The first water tank was under the olive tree and, because of its position, was in the middle of a busy feline thoroughfare. Some cats would jump from the high wall straight onto the tank to avoid passing other cats on the tree, and the familiar thump of a cat landing on the tank became part of the audio landscape of everyday life.

The second water tank on the veranda, however, was quite different. It was not a shortcut to anywhere and cats got on and off it by the same (or almost the same) route. There were some upturned stacked farmers’ crates next to it which the cats used as steps, and the windowsill of the garage was also a handy step up for smaller cats. Kittens could clamber up by scrambling up the soft garden netting which wrapped the tank, but they soon found that growing bigger made this awkward.

The back corner of the tank was the first place to get the morning sun and this made it a prime position for The Cat who would often be joined by her family to wash and nap after breakfast, especially during the winter when the nights were cool and damp. For The Cat and the female members of her family, the tank became quite a social spot. This photo shows The Cat with (L-R) her grand-daughter Pippin, daughter Whitefur, daughter Flora, grand-daughter Souci and grand-daughter Calypso.

Occasionally Visiting Cats were seen on the tank, especially if it was a rainy day and they needed somewhere to shelter. But this was unusual, and there were not many Visiting Cats who were happy with this domestic arrangement.

This photo was taken on a rainy day. At the left are siblings Cosmos and Moonstruck (just visible at the back corner), She-ba’s offspring. Sitting up at the back is Phantom’s daughter, Shady and in front of her, Cheese (who is wet and covered in sand or grit after walking through the fields). Front right is Visiting Cat Thundercat, and front centre is The Cat’s grand-daughter Pippin. Thundercat got on well with the Garden Family despite being an aspiring alpha-male who spent almost all his time out in the fields.

The garage window behind provided a handy ledge which Mini used when she brought her kittens Diablo, Bubble and Squeak to the top of the tank for a short while. Both the water tanks were covered with the same material so cats who visited one were naturally also comfortable on the other.

And even after The Cat had passed away, her family still used the tank in exactly the same manner. At the back, The Cat’s daughter and new matriarch of the garden Flora is having a wash and, in front of her, her older daughter Pippin and son Dandy Grey.

And so the tradition and The Cat’s legacy continued.