Another distinct area within the garden was the veranda which was at the back of the garden, running underneath the front section of the upstairs terrace.

On one side was the big water tank (covered with layers of soft shade cloth) on which the cats liked to relax after meals. This was The Cat’s favourite winter after-breakfast spot as, seated in the back corner, she would be the first in the garden to feel the warmth of the winter sun as it came round the corner of the house. It was somewhere that Garden Family cats enjoyed using, although occasionally Visiting Cats would join them. Pictured below are The Cat’s daughter Flora at the front, her son Dandy Grey on the left, and Phantom’s daughter Shady, another member of the Garden Family, at the back.

The water tank was sheltered from the westerly wind by a full-height vertical tarpaulin at the side which had a square hole cut into the bottom corner (rather like an open cat flap), allowing cats to access the veranda from opposite the feeding station and emerge onto the veranda from underneath the tank, which was raised from the ground on blocks. It was a useful shortcut and also a handy escape route, leading as it did from the veranda to the olive tree, for anyone who had the urgent need to leave the garden at speed.

There were also wooden boxes in sheltered corners, some limestone blocks and a shelf at the back, and green plastic crates stacked next to the tank which made a ‘stairway’ for the cats to reach the top of the tank. There was always fresh food and water on the verandah which was separated from the garden by an area of potted plants and tubs through which the cats could weave their way. The small gate in the corner led simply down into a small square enclosed area, especially popular with mothers and their kittens as it was enclosed up to around eight inches in height. In the photo below, Mini is snacking and siblings Dandy Grey and Swift (on the shelf) and Checkers are having a wash.

Along the front of the veranda bordering the garden was a small fence, the potted plants, and a small concrete slope leading into the garden, unifying the two areas. Pascha is pictured below.

So the veranda was another useful area for the cats and, in the event of heavy rain, was somewhere where they could be fed under cover, even if it was cramped. The sign of a successful feeding in bad weather was dry cats and wet humans.