Top Garden Cats of 2021

Looking back at the last year, 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: Japan, Germany, and France. Welcome to all who love cats and gardens!

Here is the top 5 posts of 2021 ranked by highest number of page views (in countdown order).

5. Kash is King
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2021/02/kash-is-king.html
This 5th place spot was a real tight race, with just 1 page view separating the winner from several other worth posts. Kash narrowly squeaked ahead and I am so glad he did. He represents many of our working cats and garden center cats that are featured in this blog. 

4. A Real Winner 
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-real-winner.html
This post was one of  the 21 winners in the Washington Gardener Magazine 15th Annual Photo Contest. It won an Honorable Mention in the "Garden Creatures" category and was taken by Karin Melinda Reber.

3. A Blasé Attitude? Not One Bit
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-blase-attitude-not-one-bit.html

Marty Last shared this story about her cat, Blaze, along with multiple photos. Once you see all the adventures he gets up to, I think you will agree that Blaze is a total charmer!

2. Got It!
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2021/01/got-it.html
This energetic cat chasing bugs in a field of red lions is a great action-shot capture of a garden cat in their element.

1. Bink's Brew
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2021/01/binks-brew.html
This image of a black cat among forget-me-not flowers is striking and is not only our top blog post of the year, but also getting tons of love over on our Pinterest board too.

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

A Garden Cat's Holiday Wish List: Gifts for Outdoor-loving Cat

An updated Garden Cat's Holiday Wish List: Gifts for Outdoor-loving Cats from our 2019 post.

Disclosure: Clicking on these links and then ordering anything from Amazon may put a few pennies in the Cats in Gardens blog bank account. This will not cost you any extra on your purchases. Thank you for anything you can direct our way.

Stumped for what to get your outdoor-loving cat for a holiday or birthday gift?
Here are 5 suggestions that are sure to make your garden kitty purr-purr-purr.

1. 
The catio 

will make your kitty the envy of the neighborhood and keep him safe and the birds too!

2. 
If your kitty loves to chew on every houseplant you have, grow her this alternate -- a safe pot of fresh cat grass all her own to munch on.

3. 
This safety collar is a great way to ensure your garden kitty doesn't get into danger and has jingly bell so that any prey can hear them coming.

4. 
This heating pad is the purr-fect thing for that barn cat or any kitty who prefers to sleep in an unheated space.

5. 
This sling pet carrier is all the rage now and is worth a try if you have a sociable feline who might like to go on errands to the garden center with you.



Finally, one bonus gift suggestion, for you -- if you have lost one of your garden kitties, this cat-angel is a wonderful way to remember them. I have one placed near the spot that my late Chantilly loved to sun herself by my water garden.

If YOU are a gardener or know one, here is a list of great gift ideas for them (and yourself!): 
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/11/holiday-gifts-for-gardeners-top.html

   We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

How to Stop a Cat from Digging in Houseplants

Do you have a cat who loves to dig in the soil around your houseplants?

These meme*, going around the Internet recently, shows two terrific ways to thwart those kitties that  love to dig in the dirt around your potted plants. Plus, you can recycle those old plastic forks and foam plates in a useful way!

If your indoor garden is getting dug up, you can also try a couple additional tactics. First, placing plants out of reach or inside a terrarium or cage. Second, give them their own special place where they are allowed to dig, like a pot of soil place inside a tub, which is a totally natural urge. 

*If anyone has the original source for these photos, please let me know, so we can give proper credit.

Potted Kittens

My wife planted some new flowers. This was the result.

This post of kittens in flower pots was shared on IMGUR. 

There have been many potted cats shared on this blog, here are a few:
https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/search?q=potted

You can also view 145+ more cats in pots at this BoredPanda thread:
https://www.boredpanda.com/cat-plants/?media_id=190146&utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

Rare White "Lion"

I came across this photo in Wikimedia Commons. The captions says: "Very rare solid white female Maine Coon at age 2. Taken by Colleen Ryan on 3/28/07." I love the color match of the Daffodil flowers and the cat's yellow eyes. What a beauty!

Maine Coons come in all kinds of color patterns as you can see in this gallery: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon. My own Maine Coon, Santino, has a tuxedo coat. You'll also notice in the wikimedia gallery that many of the Maine Coon cats are garden lovers as they are big cats and really appreciate the outdoor exercise.

There is Greedy - and then there is GREEDY!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Overdose Cat (@overdose_cat)

I just had to share this Instagram video of a kitten stealing the WHOLE pot of cat grass for themselves!

Original link at: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQRLSnjJiI7/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet 

Grateful Gracie

Heidi Douglas of Browns Ferry Gardens, a daylily breeder and seller, in Georgetown, SC, shared these photos.

She said: "This is Gracie. She arrived here in 2011 when she hitched a ride on a friend's truck who lives 28 miles away. When we found her, he said that it was one of his from the feral colony he has near his home. She was about 6 weeks old."

"She was really sick, so we took her to the vet and she was doing great within a few days.  She has no feral tendencies at all and is sweet as can be. She loves walking through the seedling beds with me in the morning, but I have to carry her so she can see the flowers. Her best friend is Sadie, my cocker spaniel and she loves to rub up next to her and show her her belly."

The Caged Indoor Garden

Text and Photos by Cathy Wilkinson Barash

Sebastian (see the 10/31/21 post) was the last indoor/outdoor cat I had. Living on 14 acres it was great for him to be outside and usually when he was out, he was out with me, often in the garden or our daily walk down to the beach. But he did venture out on his own as well. However, since moving to Des Moines all the cats have been indoor only… just too dangerous in a city. How do you teach a cat to be street smart? And it’s bizarre how many people here have a very cavalier attitude about cats, especially folks in the country, but also people in the city, that it’s just natural that cats get run over. Horrible! 

My current cats, Pause, age 16, and Itty Bitty Kitty (aka Itty Bit), age 5, do not go out. However Itty Bitty Kitty, a Maine coon, does try to run out the back door whenever he has a chance. Unfortunately, he has a penchant for plants. When I first got him he was tiny and fit in the palm of my hand, hence his name. (I had no idea that he was going to turn into a Maine coon, nor that Maine coons tend to remain in kittenhood until there about seven years old! Fortunately, he’s only about 15 pounds; they can reach 30 pounds!) 

His earliest favorite spot in the apartment was in a large potted peace lily. The plant is not real, so there was no indication of how he would act with live plants. I quickly found out that he will try to eat them, knock the pots over, dig the soil out, and generally make a mess. So live plants were no longer part of my indoor landscape. Nor were cut flowers, as it’s lots of fun to knock them over, watch the water splash out, and the container break! 

In October of 2018, a friend gave me a lovely, tasty plant called perpetual spinach, and then informed me that it was not hardy in Zone 5 Iowa and we were about to have the first killing frost. I brought it inside and tried to find a place where it could get light and not be destroyed by Itty Bitty Kitty. Initially, I put it in the closet, but it really wasn’t safe to keep a light on it in a closed area. Then I tried putting it into milk crates and fastening them together, but they were easily knocked over by my curious cat! There were also a few things from the garden that I really wanted to have inside. Suddenly it dawned on me that a metal dog crate would be the perfect solution. I looked online at Craigslist; large ones were going for upwards of $40, which was too much. So, I started checking out thrift stores. I found one that was $10—brand new and unassembled. Strong neighbor brought it in from the car and put it together. The bonus was there was a plastic tray at the bottom, so that I didn’t have to worry about putting saucers or anything under the plants. This would protect the wood floor below the cage! That first fall, I had the spinach and a big pot of sugar snap peas that I had planted for fall harvest, as well as some herbs and other plants in the cage. The sugar snap peas grew above the top of the cage (extra-large dog size), and of course Itty Bitty Kitty got on top of the cage and ate some of the leaves and the peas, but that was alright, they are not toxic to cats. He also managed to reach into the cage and get a few things, but basically it was an excellent solution.

I didn’t use the cage again for two years, but this year that I had some wonderful basils, chard, dill, and other herbs from the garden I wanted to bring in before the frost. And I was toying with the idea of growing some salad and/or micro greens. So, my neighbor carried the cage to its position. I had used the plastic tray outside for two seasons, and unfortunately it had warped. But I found that the seed-starting trays I had never used were the width of the cage, so I could fit three of them. The only downside to that was that the trays limited the size of the pots that would fit into the cage, but they solved any potential water spillage onto the wood floor. 

The plants and cage made their debut today. One of the basils is in flower and the blooms reach through the top of the cage. Itty Bitty Kitty has nibbled on them a bit, but that’s all right as I plan to prune back the flowers (and use them for flavor and color in some chicken salad tonight) to encourage new leaf growth. And I already see where Itty Bitty Kitty can reach in and pull out some of the soil from the pots, so there will be some repotting and repositioning tomorrow! Even 16-year-old Pause has been sniffing around a bit. For me, it’s a delight to have the aroma of fresh herbs in my living room!

A Soul Mate

Photo by Cathy Wilkinson Barash

Cathy Wilkinson Barash, an author, photographer, editor, speaker, and consultant, known as The Blooming Gourmet, shared this touching story of her garden cat and "the cat of my life," Sebastian.

47 years ago, Sebastian came into my life. When we lived in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, New York, on a fabulous estate as caretakers, he and I would walk down the hill to the harbor every day. The first winter it was so cold the harbor froze over and as things started to thaw, there were ice floes on the beach. He loved nothing better than to jump on the floe and skid down it onto the beach. Needless to say, it scared me to bits thinking he might slide into the water and I'd have to try to save him. 

            He gardened with me and was my companion as I wrote my books. He used down to my basement office if he wasn't already laying in the drawer of my desk, about 11 o'clock at night nudging at me to come upstairs and go to bed. If I ignored him or told him to go away he come back about 1 o'clock in the morning, more demanding. One night, as I was working on Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate, (he even sneaked a taste of recipes I was working on!) on my word processor, it was 1 o'clock and I ignored him. He jumped up on the keyboard and managed to delete the chapter I was working on, which included the only copies of many of the recipes. My stepsister had given me an embroidered pillow that said "This house is ruled by the cat." How true!. After that, I paid strict attention to his bedtime suggestions. He was the cover and centerfold for "Cats in the Garden" calendar and his photo appeared in many of my books. 

            As I was the program chair for the Long Island horticultural Society, over the years, when we were still living as caretakers on Long Island, I had many of the GWA (now GardenComm) members as speakers. They stayed at the house (upstairs in the main house; we lived in what had been the wing built when the family already four boys and our landlady, whose husband was pushing for a girl, had twins… a boy and a girl… and they built the wing we lived in as two bedrooms and a bath for the twins and their nanny. The kitchen had been a closet; with an undercounter fridge and tiny oven and bar sink. I should have written a book called Cooking in a Closet!) It was nice for us as it gave our guests privacy, and then they could come down and have meals and socialize with us and Sebastian! So Sebastian became friend with garden writers from all over the country over a period of about a dozen years! 

            At age 15, several months after he got his annual rabies vaccination, he came down with fibrosarcoma at the injection site. Apparently, this occurs in one out of every 5000 injections. I loved my vet, but she did not have a surgery as she specialized in house calls. Fortunately, my brother-in-law was a vet and he did the surgery. Sebastian did well for a year and a half and then the cancer returned. At that time, I had already committed to moving to Des Moines. My brother-in-law operated again, but we knew that it could return.  

            Sebastian had a great trip to Des Moines. We flew on the Meredith Learjet! Fridays were bring your pet to work day, and Sebastian loved going into the office. He was great in the car and rode in the hump above the steering wheel by the windshield, startling other drivers at times. At work, he really didn't need a leash, as he knew which floor to walk up to. He got very spoiled with many people coming into the office to visit him or taking him for walks.
            Unfortunately, after a year and a half, the cancer returned. Several friends had told me to get in touch with Gail DeScoise, an animal communicator (I knew her husband Joe, a photographer from GWA). We had several very interesting sessions, and he said he would be back after two winters. He also said that if I needed feline companionship in the meantime, I could get a female cat. Sebastian died peacefully at home.
            A couple of months later I saw a picture of a group of kittens on the bulletin board at work and that is how Tiarella came into my life. Two years later as predicted, thanks to Doug Jimerson and Karen Weir-Jimerson, Bogart joined our family. Five years later, also from the Jimersons, came Pause. Of the trio, he is still with me, having celebrated his 16th birthday in May, and Itty Bitty Kitty joined us five years ago. However, Sebastian remains "the cat of my life"...a true soul mate, who I still miss. Here he is pictured (above) in the garden in Cold Spring Harbor in his whiskey barrel, which was planted with catmint, chives, sage, and some other herbs. The whiskey barrel moved with us to Des Moines!

The Backyard Jungle

Eddie Chang, Vice President of the Silver Spring Garden Club, in Silver Spring, MD, shared this photo of Stretch. Eddie wrote, "He belongs to my daughter (and grandson Sebastian) and is a rescue cat. He is actually quite large and strong (the colocasia makes him look small) and a fierce hunter of small rodents, even on a leash. He is quite idiosyncratic in behavior and not like a tame-from-birth type of cat. For some reason, he likes to attack feet when they hover over him..."

Freshly Picked From Cat Tree

This video shows the origin of garden cats -- freshly picked in a local orchard, of course! I have watched it dozens of times and my favorite parts are:

1. That plucked-off-the-branch sound effect. It is perfection!

2. That both cats object to being plucked with a plaintive meow a few seconds afterwards, as if they realize too late that they are now separated from the tree and on their own. One wonders if they might not be quite ripe yet?

This brief video was posted to YouTube recently by Animalia Province. I am not sure if they are the actual creative source though, if you do know who made this please let us know so we can properly credit them.

Best Salesperson in the Store

@StoriesSteph on Twitter 

shared these photos of a kitty asleep on a bench at the Richardson's Garden Centre in Sunderland, England.

These photos combine a few of my favorite things all in one: tuxedo cats, garden center cats, and napping cats. Irresistible! And boy, does that rocking garden bench look comfortable!

Safe House Plants for Pets

Both my cats are plant lovers. Meaning that ANY plant I bring inside my home are immediately inspected and chewed on. I have tried several ways of keeping my cats and plants separated -- from glass domes to high shelves. No matter how cat-proof I think my methods are, my cats have always found a way to get to the plants, so I have to be super-careful about what I house plants I grow.

A few weeks ago I heard from a company that has a collection of pet friendly plants and they offered to send me a sample, I received the Blue Star Fern (Phlebodium aureum) from Wild Interiors Plants last week and it came very well packed and in perfect shape. 

The second I placed the plant on my sofa table, Versace (pictured above) leapt up and bit off a leaf. The next morning I found a few more leaves bitten off. Since then though, he has left the plant alone. My other cat, Santino, had not touched it. I am just happy that I don't have to worry about a little occasional grazing on this plant.

The Wild Interiors web site offers a handy online guide to some of their many pet-friendly plant options. Those that are pet-safe and non-toxic feature paw print icons next to their website descriptions. These options include something for every budget and style to seamlessly integrate into your existing space without harming curious pets.

Allie the Garden Alley

 

Heather Andrews aka The Thoughtful Gardener shared this photo of her garden cat.

She writes:

Allie was a feral stray who came with our home. She was hiding in the ivy until a landscapers Dog "pointed" at her and small paws emerged in protest! A heated house, a year's worth of love and care later, she is a spoiled indoor cat during the evening, and helps her mom, The Thoughtful Gardener during the day in the garden.

She loves chin scratches, being carried around by her Daddy, and has a loud purr like a car engine.

She is also a great guard cat. She loves to go outside in the garden in the morning, usually rising when her mom does before first light. Last fall around 4:30 am, she was let out, but quickly doubled-back inside the house growling. When Heather walked out to see which woodland creature was visiting -- a big black bear emerged from the darkness on the porch!

Allie enjoys watching the visitors to the thoughtful garden, which is routinely visited by butterflies, bees, skunks, turtles, possums, and racoons. And, of course, a hungry groundhog who ate all the peaches this year.

Cat-safe Flower Arrangements

Bethany Karn of Butterkup Flowers in Takoma Park, MD, is offering "Caturday Flower Arrangements for Your Cat." The classes feature "locally grown cat-safe flowers and herbs" meaning that the floral arrangements can be in your home and your kitties may nibble on them with no ill effects. 

"Well..? Where ARE your Cat’s flowers?! They have been patiently waiting," writes Bethany. Posted above is the recent class flyer. Follow her on Instagram to be notified of upcoming cat-friendly flower classes. 

You may recall Bethany's post from 2014 on our blog featuring garden kitty, Sparky.

Forget-Me-Not

This photo is by Ben Francis of Winchester, UK. You can see more of his fantastic photography at https://www.flickr.com/photos/kessiye/.

This one is titled, "Suki in the Flowers." It is similar to another popular Cats in Gardens blog post with a cat surrounded by a patch of Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis) flowers - Bink's Brew. 

Monarch Watch

 

Heather Andrews of The Thoughtful Gardener shared this photo. She writes: "Cookie (tuxedo) and Lynx (tiger) are two of the four 'garden supervisors' of the 2020 award-winning PHS Garden of Distinction, Monarch waystation Cat-a-pillar Haven in Mechanicsburg, PA. They love to work with their mom, The Thoughtful Gardener, and make sure that everything is just right for the upcoming Monarch Migration. You can follow their adventures in the garden as they often appear in educational postings regarding pollinators on YouTube at Garden Thoughtfully, and on Facebook at The Thoughtful Gardener."

Container Jungle Cat

These photos were shared by Hannah Ewart. She writes, "This is my cat Anastasia (Staci); she is 19 years old as of this spring, and still insists on her daily strolls outside. Her favorite outdoor activities, aside from perusing my small patio garden in pots and raised beds, are sampling several patches of grass for evaluation, checking over one neighbor's grill and the other one's lawn furniture, and just soaking in the fresh air breezes."
   "There's an assortment of small animals that visit our yard (robins, squirrels, rabbits), but while she keeps a close eye on them, she mostly leaves them to their own devices. The occasional stray dogs that wander by are another story though; they are not welcome, and she puts the run on them! We live in the small rural town of Wayland, MO."

Keeping tabs on everything from the safety of her spot.

Being a fierce jungle cat, stalking prey through the cucumber vine jungle.

Checking over her growing catnip stash.

Fearless Feline

 

Christy Wilhelmi shared this photo of her garden cat. Christy is based in Los Angeles, CA, and you may know her as Gardenerd. She is the author of several gardening books. Her most recent is Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden.

Christy writes, "This is Mittens. She's my dog/cat. She eats rats whole, loves to snuggle, and is very territorial around dogs in the neighborhood. Everyone with a dog knows Mittens by name, and we hear them say, 'No, Mittens' as they walk by because she wants to make sure their dog knows who's boss. Fearless, loving, and hungry all the time."

Misty Blue

Last week, Charlotte Ekker Wiggins, a beekeeper, author, and gardener, shared photos of her cat, James A. Mess. This week, we share James' sister.

Charlotte wrote that: "Etta Girl is a grey tuxedo rescue found about a year ago with her brother, James A Mess, when they were 4 weeks old. A Russian Blue mix, Etta loves spending her days on my garden deck periodically bringing me sticks, dead leaves, and catnip stems, she's my nature girl."

"S-T-R-E-T-C-H in Rolla, Missouri USA. Etta Girl in one of her favorite spots in my deck garden, on top of the table where she knows she's not supposed to be. Unless it's sunny, then all bets are off!"

"Oops, may have to cut back on the daily fresh catnip sprig treats. James A Mess, on top and his sister Etta Girl on my Rolla, Missouri USA deck garden."

"Everyone can use a little help gardening. James A Mess, right, and Etta Girl, bottom left, pitched in to help me with these last couple of pots in Rolla, Missouri, USA on my deck garden."

"On cool mornings I like to enjoy a cup of tea in my deck garden in Rolla, Missouri USA. Etta Girl, left, and James A Mess, right, decided to join me. Maybe next time I fix something other than catnip tea or set three places!"

Hairy Potter

Charlotte Ekker Wiggins, a beekeeper, author, and gardener, shared these photos of her cat. She wrote:

"This is James A Mess, a one year old tuxedo rescue in Rolla, Missouri, USA. He loves to spend his days outside on my garden deck where he periodically visits his favorite pot of catnip. It's a small miracle that plant has still survived!"

"After a day of romping, James A Mess likes to take a break in one of his garden deck planter pots. I tried planting petunias in this pot, but he removed them. Guess some planters are for napping!"

Be sure to check back here next week to meet James' sister, Etta Girl, and more photos of James A Mess!