It seemed like a long time since the first pod had arrived in the garden, only to be consistently ignored by The Cat but studiously examined by her daughter, Sprocket.

Having seen the interest her daughter was showing in the pod piqued The Cat’s interest too, and it wasn’t long before The Cat had given the pod her seal of approval. As matriarch, she naturally felt that the pod was her domain so we placed a fruit box alongside, lined with some netting and shredded paper, where Sprocket could relax alongside her mother. Pedal, Sprocket’s brother, would often balance on the curved top of the pod in his position as guard cat and chief protector of the family.

The first pod having been approved (eventually), two more were added very quickly – just in time for The Cat and Sprocket’s kittens’ return to the garden from the terrace at weaning time. At this point, at ground level there were wooden pallets with two pods placed on top, then another pallet, and a third pod on top. The lower pods were pushed to the back of the bottom pallets, effectively making a covered walkway in front of the lower pods, sheltered by the overhang from the upper pallet. It was a compact set-up, but effective.

You didn’t think it would stop there, did you?

It wasn’t long before more pallets were acquired to extend the bottom area, and all three pods (by now lined with many layers of soft shade cloth) were arranged in a row, giving a convenient flat surface on the top for putting out food. The top of the pallets was covered with heavy-duty tarpaulin which hung down in front of the pods, keeping both pods and cats dry, and topped with more shade cloth.

Obviously the initial ‘no-cats-on-the-feeding-station’ rule was doomed to failure and didn’t even last the duration of the first feeding. But we all knew that would happen, because the cats just did what they wanted – it was their garden, after all.

The spaces between the pods were perfect for cats who did not like the idea of being ‘enclosed’ in a pod; here they could sit or lie on the pallet or in a wooden fruit box. The top of the feeding station continued over end of the pallets providing a dark ‘cave’ area beneath with some more wooden boxes, ideal for small kittens (who also loved to play games under the pallets).

All that from just one pod – The Cat had trained her humans well.