Most of the kittens born to feral mothers arrived in the spring, giving the mothers time to wean their litters and help them become more independent before the worst of the summer heat arrived.
But occasionally, there were autumn litters – not many among the Garden Family cats, but for the Visiting Cats who lived in the surrounding fields, occasionally a new family arrived in the autumn.
Today, here are five photos of kitten families at weaning age, taken in October. They were all born in the fields, although two mothers (Visitor Cat and Cracker) subsequently brought their kittens to the garden for weaning, the other three mothers (Twilight, Roma and Phantom) introducing their families to the feeding bowls in the drive and front path.
Firstly, Twilight’s kittens Storm, Dawn, Cloud and Dusk on the wall separating the fields from the drive. Twilight roamed the fields covering quite a large distance for a female cat, bringing her kittens to the drive for weaning. As they grew more independent, a few of those kittens became part of the garden family.
Next is Visitor Cat pictured in the garden with her daughters Fennel and She-ba. Visitor was bringing her kittens up in the fields but sadly lost He-Boy on the road one night, and immediately brought Fennel and She-ba into the garden for safety. The Cat must have been in tolerant mood as Visitor Cat was not one of her favourite neighbours.
Roma came from the fields opposite and decided to bring her daughter Kushti and son Savvy to the front path for weaning. Here they were napping together in a plant pot directly outside the front door.
Like Roma, Phantom lived in the fields opposite. She brought Silk, Splendid and Velvet to the drive for weaning where they are pictured sitting on the wall separating the fields from the drive.
Cracker was Visitor Cat’s daughter and a member of the Garden Family, but preferred to give birth to her kittens in the fields. This autumn she had brought Shamrock (pictured here with Cracker) together with littermates Jet and Toe-White to the garden for weaning.
The header photo shows Dusk in a plant pot in the drive with sister Dawn behind.
