Top Garden Cats of 2020

Looking back at 2020, we had many wonderful garden cat photos and stories to share. I love scrolling back and seeing all those fantastic felines. Please keep on sending them in! One interesting statistic I found in my blog analytics is that after the USA, the top countries that visit this site are: Sweden, Italy, and Germany. Welcome to all who love cats and gardens!

Here is the top 5 ranked by highest number of page views (in countdown order).

5. Tiggs in the Garden
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiggs-in-garden.html
Alex Dean shared these photos of her cat Tiggs in the garden in Oxfordshire, England. They were taken by Alex's sister Franky Dean, who is studying photography at the moment and she is a true talent at capturing Tiggs' enigmatic personality!

4. The Story of My Life... 
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-story-of-my-life.html
This post was the rare one not of a submitted garden cat photo. Instead, it is a piece of charming graphic art that many of us cat- and garden-lovers can relate to!

3. Beatrix and Batgirl
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-tortoise-and-bat.html

Jimmy and Andrew live just up the road from me and I am so glad they shared these photos 

of their two adorable cats in their lovely cottage-style garden.

2. Seasons Change 
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2020/03/seasons-change.html
These dreamy images by Magdalena Grześkowiak are of her cat, Kate, throughout the seasons. They are some of the most evocative photos we hav shared on this blog.

1. Mario in Memoriam
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2019/08/mario.html
Nick Adam Lawes has shared several of his beautiful garden cats with us in the past and this one of his late, beloved Mario touched an emotional chord with many.

Do you agree with the popular vote? What were your favorites this year?

The Green-eyed Monster

This image is by Jill Wellington from Pixabay and you can find her other photography at her Instagram here. 

After seeing this stunning image (those eyes!), it is no surprise to learn  that Jill teaches photography - her images are amazing!

A Prickly Pair

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Follow me👉@laylaylom_nsn ✌ (@laylaylom_nsn)

This video was shared on Instagram by @laylaylom_nsn. I am not sure of the origin of the video and am awaiting details on this kitty. 

I will share them when I have them. Meanwhile, enjoy this sweet cactus-loving cat.

Amateur Bot-ann-ist's Cat Crew

The Cat Crew enjoying some catnip.

Fellow garden blogger Ann Amato celebrated her recent blog anniversary (13 years!) by sharing her cat crew. Here is an excerpt from that post.

Mona

Long ago I found Mona under some bushes in a parking lot at a strip mall when she was a kitten. She was alone and it was a dark and rainy night. She was starving. I think she is around 16 now. Up until this year she liked to be outside a lot, but as of a few months ago, she is now a full-time housecat living in the basement with all of my plants and a lot of privacy. We used to keep her apart from the other 3 because she’s part-feral but she is no longer upset by the younger 3 cats and they all seem to get along.

Her best friend was the cat I named the garden after, Maurice, and he passed away several years ago now. Just before he passed away here at home, they spent his last few hours together in the garden. I’m still too sad to post the photo, but the garden is no longer hers. She has passed it on to the younger three. [She previously shared her memories of her cat Maurice with us here.]

LuLu

LuLu is 5 now. I bought her off of the internet. She’s part small ferocious barn cat, part Turkish Angora, part linebacker, and part diva. She rules with an iron paw, will beat up the boys for treats, and she likes to have her lion cuts done at the cat spa. She has very soft hair and it gets into knots easily. She hates to be combed, she dislikes being held, she hates this, she won’t tolerate that, but overall, she knows she’s incredibly pretty so that’s all that matters.

Did I mention that Piggy is difficult? Did that come through clearly? She loves to snap her tail around and catnip makes her go psycho, but each night she grooms my chin and curls up under the blankets right next to me or above my head on her pillow. She’s our angel.

Felix 

It feels odd introducing Felix. He is 4 and has a huge personality. He was hand raised and this makes him different. He loves attacking dogs that go by the house, he likes car rides, and he loves attention. He loves people. He wants to be in the action, on the go, in the middle of the noise. He likes to knock things over, eat my food, and keep an eye on me at all times. If I work too much away from home, he pouts. He wants each day to go his way and he will let me know that from the moment when I wake up and put on my pants for the day. He has a huge vocabulary. When he hears the word “work”, you can see his irritation. “I have to go to work today Felix.” Big eyes stare back at me and I can read in them, “Didn’t you do that yesterday? How dare you.”

Oliver

The baby cat is the baby of the bunch. Oliver is now 3 and he is huge. Beneath the fur he’s rather skinny but he’s huge because he is fluffy and full of love. Oliver is nothing but love. He has a huge heart. First and foremost he loves Felix, but Felix does not return the love, mostly he picks on Oliver. Their relationship is complicated though. The dudes or the boys as we call them are buddies in the garden. Outside they protect the palace. Oliver does most of the protecting though while Felix wanders around his territory. Oliver doesn’t attack though. He flies at things. He has never been in a fight. All he has to do is run at another cat and they run away. His speed and size are intimidating and he is very fast.

In the house he is Snuggie. He loves to snuggle and is an aggressive snuggler. We call him Yoda Bear too. When he was a kitten his ears were so big he could barely hold them up. He looked like baby Yoda and a bear. He even knows that name. I love that cat.

Boxwood Purrrfection

Charles King Sadler of King Garden - In the Landscape shared this video of a friendly feline "who supervised our Boxwood rejuvenation pruning and training in Dallas, Texas." King said he was hired as a boxwood consultant and trainer by arborist. He had no further information to share about the cat or its owner.

   In the video, you can see that  this garden cat is quite vocal about his boxwood appreciation and is not shy in the least. 

A Cat in the Christmas Tree

 

Garden writer and speaker Denise Schreiber aka MrsKnowItAll shared this photo with us. Denise is the author "Eat Your Roses, Pansies and Lavender and 49 Other Delicious Flowers." She wrote, "Here is the picture of Isis in the Christmas tree. She thinks it is her new cat tree. I adopted her after my beloved Bella died. We wanted a companion for Sasha, but Isis is an absolute sweetheart. She was found wandering the streets until she was taken to the rescue. This one is a hunter, because she has shredded most of her toy mice and a few other toys."

Your cat may also be fascinated by your Christmas tree. Some cats and holiday trees get along just fine, but often times curious kitties can create havoc and damage your display. If you want to keep the cat and tree both safe and separated, check out this article that Davey Trees put together on how to cat-proof your holiday decor. Their tips include:

• Keep your tree away from furniture like sofas or tables. 
• Put a scented deterrent near the tree (like orange peels).
• Cover the trunk of your live Christmas tree with aluminum foil.

This Time, Fur-Real

Cris Blackstone, a master gardener and education coordinator with the NH Landscape Association, wrote, "Our cat has been integral to our household for a year and a half, I got her on Valentine’s Day! She’s originally from Puerto Rico, rescued and traveled to Virginia, then to the New Hampshire SPCA, where she chose me when I was on a visit there to see if it would be my lucky day to come home w/a cat. It brings tears to my eyes to remember the look on her face when the vet tech put out my cat carrier to have her climb in. She looked over her shoulder at me with the most endearing face. Earlier in the day, we met and I couldn’t take her at that time, because I had to go home and get the kitty carrier, plus buy litter and food to be ready for her arrival. Since I left without her that time, I think she had her little kitty heart disappointed and wanted to ensure this time, it was For Real. 

"Her name is Zwartje. (Swaaart-cha) which is from the Dutch word for black, and built on the way it’s made diminutive in Dutch, to equate with 'cozy little black fluffy thing.' Interestingly enough, she has some super power which comes to me in the best way. I had a knee replacement, and she’ll sit across my legs when my knee is flaring up and painful, and her warmth plus her weight on my knee is almost like a reiki treatment. 

"I’m happy to know she’s joining the ranks of the cats and plants you share through the site! She’d thank you, too, were it not for the fact she’s busy right now, batting on the door to our cellar which we have converted to our “Plant Lab” where we are sorting and stacking many 72-cell plant trays and she’s eager to go knock those piles over!"

See more photos of Zwartje on Cris' Instagram account at @makescents_nh

On the Fence

Garden cats, like all cats, love to be up high to survey their surroundings. Fences are a particular favorite, especially wide ones like this design. They make for easy access and quick exits.

This kitty photo was taken by Dorothe in Germany and shared on Pixabay.com.

A Cat in the Carex

Brie Arthur, a well-known garden writer and speaker, shared this photo of Miss Ava Grace and wrote, "Carex is a wonderful shade tolerant, ornamental grass that is ideal for every landscape. The attractive and colorful low-maintenance clumps are evergreen and provide endless entertainment for kitties!"

Brie previously shared a photo of her beloved Kubby with us here.

You can find her on Instagram at both @brietheplantlady and @briethecatlady -- the latter of which of course is a great place to see more cats in gardens photos. Here are a couple more that she shared.

"Rice is for kittens!!!" writes Brie. " ‘Black Madras’ rice is a fabulous plant to grow in a pot with no holes! Even more important, it serves as a cat playground."

"You know autumn is upon us when the kitten spends her day playing with bees in a mum patch!" wrote Brie.

Diamonds are Furr-ever

 

These are photos by Leif Kurth and were posted on Flickr. He has some terrific images and most of the cat ones appear to have been taken in Diamond Lake, Minnesota. 

If you like these, check out many more of his cat photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/152376767@N03/tags/cat/

Cats on Leashes

This article in Woman's World magazine asks, "Is it okay to take your cat out for a walk?" 

Well, if you have been following this blog or any of my social media, you know that I have one leash-trained kitty. His name is Santino and he loves his walkies. Below is a TikTok video of a typical excursion we take around the corner. He is pictured above lounging on a neighbor's retaining wall -- enjoying the warmth of the sun on a brisk autumn afternoon.

I am often stopped by others to take his photo or to talk about how I trained him. I cannot claim the credit. He basically trained himself. Your cat is either okay with a halter and leash or he is not. You can try to start them young and get them used to it, but even then, a cat's temperament will determine how successful you are. Santino's brother, Versace, will not even tolerate the halter being placed near him -- much less over his head and he is content to stay inside and watch the garden from inside.

Walking a cat is not like doing so with a dog. I am not waiting for Santino to "use the bathroom." Instead, we are taking a leisurely stroll to explore a bit of his surroundings. It is a much slower pace and there are frequent stops to look under shrubs and tease squirrels. I also have to keep an eagle eye out for dogs that may be coming our way. While some dogs are cool about it, many are not -- so I usually end the walk as soon  as I spot a canine and carry Santino quickly back home. Santino also dislikes big trucks and buses barreling by, so I try to pick times of day when construction and rush-hour traffic is at a minimum.

Is your cat leash-trained? If so, share your tips and tricks in the comments section below.

@wdcgardener

Santino is leash trained. ##minivlog ##littlethings ##cat ##catleash

♬ original sound - Kathy Jentz

Cheddar the Oyster Gardening Cat

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Well, here is a different kind of gardening -- oyster gardening! Thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for sharing this video of Cheddar and the kitty's Norfolk, VA, oyster garden.

Ollie's Garden View

These cat photos come courtesy of Wendy Brister, Marketing Director at Cavano's Perennials. They were included in an online talk given by her employer, Taylor Pilker, Co-Owner, Cavano's Perennials, on the future of the horticultural industry post-COVID hosted recently by the Perennial Plant Association. Pilker's presentation focused on capturing and maintaining the interest of those new to (or returning to) gardening. 

Here is the text from that inspiring talk:

 Like a garden for a cat!

Yes, a feline.

 Before anyone begins to lecture me about the dangers of Felis catis outdoors and its viciousness as a hunter.

 This tiger was Ollie and he needed a garden to watch from his interior perch of the window. 

Ollie desired a pleasant view of flowers, butterflies, and perhaps a bird. 

All the things every cat dreams of; 

Ollie and his owners got that feline paradise. 

Now Ollie’s humans have started a collection of carnivorous and house plants. 

That is what we need addiction! Devotion! And the desire for plants! Passion!

Caption This

Photo by Tomas Tuma of Brno, Czechia on Unsplash

Garden Professors Post Boosts Garden Cats

Screen capture of the Garden Professors Facebook Page - Garden Cat Thread

Recently, on the Garden Professors Facebook page, page admin Linda Chalker-Scott  posted about garden cats. She said, "This is an interesting article about people's attitudes about their cats. While cats and gardens don't seem related, cats do have an impact on beneficial garden wildlife, including pollinating insects and songbirds. When you read this article you'll find the 5 categories of cat owners based on their tolerance of their animals being allowed to roam outside. Which one are you? (For the record, I am a "Concerned Protector." We let our cats outdoors under supervision. They can be trained to learn boundaries when the result of not staying within boundaries means going back inside while we are outside.) Feel free to add a photo of your kitty in the garden if you are so inclined. This is Boo, who has claimed the lounge chair as her domain when we are outside. She watches squirrels and birds but does not try to go after them (after negative reinforcement training as mentioned above.) No judgmental comments allowed here! I just found the article really interesting."

Surprisingly, the conversation stayed mostly sane and civil. Many posts were positive and folks shared their garden cat stories and photos. Then, a few negative comments crept in the thread. Comments are now turned off, but you should scroll through to see the many wonderful garden cat images and varied attitudes from their owners. 

Stripes - Part 2

Jamie Moore of Frederick County, MD, previously shared a photo of her cat Stripes with us here and we couldn't resist adding these two additional images to our blog posts as he is just so photogenic. 

 

She writes, "This is Stripes in his garden, making sure everything is in order on his morning patrol."

You can find more photography by Jamie at her Instagram address: @reverieinblue.

The photo below is captioned: "This is my garden, hear me roar!"

Jamie notes that it was actually a yawn...

Deck Dwellers

 

KC from DC shared this photo of stay cats napping on her deck garden. And yes, I said "cats" plural - there is a black cat in this photo, but you have to look really close to see it. (A close-up of the black cat is posted below.) 

KC writes, "I think there is a stray circuit in our general area. We have some regulars and some mornings we have newbies and infrequents that show up. Blondie, the bright one in the photos, is a relative newbie. The black one is a sibling of the kittens born on our deck year before last." She took this through her screen door, which is about how close she normally gets to these feral felines.

The Story of My Life...

Apparently there is an "easily distracted by _" meme -- similar to the "keep calm and _ on" one -- most of these are variations of "easily distracted by cats and __" with books, plants, and gardening being the top substitutions. Occasionally, dogs gets subbed in for cats.

You can find puzzles, t-shirts, and posters with these variations on them. Alas, I cannot find its origin or first use. Anyone able to track that down?

When I get some free time, I think I'll take a crack at designed a similar one myself.

Meanwhile, you can order the poster pictured above at -
https://dnstyles.com/dn/easily-distracted-by-cats-and-garden-poster/

Defying Gravity

Mary Lai lives outside of Denver, Colorado, USA, in a townhouse with lots of balcony/deck spaces and container plantings. She wrote, "This is Niko. He is a one-year-old rescue cat. He is constantly in my potted plants and is fearless hanging out there over the balcony in the planter box. He also goes crazy over worm castings. He loves to put his face in it!"

Tiggs in the Garden

Alex Dean shared these photos of her cat Tiggs in the garden in Oxfordshire, England.

Her cats have an Instagram blog at @Tiggs.nakia.elsa.

"Tiggs is about 9-10 years old and we adopted him after his last owners abandoned him," wrote Alex. "He’s so affectionate and photogenic, and sunbathing in the garden is his favorite place to be!"

The photos are all done by Alex's sister Franky Dean, who is studying photography at the moment. You can find her on Instagram as well at @francescajoyphotography.

And they say Gingers have no soul...

This photo is simple entitled, "orange tabby cat on green grass" with no mention of the lovely garden path and plants behind the ginger cat! It is posted on several royalty-free photo web sites, so there is no attribution or known story behind it. However, that level cat stare straight into the camera lens speaks volumes. It says, "I am the ruling cat in these parts and I am not afraid of the likes of you."

By the way, the gene for ginger is "linked to gender, and about three out of four ginger cats are males." That means we can rather safely assume this kitty is a he.

And that ridiculous rumor that gingers have no souls? Well, we won't even bother addressing such slander.

Cat Glamping

I recently read about the new trend of "cat glamping" here. Basically, luxury (glamorous) camping and adding your cat into the mix. I'm not sure anyone is actually doing it, so much as talking about it.

I mean, sure, what cat doesn't like to hang out in a tent? Like this one pictured above from www.aliexpress.com.

Well, I did a bit of sleuthing and it seems folks are trying it! Here area few shares from the Camping with Cats (https://www.instagram.com/campingwithcats/) Instagram account:

My Santino is leash-trained and I think he would absolutely LOVE this. However, I don't think I'd sleep a wink worrying that he might slip out of his harness and take off in the night to join a wolf pack to howl at the moon.

What do you think? Would your garden cat enjoy a bigger outdoor adventure?