Kittens liked to explore. Wherever they had been born, wherever they were being brought up, whatever they had been told by their mothers, they liked to explore, to adventure, to learn on their own.

Naturally, we humans wanted to protect the kittens and spent a lot of time with our hearts in our mouths, worrying about their various antics. And we never stopped worrying, not about kittens, not about adults – worry was just part and parcel of looking after outdoor cats.

So when The Cat’s daughters Ratchet and Sprocket decided to explore the front path on their own, it was pointless trying to dissuade them. They were a little less than four months old now, and The Cat was leaving them on their own for longer periods of time, giving them more opportunity to spread their wings and use the skills their mother had taught them.

These four photos tell the story of their foray into the path (their brother, Pedal, was on guard in the drive); at the end of her daughters’ adventure, The Cat joined them for treats just inside the gate.

Sprocket outside the gate.
‘What d’you think, Ratchet? Shall we go in? I can see in, there are a few steps and a path. It looks safe, and I don’t like the traffic that keeps whizzing by here.’

‘Oh, that was easy. Just walk through one of the gaps, Ratchet – you’re even slimmer than I and you’ll have no problem.’

‘Where have you gone? Where are you, Ratchet?? Oh there you are – inside the trough. Don’t be shy, come out – the humans are friendly.’

‘See? It’s OK in the path. I told you it would be, and now mamma is here too, we can share treats with her and feel very grown up. We can visit again, now we’ve been once, and maybe next time Pedal will come too.’