Top Garden Cat Blog Posts of 2018

Looking back at 2018, we had a few posts that performed heads and whiskers above the others. Who says black cats are unlucky? They are clearly the most popular among garden cats fans! Here are the top posts in reverse order:

3. The Allotment Cat

Robert the Allotment Cat is a cat living on an allotment site (community garden) in Birmingham UK. He is doing a great job trying to teach us humans about cat ways.

2. Wonk Cats

These kitties making a home at DC's Armerican University are a hit with the college students and cat lovers everywhere.

1. And the Black Belt goes to... Farm Ninja

Bethany Karn shared these photos of Jack, the Flower Farm cat at M and M Plants in Dickerson, MD. Jack (pictured at top) is the perfect garden cat companion - full of abundant energy, but he also know when to stop and smell the posies.

Honorable Mentions:

- Sunset Kitty is a legend in my neighborhood and is gaining a following outside the area.
- Little Wizard has an irresistible kitten face that makes you want to squeeee.
- Warning: Pemethrin and Cats was an important notice that was spread far and wide.

What were your favorite Cats in Gardens posts of 2018?

#gardencats

A Community Cat Garden

Video via ABC 7 news

The Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) in California has the "Garden Cat Adoption Program At The Marilyn & Fred Anderson Community Cat Garden" for placing feral, outdoor-loving cats into homes that will allow the cats to roam. Above is a news clip about the innovative program.

They note that: "Cats available for adoption in the Garden Cat program are looking for a home in settings such as a barn, warehouse, corporate campus, or plant nursery. In exchange for room and board, these cats help their owners by keeping rodents away."

This unique program has led to more than 260 adoptions.

"A feral cat coming into a shelter is actually a death sentence because there aren't alternatives in some cases for those animals," said Carol Novello, president of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. "So we wanted to come up with an alternative so that those animals were given the second chance that they deserve."

Vintage Garden Kittens

HARRY WHITTIER FREES (1879–1953) was an American photographer who used his photographs of posed animals to create novelty postcards and children's stories. This collection dates back as far as 1914.

He said of his work: "These unusual photographs of real animals were made possible only by patient, unfailing kindness on the part of the photographer at all times. Speed is essential in securing these pictures, but very often it is impossible to be quick enough." He reportedly had to discard over 2/3 of the film he shot.

On his live animal subjects, he wrote, "the kitten is the most versatile animal actor, and possesses the greatest variety of appeal." We are sure you‘ll agree that the garden kittens are especially enchanting.

Good-Also Good-Best

This cartoon by @natalyalobanova on Instagram says it all:

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp5lx1kHpNH/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet

Cat Nap Art

Afternoon Nap by Marilyn Barkhouse

This sweet art print of a garden cat is available to order from UrbanLoftArt.com. If you check out Marilyn Barkhouse's portfolio on their site, you'll see she has many other garden cats in her collection, along with dogs and butterflies and lots of flowers.

Her artist bio says she "is an award-winning artist who was born in the Canadian Maritimes on Prince Edward Island. Marilyn is inspired by the wildlife that she can see from her studio window, including deer, coyote, bald eagles and fox. She works from her studio located near the Cape Blomidon provincial park - a very popular park in Nova Scotia. She enjoys the serenity and quietness of a pastoral, rural life along with an extensive menagerie of pets, all previously abandoned or abused animals to which she has given a loving and warm home."

Garden Cats Come in All Sizes

Whether you are a tiny kitten or are the king of the jungle, the feline principle of “if it fits, I sits” reigns supreme.
   Maria Weinberg, zookeeper at Oaklawn Farm in Nova Scotia, Canada, said: “I was just going into the lion enclosure to give the lions some pumpkins to play with. As I was giving the other two lions their pumpkins I look back at Obi and saw he was sitting in the wheelbarrow. Hoping he would stay there long enough [so] I could get the pic, I let him sit there as long as he wanted, and after two or three minutes he jumped out and went and played with the pumpkins.”

For size comparison purposes, here are two other wheelbarrow garden cats we shared previously:
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/search?q=wheelbarrow

The Allotment Cat

Robert the Allotment Cat is " a cat living on an allotment site (community garden) in Birmingham UK. My human does not understand cats. I am trying to help her."

He communicates through his Twitter account @AllotmentCat.

I contact his human, Betty, and she was happy to have me share Robert's photos with you all. Here are some of my favorites --

I love drinking from this thing. My human says it's for watering the plants but I don't care and anyway, the plants seem to be doing well on it so maybe it will do me good too. What do you think?

My human and some others sat around the table and talked. I thought it would be good if I helped so I lay down on top of some paper. My human said I will have to join the committee. What's a committee?

Apparently she doesn't know anything about cats. I don't believe her, she knows how to make me happy. She picked me up and I loved it so she does it every day now. I think I have trained her well. The last 18 months have been the best in my life.

I liked one of the humans a lot. I kept her company in the greenhouse, she told me I was her best boy and that I would be known as 'Robert' from now on. I was happy, I sat and looked at her so she could take a photo. She takes LOTS of photos.

I started to like being here. I went to the greenhouse every day. There was a human there who put food down for me when she saw me. Other humans came to see me and I began to feel really special.

Earlier this year I helped my human to grow lots of plants. I am careful and I don't squash them. I like gardening.

I think our allotments are special. The humans look after us cats (there are 7 of us living there) and we have lovely warm beds to sleep in and lots of food every day. I sometimes sleep in a greenhouse.

Timmy Cat

I have been following @FloretFlower on Instagram just to get glimpses of this beautiful garden cat named Timmy. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

View this post on Instagram

Evening farm walk with Timmy. The ranunculus only have another week or so before the heat shuts them down so I'm stuffing the cooler with as many as I can. This book is going to be so freaking beautiful! #floretbook2 #growfloret

A post shared by Erin Benzakein - Floret (@floretflower) on May 25, 2018 at 6:40pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Over the past ten days, the team and I worked around the clock reading hundreds of scholarship applications submitted from all over the world. A record breaking 3,107 individuals from 65 different countries and all 50 states applied for 8 prized spots in our upcoming Floret Online Workshop. The entries were beyond inspiring and left me so excited for the future of the flower industry - on a global level. If you need a little inspiration, be sure to head to the blog (link in profile) and read a heartwarming post brimming with beautiful stories and interesting details. I would love your help in congratulating our lucky winners over on the blog! #floretscholarship

A post shared by Erin Benzakein - Floret (@floretflower) on Oct 1, 2018 at 6:30pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

A favorite from last week. Timmy + Anemones = Pure Magic✨ #growfloret

A post shared by Erin Benzakein - Floret (@floretflower) on Mar 15, 2018 at 7:28am PDT

Best Plants to Grow for Cats

Here is a new video by Sun Gro Horticulture on Best Plants to Grow for Cats featuring lots of gorgeous Garden Cats. Enjoy!

Tribute to Tucky

Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD. He shared this story of Tucky. His partner, Dan Weil, shared these photos.

Cat-a-Rita

Forest Firefly(@comfortzone_LG on Twitter) shared this photo:

"Her name is Rita. I adopted her and her brother in 2013 as kittens. She LOVES to climb and be in my garden. We live in Oregon, USA."

Butters Up

Thanks to Drew Asbury of Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens in Washington, DC, for sharing these pictures of Butterscotch M. Post aka "Butters." He is living his best life on the grounds of this public garden known for its gracious hospitality.

Puttin' on the Mitz

Mary-Denise Smith, a copyeditor/proofreader to food & garden bloggers, shared this story about Mitz:

"When I first bought my house in Old Greenbelt, MD, I’d scoured the shelter web sites, looking for a kitty. I saw this lovely orange tabby named 'Sheila' who would be available for adoption in early February. The very day she was up for adoption, I put my application in, only to be told she’d already been spoken for! No!


"Then a couple weeks later, my colleague asked me if I wanted a cat. Without thinking, I said 'Sure!'. So a few nights later, she and her mom turned up at my house, dropped 'Miss Mittens' off and left in such a hurry I didn’t even have time to open the carrier!

"This little squeaky voice comes out, and I opened the door and there’s this orange tabby, all scared and upset and lonely looking. She didn’t rush into my arms, but she was quite ready for pats and cuddles and treats. I had trouble saying 'Miss Mittens', so shortened the name to Mz Mitz. Some folks called her 'Mitzy', which is appropriate, I guess, because she does this cute little side step dance when she comes in the door, like Mitzy Gaynor making an entrance.

"A few days later, I was putting her carrier away and noticed the envelope full of her records, opened it and POW! This was 'Sheila' from the shelter! My colleague’s mom had adopted her, discovered she liked the idea of kitties more than she liked kitties themselves, but didn’t want to give her back to the shelter because she was afraid she’d be euthanized! (She’d been dumped, and a couple neighbors fed her til she got pregnant, when they turned her in to the local shelter.)

"So we were meant to be.  

"Mitz was about two years old when I got her, and once we settled in together, it was like we’d been buds forever. So that means she’s almost nine now.

"Then, in 2017, I lost my home. I sold it and all the contents. Mitz went to live at Pam Stegall’s farm up in Rising Sun, MD - Calvert Farm, otherwise referred to as Kamp Kalvert for Kitties. Mitz and Pam’s husband Paul became fast friends, and Mitz now rules the garage, forklift and pickup truck. The school kids who come to the farm every day (it’s the local school bus stop and afternoon hang out) just adore her and she basks in all the cooing and patting.

"Mitz likes water. She’d play in a light rain, and sat on the side of the tub when I was in the shower, batting at the stray drops. Snow, however, is the work of demons. 

"She learned that daffodil greenery tastes foul, and that licking toads is a bad idea. She used to sit on the top of the compost bin and gossip with the neighborhood deer, but had nothing good to say with/about the local raccoons. She’s a mighty mouser, and even though shrews are not tasty, she’ll catch them just to prove whose yard it is. She mostly left birds alone, but not always. I had to keep her in the house with the robin, dove and wren nestlings fledged! I don’t think she ever bothered the woodpecker chicks.

"She was a great supervisor when the Greenbelt Woodlands Committee would do invasives removal in the area behind my house. She and a local poodle would sit on the log pile and watch the proceedings, and Mitz would 'comment' as folks walked by.

"M has a thick, thick undercoat, so in Spring shedding season, it looked like a Husky or Golden Retriever lived at my house with big tufts of creamy fur hanging off all the low branches and chair bottoms!"

Living the High Life

Fellow garden writer Cheval Force Opp shared another cat from her visit to South Africa. This one is living the luxury spa life at the Majeka House in Stellenbosch.

Cape Town Cat

Fellow garden writer Cheval Force Opp sent these photos of a cat who followed along with her tour group recently at the  Stellenburg Garden in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Grass is Always Greener

This photo was shared by @theasscat on Twitter.

She commented, "Neighborhood snoop. He can watch 4 yards at 1 time."

See more cute cat picks on her Twitter feed.

Berry Cute

This is Mulberry Meow of Magic Garden Nursery and Landscape in Tucson, AZ. He is still quite young and getting used to his role at the garden center and his new family -- including two boxer dogs, Tobie and Shawney. 

Forget About Your Worries and Your Strife

This is Bear, shared by Calvin Lee. Calvin says, "He was born to be a star."

WARNING: Permethrin and Cats

Because few people are aware of this issue, I thought I'd share this video here with my fellow Cat and Garden lovers.

"Permethrin is a type of insecticide. It is a pyrethroid – a synthetic compounds derived from pyrethrins, which are naturally occurring substances extracted from Chrysanthemum flowers."

It is used in flea and tick repellents for dogs, "natural" mosquito sprays, scabies and lice treatment cream, etc. The most danger is when it is still wet and the cat is exposed to it. Once dry, it is low-risk, but I'd still avoid use of it around any cats.

See more at:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/07/11/627843581/if-you-spray-your-clothes-with-permethrin-be-careful-around-the-cat
and
https://icatcare.org/permethrin/owner-info

Alternatives to Cat Nip

A research study covered recently in Wired shows that 3 plants can cause similar reactions in some cats to catnip. They are Silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis).
Most cat owners will know Valerian as "kitty valium" and that vets recommend it as a natural way to sedate kitties that have anxiety issues.

From the study results: "Nearly all domestic cats responded positively to olfactory enrichment. In agreement with previous studies, one out of every three cats did not respond to catnip. Almost 80% of the domestic cats responded to silver vine and about 50% to Tatarian honeysuckle and valerian root. Although cats predominantly responded to fruit galls of the silver vine plant, some also responded positively to its wood. Of the cats that did not respond to catnip, almost 75% did respond to silver vine and about one out of three to Tatarian honeysuckle. Unlike domestic cats, tigers were either not interested in silver vine or responded disapprovingly."

Best quote in the Wired article: "Cats love novelty, and spending part of their day blissed out on plant matter might help them cope with the sensation of living with a hairless, erratic ape."

Image Source: 
By derivative work: Mr.Z-man (talk)Micas.jpg: Carlos Botelho (Micas.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Farm Ninja

Bethany Karn shared these photos of Jack, the Flower Farm cat. She said, "Jack is a new addition to the flower farming team at M and M Plants in Dickerson, MD. He is about 8 or 9 months old and all black (except for a few white chest hairs). He’s a speedy little guy who is earning his nickname as Farm Ninja. He came to Mark and Madgie McGaughan's farm after a niece graduated from Mount St. Mary’s college and her post graduation plans could not accommodate a cat. Jack went from a sheltered campus life to the wide open spaces of 5 acres of flowers. Because the new environment is so different, Mark and Madgie are taking their time with his adjustment period, slowly showing him the farm and gingerly introducing him to the  “Elders;” existing cats Dax and Judsea. Jack is very eager to become their best friends. The Elders think the jury is still out on that one, but they are hissing at him less and less each day. 

"He is slowly being shown the grounds of the farm and enjoys following Madgie out into the greenhouse and down the long rows of dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers, salvia, and lisianthus. He is a huge fan of butterflies (of which there are many) and a very eager participant in bouquet-making activities. He pants like a dog with excitement over his new exhilarating freedom and everyone on the farm (except maybe the butterflies) is happy to have him on hand."