There are a lot of photos of The Cat, but one thing which is noticeable when looking through them is that she rarely made eye contact. When she did, however, her gaze was often compelling.

So today, here are six photos, one from each of her first six years; please come back tomorrow for her final five photos.

2011 – The Cat was a leggy young adult. She had two sons, Ana and Pea Cat, and had never had regular contact with humans.

2012 – food was now available daily but that didn’t mean that The Cat viewed the humans with any less suspicion.

2013 – maybe the first signs of her mellowing attitude towards the humans.

2014 – after three years of caring for her, The Cat finally allowed us to touch her. It was a big step for her. From here, she soon realised that being accommodating brought a lot of advantages (i.e. treats).

2015 – knowing that the humans had fallen hook, line and sinker for her feral charms, The Cat was well and truly the boss.

2016 – this photo, although not as flattering as some, portrays The Cat’s character well. She was very much the matriarch and superior to everyone (human and feline).

I still think that The Cat thought she was my mother, and I made sure to always the top step free for her if we were sitting on the front steps. She had a need to be superior in height to match her position.