Cats in Gardens: A Blasé Attitude? Not One Bit

This is Blaze. His owner, Marty Last, generously shared her story and photos with us.

"In the summer of 2011, we had to put down our beloved Main Coon cat, Cloudy, who at the age of 20 died of cystitis, a common ailment of elderly male cats. It wasn’t long before we so missed having a feline friend in our home that we began a search for new family feline. We agreed that it would be a rescue cat, and since I had once had a wonderful Siamese, we decided on that breed. So, we began exploring the website of Siamese cat Rescue Center (SRC), based in Louisa, Virginia, that serves the entire east coast. That turned out to be an excellent choice! "

"We were assigned an online interviewer by SRC, who assisted in matching us with the dozens of cats we could view online on the SRC website. SRC offered transport service called the Meezer Express should our choice be far away. A particular requirement recommended for our match was that since there was already a cat in our household - our son’s female tortie - our selection should be a male, and known to be tolerant of other animals. That eventually narrowed the the search to Blaze who seemed a perfect fit! Foster moms quotes were superlative: 'wonderful personality, very affectionate, and attentive.' One foster mom had a personal pet, a female tortoise shell who was privileged to sleep with her, but would not allow other cats. Blaze decided he wanted to sleep with her and he would not 'take no' for an answer. He won with gentle persistence. But Blaze was in Florida, we were in the Washington, DC, area."

"Blaze at age two years, eleven months, a neutered male, was surrendered to Assisi animal shelter in the Naples, Florida area by his owners due wishing to be 'free to travel.' A handsome flame Point Siamese (not a Seal Point), friendly, sweet boy who tolerated all other animals in the shelter — cats and dogs included. A good match, but all the way to Florida? We gave up hope for a while. . . But we were cleared for adoption but put on hold."

"Then one day our interviewer called with good news. A couple, who were volunteers on the Meezer Express, were disembarking from a Caribbean cruise in Florida contacted the Express coordinator wanting to know if any cats needed to be transported from Florida to the Washington area! Amazing timing and coincidence."

"Blaze was delivered by the volunteers to our home in McLean at about 2:00 a.m. Easter Morning 2012! The volunteers declined offers of coffee, but stayed to watch me release Blaze from his carrier. He came bounding out and immediately jumped into my lap purring. Characteristic Blaze. He adjusted right away. He seems especially to adore my husband when they met that morning."

"Blaze is such a sweet friendly fellow, he just loves people. Often when we have guests, he is always present wherever we congregate. Then after a while seems to choose one guest person to visit by jumping onto their lap or sitting next to them with his head in their lap, purring. Fortunately, my friends tend to be honored when he chooses them. We have been honored to have him for the past nine years, and although he is primarily an indoor cat, we are glad he has had our garden to explore."

"The fenced back garden of our property was landscaped in 2004 by Chris Valenti of J.B. Landscaping. It features an in ground swimming pool, a waterfall, water lily pond, and a stream adjacent to an enclosed porch. Its original design used many Asian plants giving it a serene Japanese-like feel. However, since I am an advocate for planting native species, we have introduced many native species, while maintaining the Asian feeling. Its natural environment supports diverse wildlife. Blaze and his companion kitty, Brie, enjoy watching the goldfish and birds, and stalks the resident bullfrog Waldo. The black snake thankfully stays hidden when cats and people are present. "