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