Phantom arrived as a young black-and-white kitten of around eight weeks old. She had been brought by her mother (who we only saw at a distance in the fields), and soon after they arrived, her mother disappeared, leaving Phantom behind.

It was many weeks until Phantom allowed us to get close enough to realise that she was female, and not male as we had at first thought, and, although she became friendly over the years, her trust was hard-won and highly prized.

She was never a particularly sociable cat, but for some reason, other cats gravitated towards her and, looking back at photos, there are many showing her in the company of other cats, mostly Visiting Cats from the fields as opposed to Garden Family cats (probably because Phantom lived in the fields on the other side of the road and came to the drive and front path to eat, as opposed to the garden).

On this day we had a delivery of cat food and Phantom, Kiwi and Dawn had to be distracted with pouches outside the front door to keep them away from the road while the delivery was offloaded. Like Phantom, Kiwi was a loner and it seemed appropriate that, of all the feral females, they should feel a bond and become close.

Gypsy had arrived during the pandemic and decided not to return to her original feeder. She was used to humans and loved all the other cats, wanting to be in the middle of everything that was going on. She loved Phantom and they spent time eating together and napping on the wall in the sun. Here they look rather like a pair of doubles tennis players, covertly discussing their tactics for their next point.

And so Phantom, Gypsy and Kiwi became known as ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’. Here they are, enjoying their bowls in the front path.

Here, Phantom and Kiwi are supervising the visiting diners in the drive, with Kiwi watching Mini, and Phantom watching her son Tuxedo Joe, eating their dinners. The header photo shows Phantom and Syllabub on the wall in the front path, enjoying the evening sunlight.

Phantom’s offspring remained loyal to her, even as adults. Despite everything, she remained fiercely independent, living life on her terms and, in spite of remaining a small and slightly-built cat, she had an aura which other cats seemed to find compelling.