There was no doubt that Raven was BBC’s son. In fact, the older Raven became, the harder it became to tell them apart, and there were times when the humans were grateful of the tiny fur-less pink patch Raven had under his bottom lip which confirmed his identity.
Dawn had brought her litter of kittens into the garden for weaning at around four weeks old. Their nest was tucked away at the end of the garden behind some large plastic barrels where we made sure there was a pile of straw and grass for anyone who needed to hide away.
The first clue that BBC had some sort of bond with Dawn or her kittens was when he started spraying around the entrance to the nest. This would have been a deterrent or marker indicating to other males to stay clear (this despite the fact that not all the kittens had been fathered by BBC).
This early photo of Raven shows him at 13 weeks old.
Even as a small kitten, it was obvious that Raven was BBC’s offspring, not only to the humans but apparently to BBC. The first photo of BBC and Raven together was around 6 weeks after the kittens arrived in the garden, which would make Raven between 11 and 12 weeks old here.
Already, there was a relaxed, familial bond between the pair, something that effortlessly continued as Raven matured.
BBC was a regular visitor at Garden Family feeding. Here, Raven (at the front bowl) was between 7 and 8 months old. BBC is at the water bowl at the back. The other cats pictured are Dandy Grey, Dawn, Satsuma and Cheese on the feeding station, Linnet humping up, behind Raven Sherpa, Pascha, Checkers and Swift, Mini on the water tank and Cracker on the right.
Raven (around 9 months old) striding out to spend some time with BBC after feeding.
This photo of Raven (heading to the water bowl) and BBC was taken on Raven’s 1st birthday.
These photos document BBC’s relationship with his son during Raven’s first year. It was a bond that required no flamboyant gestures, just an innate sense of belonging and family.
