Top Cats in Gardens Blog Posts of 2016

Looking back at 2016, we had a few posts that performed heads and whiskers above the others. Here are the top three in reverse order:

3. Back in the Day with Behnke Cats
http://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2016/02/back-in-day-with-behnke-cats.html
These black-and-white family snapshots from Stephanie Fleming of Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, were the perfect Baby Boomer childhood nostalgia.

2. Sunset Kitty
http://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2016/12/sunset-kitty.html
This painting by Michelle Bailey of Takoma Park, MD, was a favorite of many who appreciate art and felines.

1. Meadow Cats
http://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2016/08/meadow-cats.html
This brother and sister duo were submitted by Hunter Ten Broeck, Co-Owner/Operator of WaterWise Landscapes Incorporated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. They proved to be adorably photogenic and people loved the naturalistic landscape settings. Not only was it the top post of 2016 for us, but it was our top post of all time!

What were your favorite Cats in Gardens posts of 2016?

Cats in a Stack

Jenny Sharp of Hartford, CT, shared this photo on her Instagram feed. She says, "Their names are Dobby (top) and Padfoot (bottom) and they are about 6 months old. Dobby is super snuggle and always wants to snuggle. Padfoot is mischievous and gets into everything."

 

"Padfoot gets along with our Corgi, Ziggy, and Padfoot plays with him (pictured below). We got them from a couple who rescued a stray cat who ended up being pregnant and had 8 kittens! "

Sunset Kitty

I recently bought this unusual cat image painted by Michelle Bailey of Takoma Park, MD. I asked her to share a bit about how she selected the subject.

Michelle wrote, "We often see our neighbors' cat, Belle, sitting in the front flower box of their house when we walk along Sherman Avenue. This particular fall day, the light from the setting sun onto the house was spectacular; especially the softly focused spot of light right around Belle. As a realist painter using mostly my own reference photos, I always have my camera ready. I instantly knew I would paint this."

You can view and purchase more paintings, including other cats, at her Etsy shop here: http://www.michellebaileyfineart.com/paintings-2/

Cat Helping Out in the Garden

This is a fun video of a cat playing with dirt -- the ultimate "cat in a garden."

A Little Bit of Lubi

A few weeks ago, I visited my neighbor Eileen Schramm and was greeted by this fluffy, white ball of love. She said it was her neighbor's cat and her name is Lubi. Eileen said, "Here she owns the 'hood, fiercely defending it against any four-legged intruders, no matter the size. She'll stare down the biggest dogs. And she's still deeply attached to rolling in dirt and mulch! And belly rubs."

Her owners, Debi and Yasmin, shared the photos below and said, "Chikarubi (called Lubi, Lubi-lu or Lubs - long u) - since she was sprung from a cage, named after a prison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikurubi_Prison). We found her at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam… in a tiny cage, sitting right in a dirty bowl of ‘gruel’ (who knows what it was!)   They put her in a plastic bag and weighed her, selling her to us by the kg!!! This meant she was supposed to be someone’s next meal :-(  We paid US$12 for her! (exorbitant for Vietnam!!!) We took her out of the plastic bag and eventually found a cardboard box at a nearby market stall for her and home we took her… on our motorbike! We put her straight into a bath - she was very well behaved …. and that was the last we saw of that behaviour ;-) The vet thought she was about 5 months old when we got her. She’s lived in Vietnam, (4 years) Cambodia (3 years) and now the US … came on the plane with us. Now she is 9 and a half! My little baby!!"

"First Bath!  Poor baby!"

 

"I can’t believe I didn’t know she would want to be an outdoor kitty… even when we lived on the 6th floor and had a little balcony, she found one of the 3 potted plants and made that her home…. and many many more in other apartments, houses we’ve lived in!"