The Cat enjoyed motherhood. She was an excellent mother with sound instincts, and her own ideas about how to raise a family.

But during the final eighteen months of her life, there were no more kittens for The Cat and, looking back at photos, it seems clear that this was something she missed. Many photos show her in the close proximity of kittens – some related to her, some not; she didn’t necessarily interact with them, but she seemed to enjoy being around them.

Naturally, as the matriarch and alpha-female of the garden, cats gravitated towards her (and not just her own family), but there were occasions on which she made the effort to join their groups, just to be close, and these are some photos of those times.

The Cat with her daughter Flora and Flora’s daughter, Souci…

You can just see The Cat sitting on the top left of the photo, supervising her grand-kittens’ mealtimes…

The Cat, close to Souci with Cheese and Cheese’s son Oregano…

Aerial shot of The Cat who had squeezed herself into a box in the garden and was lying on top of her grand-kittens…

The Cat and Oregano…

The Cat with her grand-daughter Calypso and kitten Lychee (She-ba’s daughter), who had adopted The Cat as her garden mother…

The header photo also shows The Cat with Lychee – Lychee would snuggle down into The Cat’s fur overnight, seeking comfort and warmth. The Cat could easily have moved away, but never did (despite Lychee’s nose running into her fur all night).