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.