As Sprocket has featured in recent posts as mother to some of the kittens on the terrace, today some more about her first love.

Mr Tiffin (originally known as The Boyfriend), was a great admirer of Sprocket from near and far (but preferably near). He was maybe a year older than Sprocket, still lean and lithe in appearance and, with the exception of one scar across his nose, unmarked by battle.

There is a strong possibility that, in a moment of hormonal absent-mindedness the previous year, The Cat had overlooked the fact that Mr Tiffin was not orange, resulting in the birth of her son, Pedal. It was impossible to overlook the facts that Mr Tiffin and Pedal shared similar grey and white markings together with an absent-minded air which often led to one leg being ‘left behind’ when reaching the top of the tree or ladder, and a propensity to wobble absent-mindedly whilst precariously perched. They also shared a love of the water bowl adjacent to which they slept contentedly, sometimes with an arm or leg casually dipped in the dish – all traits of both Mr Tiffin and Pedal which were later passed down to Sprocket’s son, Little Bang.

The months passed and, after the untimely demise of the beautiful Sprocket, Mr Tiffin (as he now was) continued to mature into a fine individual, gaining in confidence and learning to stand his ground with the other males of the neighbourhood.

He still visited the front path, the scene of many happy times for himself and Sprocket, which was home to a most welcome water bowl. Eight weeks and a day after her departure, Sprocket whispered in a human’s ear that she thought it might be Mr Tiffin’s birthday, and could some kibble be left outside the front door as a gift for him? The answer was of course affirmative, and from that day on, a handful of dry food was left (and accepted) outside the front door each day at dusk.

Over the next few months, what had started as a handful of food in the front path developed into a free-feeding, eat-all-you-like 24-hour drop-in centre with wet food, a side-dish of kibble and of course a bowl of water, available to any felines who happened to be passing. This tradition continued during the stay of the humans, the cats who were visiting the path for food and water naturally blissfully unaware that they had Mr Tiffin and the beautiful Sprocket to thank.