Silver

When youngster Silver and his sister Silvia were trapped around SilverCity (can you guess what inspired their names?) in October, they were thought to be feral. Silver soon proved this to be untrue. "Very early on," says Marianne, who made a point of spending time with them when they came to the sanctuary. "Silver, the tabby/white boy, showed that he's not feral by flipping over for a tummy rub as soon as contact was made."

I didn't think to introduce myself to the pair earlier because at first they used to hide behind a drape when strangers came by, and even now the sign on their cage in the Connor building warns visitors not to frighten them. It was Marianne who brought them to my attention as a couple of "cute and very sweet" cats that I might enjoy meeting. And I certainly did.  No sooner did I approach the cage door than Silver was sizing me up as a potential friend and sharer of cuddles.