Each cat had their own preferences for what sort of food was their favourite, and it was the same with water. When we first arrived, there was always water in pails, although this was not always very fresh. But that didn’t stop the cats from drinking it, and even in later years when we poured bottled water in their bowls, some cats preferred to bypass this in favour of the old water in the pails. And again, if there had been rain, there were certain cats who liked to drink from puddles.

As a general rule, the water in the pails was older and not as clean but The Cat still enjoyed drinking water from a pail in the drive (as in the header photo), even if it did have a faintly green tinge to it, and Mr Grey (who later became The Evil Grey, and then Sunday) obviously felt much the same about it.

Water in the brown plastic bowls was bottled water, the same as the humans drank. Well, we didn’t like the tap water so there was no way we were going to give it to the cats. There were bowls positioned around the garden, on the verandah and under the olive tree so there was always water available for anyone passing through.

Likewise, there were bowls in the front path, one near the food bowls, and this one near the gate for cats who just wanted to jump over the gate, have a quick drink, and head back to the fields.

Water in small white enamelled pails was fresh from the well. It would have consisted mostly of rainwater which was fed to the well from the roof; it was safe for the cats, but probably not for humans.

If there were cats or kittens who needed their diets supplementing, kitten formula milk was sometimes available at mealtimes. Any leftover formula milk was offered to the adults, some of whom absolutely loved it.

It was typical that often the adults liked the formula milk more than did the kittens, for whom it was intended. But we also gave it to nursing mothers and cats who were unwell as it was rich in vitamins.

And then, of course, there were puddles. Puddles that, despite looking cloudy and suspicious, some cats drank from in preference to any of the other types of water.

Yes, in preference to water from the well, bottled water or formula milk, some of the cats still preferred some nice cloudy rainwater, preferably from a puddle where there was plenty of human foot traffic and loose soil and gravel.

If there had only been one sort of water available, no doubt the cats would have drunk that, but, as there was a variety in later years, it was interesting to observe their preferences.