The Cat was generally content overseeing the comings and goings in the garden from her favourite vantage points on the veranda or on a box in the garden. But occasionally, she took a really strong dislike to another cat and, when this happened, she did not hesitate to make her feelings known.

One of the first such instances of this was with the arrival of Dinky, a new cat we spotted on the roof of a farmer’s building in the fields.

Fuelled by hunger and confusion after being cruelly dumped in the fields, Dinky found his way to the drive where we fed him for the first few days. He was an exceptionally quick learner and, after just one day, arrived at the same time every day following, looking for his bowl of food.

But of course, Dinky was naturally curious and it was only a matter of time before he found his way into the garden, only to find Mr Grey (aka The Evil Grey) waiting for him as Dinky descended the olive tree. We were not too concerned as we thought that Dinky was female, but obviously the fact that Mr Grey knew Dinky was male made a difference.

Dinky’s casual pose did not last for long and soon he was cowering behind the green plastic crates before making a well-judged and imperative exit back up the tree and back to the drive.

A couple of days later, Dinky’s curiosity got the better of him and he decided to revisit the garden, although this time he made sure that Mr Grey was not there. But The Cat was there, and she was deeply unimpressed. She could move like the wind when she wanted to, and she did not waste one moment in chasing Dinky out of the garden. Why he didn’t just go back into the drive is a mystery; he would have been safe there. Instead, he headed in panic up the olive tree, higher and higher, until he ran out of tree and had no option but to cling to the very top branch where he swayed precariously from side to side in the strong winds, while The Cat sat only a few feet beneath on the high wall, counting the minutes until the imposter must surely part company with his twig.

Luckily for Dinky, The Cat’s patience ran out before his twig broke, and he was able to descend, dignity intact, and go back to the drive where we continued to feed him.

None of the other cats seemed to have a problem with Dinky; maybe it was The Cat’s maternal instincts kicking in as it was kitten season – who knows? But there were other instances of her chasing cats out of the garden – another tale follows tomorrow.