a few months. She was part of the happy trio of kittens spending their time between the fields and the garden; she did all the usual kitten things and, apart from the fact that she seemed to spend more time sleeping than Sprocket and Pedal, she seemed perfectly fine. It was only during her last day when she was just fading away that it was obvious that there was something wrong. Maybe she wasn’t joining in kitten games as much for a few days, maybe she was napping more and playing less – these are all things that can be spotted in retrospect, but at the time don’t jump out at you.

So today, celebrating the life of Ratchet, here are three photos, one each from her second, third and fourth months, showing her enjoying life and doing the usual kitten things.

The Cat brought the kittens to the garden for weaning. Apart from solid food, there was a lot that was different from the fields, not least the humans who looked out over the garden from the first floor terrace and came to the garden to put out the food. Ratchet was a curious girl; she was not phased by the humans, so long as we were at a safe distance.

There was a vegetable box in the drive in which The Cat liked to lie and, when she wasn’t there, the kittens soon took it over. One small kitten, one big box – Ratchet must have felt so very grown up.

And, despite her short life, Ratchet discovered the fields, the drive, the garden and the front path. She even found her way into the highest plant from where she could look down into the drive and see her family. She certainly packed a lot in to her life.

Ratchet was greatly missed when she passed away. She was our first loss from the Garden Family, and it hit humans and her family hard. Sprocket and Pedal’s bond was reinforced, and remained strong for the remained of their lives.