There were two large water tanks in the garden, one under the olive tree and one on the veranda. They were filled from the well, and the water was a valuable resource when it came to watering the trees. It turned out that some of the cats liked to drink well water, so there was always small pail available for them in the garden and drive, as well as the usual bottled water. Obviously a muddy puddle (or an algae-topped pail) was their first choice, but in a hot country, they can be hard to find .

It was obvious from early on that the tank under the olive tree would be well-used by the cats and kittens, so we put offcuts of board on top for the cats to lie on. Naturally, the kittens (Big Bang, Little Bang and Early Lately in this photo) ignored the boards and wedged themselves in between the boards and the frame of the tank.

So a new plan was hatched. The tank was wrapped and covered in soft shade cloth; on the top it was secured to the sides to prevent kittens from disappearing between the tank and the metal frame; there was a roller front and back so the cloth could be removed for cleaning, and garden netting over the top. The branches of the olive tree above added a generous layer of leaves to make the cats and kittens feel at home. The felines were happy and the top of the tank was as well used as its contents.

The following year, a canopy was added to provide extra shade. The Cat (pictured) and Dinky enjoyed this addition, but it didn’t last long thanks to Lightning’s habit of jumping out of the olive tree onto the canopy, where he would sleep on top of it. He may only have been a kitten, but he was solid and the canopy was only supported on two pieces of plastic pipe at the front, and suspended at the back. Lightning treated it as his own personla hammock; obviously it had been made for him alone.

This tank was immediately adjacent to the olive tree where there were also upturned plastic crates which acted as steps – ideal for kittens playing in the tree and on the tank or for less able cats. Here, Swift and Satsuma were climbing in the tree while Pascha watched from the crates. Pascal was sitting on the lower level, with Linnet walking past the water bowl. On top of the tank were Flora and Dandy Grey (with probably more cats too, out of sight).

The water tank was also somewhere where shyer cats like Mini could be fed separately from the other cats at the feeding station. She was easily discouraged by the other cats at feeding time and often walked away, so feeding her separately gave her a fairer chance of a good feed. Although she was not friendly, she knew the call of her name which summoned her to the bowl. In this photo, she is sharing a bowl with her younger sister, Sundown.

It was a happy corner of the garden, in between the gate and the feeding station, and was well-used as a napping and relaxing place, as well as being a sort-cut from the high wall down to the garden.