Longtail had his own agenda, and it was the agenda of an up-and-coming and ambitious feral male. While he had had fun with Dinky and Quink (The Three Mouseketeers) as a young adult, the fields were now his domain and it was here that battles were to be won and lost, friendships forged, and reputations made.

At that time, there were very few black cats so seeing two together was quite remakable. It was not until a few weeks later that it became apparent that the cat spotted with Longtail in the fields was Kiwi, although at that time she had not made her way to the feeding bowls.

Longtail also visited the garden. Maybe it was because he was so obviously not orange that The Cat took a dislike to him – whatever the reason, she was quick to hiss her disapproval.

So it was a double surprise when Visitor Cat (who The Cat disliked even more than Longtail) was granted permission by The Cat to move into the garden and, accompanying Visitor and her kitten Tiger, was Longtail who became their protector during Visitor’s time there.

Over the months, The Cat softened and Longtail was spotted in the garden and on the terrace with Whitefur, The Cat’s daughter, who also spent a lot of her time out in the fields.

These domestic arrangements were all very nice and convenient for Longtail, but his heart lay out in the fields where he was making his presence felt and standing up to the likes of NVQ and G7, the bigger names in alpha-male circles, and it was back to the fields he went, where his future lay.

This photo of Longtail and NVQ was taken moments before they launched at each other and disappeared into the long grass.