One day a cat appeared in our yard. A tabby cat and he was very bold. He hated our other outside cats and he wanted to be head cat. I will admit that we were cross with him because he was trying to beat our other cats and snarling at them. But eventually he settled and became part of our cat family. We knew he was very old and we called him the auld lad (Irish slang)

One day we were out shopping and when we came home the auld lad had been hurt. His mouth had been burst; it looked as if someone kicked him badly. Puddles and Twinkles lives in the living room of our house but we kept the auld lad in the kitchen at night and fed him soft food and eventually his wounds healed. Then the weather got very nasty and we continued to keep him in at night. The outside cats are shut in to the shed at night to keep them safe but we felt the auld lad because of his age needed to be in the heat of the house at night. He became a very gentle and loving cat.

He used to go away for a day but would come back and sleep in the armchair in the kitchen. He eventually disappeared completely along with one of our other outside cats. We felt they were both dead. They were gone for weeks. My husband and I did not feel guilt because we do our best for stray cats and nothing more we could do.

So a few weeks back my husband was out working in the garden and he suddenly came into the kitchen where I was cooking and he said "look who has come to see you". There was the auld lad with all the outside cats with him. They all came in to the kitchen. They auld lad jumped up beside me at the sink. I said "auld lad, are you hungry". I got a plate and left down some food. He did not seem to want to eat it. He lay down on the mat at the kitchen door. I petted him and I was stunned. He always had warts on his head and a lump out of his ear and a scar on his mouth.

But as I petted him I saw that he had no warts, no scars. He was in perfect condition. He looked like a young cat. His coat was so smooth. As I rubbed him down he kept looking at me with such a gentle expression. He was glowing. I then went back to the kitchen sink and when I looked again he was gone.

My husband came in and asked me where the auld lad was so that he could pet him. I said he is gone and the visit only lasted a few minutes. We looked for him outside and could not find him. But yet we felt a great peace after this experience. I can not explain it. I am looking for a rational explanation and I can not find one. After that fleeting visit we did not see him again. But if it is the case that the auld lad came back from the rainbow bridge to say thank you, we are privileged to have this lovely experience.