Sometimes littermates remained close all their lives, that early bond staying as strong as ever, whatever happened. But some littermates went their separate ways, forging their own path on their own terms.
The Cat’s youngest grand-kittens who were born to her daughter Flora a few months before The Cat’s demise fell into the latter category. Flora was a good mother, raising her family in the garden and allowing them space to develop at their own pace.
Not only were all five (two girls and three boys) quite different in appearance, they were also completely different in character.
The biggest was Buffy, a male peach-and-white kitten with fluffy fur. He was the boldest and, had he lived longer, would probably have been the alpha-male of the group, but sadly he lost his life adventuring on the road at a young age while his siblings were content to play safely in the drive. So as regards his character, all we know is from those first few weeks when he was wary of humans and not keen on contact.
Swift was the larger of the two female kittens. In terms of colour, she was calico with a mix of orange, grey and white, and her character was very like her mother’s as she was suspicious of humans and uncomfortable with them nearby. She chose to leave the garden as she matured and make her home in the fields, returning to eat.
Dandy Grey was a grey-and-white male, his almond-shaped peppermint green eyes reminiscent of Mr Tiffin’s, all those years ago. Dandy was a clever, affectionate boy who liked humans, but he also grew up with an acute awareness of the potential dangers from the fields and other males. Maybe Buffy had passed some warning notes to his brother to help keep him safe.
The third boy was Checkers, a fluffy black-and-white cat with a very pink nose. The humans could tell that he really wanted to be friendly, to relax and accept cuddles as Dandy Grey was happy to do, but there was something that held Checkers back. He liked to be out in the fields but did not seem to have any aspirations of becoming an alpha-male.
And last but not least was Satsuma who was the runt of the litter. Satsuma was always smaller than the others, a compact little cat who had been born with a stump of a tail. She had a sweet disposition and was very affectionate and quite content to make the garden her home.
There could hardly have been five more different members of a family, and Flora must be credited with having brought them up as such individuals.
