The spring that The Cat and her daughter Sprocket raised their kittens together was a big year in the history of the Garden Family. Both families were born in the garden and spent their first two weeks there, before being moved to the humans’ first floor terrace for their third and fourth weeks. After that, they were taken back to the garden so that weaning could commence.

The kittens were nursed and raised by both mothers; although The Cat and Sprocket’s mothering techniques were very different, the kittens were perfectly happy and well looked after.

Here are some photos from weeks three to six of the kittens’ lives showing them with their mothers on the terrace, and then back in the garden.

Sprocket carried all seven kittens to the terrace one morning. She had to jump onto some plastic crates under the olive tree, then carry the kitten up through the branches of the tree, across the high wall, and jump up with them still in her mouth, in between the balustrades of the terrace. This Sprocket did seven times in one morning.

We placed two fruit boxes on the terrace lined with pieces of netting and handfuls of olive leaves which we gathered up from the garden. The mothers lay in the boxes for feeding, and the kittens played in them.

After two weeks on the terrace, the mothers decided it was time to start weaning the kittens. Sprocket carried all seven kittens back to the garden. They were bigger and heavier than they had been, and it took a lot of effort. The Cat was happy to sit and watch and guard the kittens once they were delivered to her by her daughter.

All the kittens were equally happy with both mothers; whether they knew which mother they belonged to, we can’t be sure, although Big Bang seemed to know that The Cat was her mother and formed a strong attachment to her.

Once the kittens were all in the garden, The Cat led them to the food bowls and weaning officially commenced. The mothers continued to feed the kittens, supplementing the solid food which they were all eating.

We were privileged to watch the families at close quarters; we learnt a lot from the cats over the eleven years we cared for them.