Age-Net

They found me on a wild and windy night. I was getting tea ready when the wailing began - it rose and fell with the gale force winds, sending chills down my spine. Peeping out, I saw a big black and white cat running off. So that was it - cats fighting. I struggled against lashing wind and rain to shut the door, but the thin wail of a frightened kitten stopped me. Whatever could be happening? I strained my eyes to see into the darkness, but it wasn't until the kitten cried again that I glanced down, and there it was - a tiny black and white infant! But the kitten was still in danger - just above its head glowed a pair of lime green eyes!

The eyes turned out to belong to the kitten's mother, who bounced like a black velvet ball across the threshold. I was stunned, having fallen into some kind of pussycat drama!

Something must be done. I lifted the shivering infant into the warmth, where the mother cat welcomed her with comforting licks. Then I fixed them some food and a bed in a box, and the kitten's cries turned into a faint, uneven purr.

The storm cleared overnight to make way for a sunny autumn day, and the mother cat wanted to go outside. I wedged the door for her, confident that the kitten was sleeping and unlikely to wander. Minutes later, the door was pushed from outside, and in stalked the tomcat. I stood guard, still uncertain of this cat's role in the previous night's happenings. He looked like the kitten's father, but I wasn't sure whether he'd chased the family to attack them, or whether he was helping them.

The big cat took no notice of me as he toured the kitchen, surveying with the dedication of an expert. After checking obstacles to nose-height he stood mid-floor, scanning the worktops and up to the ceiling. The kitten was peeping out of her box, unafraid of the visitor. The tomcat had a purpose, and he didn't seem aggressive. Still, my heart was in my mouth as I watched him pad over to the kitten. I needn't have worried, because he only licked her face, purring loudly! The mother cat came back, and all three enjoyed a lively face-nuzzling session. Then the big cat left, apparently satisfied with his family's new home.

I'd not had much to do with cats until then, but I'd heard people say that animal behaviour is no more than a series of responses to environmental stimuli. But the care and concern shown by these cats surely goes beyond that. I found out later that the animals they were fighting that night were ferrets, and the cats must have risked their own lives to bring their last kitten to safety. Those cats put their faith in me, and I have never forgotten the night I played host to the orphans of the storm.