I have to share one of the most fun Instagram accounts featuring true garden cats, the Chirpy Cats. You can find them at - https://www.instagram.com/chirpycats/. They share lots of great content and tips about outdoor loving cats and how to keep them (and your plants) safe. Above is a link to my favorite posts from them. I highly encourage you to follow the Chirpy Cats on Instagram too.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Monday, April 25, 2022
Walter Chandoha: Cat Photographer
We've shared other great cat artists and photographers on this blog, so I thought it was high-time that we gave world-renowned cat photog Walter Chandoha his due!
Walter's work with cats was mostly in studios and perfectly lit. Aside from cats, he also photographed plants and other animals, though he is best known for his feline glamour shots.
This is the kitten named Loco that started Walter off on his cat photography journey:
Loco, New Jersey, 1961.
© 2019 WALTER CHANDOHA. (Source: Vanity Fair)
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| © 2019 WALTER CHANDOHA.(Source: Taschen Books) |
See more about him at:
https://hyperallergic.com/265864/success-secrets-of-a-famous-cat-photographer/
and in the book, Walter Chandoha: The Cat Photographer (note: Amazon affiliate link).
Saturday, April 16, 2022
She's Got Moxie!
Myrthe Doedens shared
these photos and said, "I run the Instagram account Growing on Hamilton
(@growingonhamilton), which documents my attempt to turn a mostly
concrete back "yard" into a green oasis in Washington, DC. While
this is my first season gardening, I have long been a cat lover and knew I wanted
to add a kitten back into my life. Enter: Moxie!
She is a rescue and her litter
was found outside on a farm in Maryland. I adopted her at 11 weeks old and,
because she was so small, could not bring her outside until recently. In the
city, we have very eager vultures and sometimes foxes who I worried would be
all too interested in her if she were lounging outside in the sun. Now, at 15
weeks old, she's big enough to fit in a harness and is starting to explore!
So
far, she loves chasing bumble bees and flies under the apple tree and is eyeing
up my lower raised bed as a playground...we'll be installing some fencing soon.
She also loves her big brother Melee, a 3 year old Doberman, who joins me in
the garden often to enjoy a lazy afternoon snooze.
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Lilies are Deadly Poison to Cats
Keep cats away from Easter Lilies and other Asiatic Lilies as cats can suffer acute kidney failure within a very short period of time from just a licking a few pollen grains off their fur. Even a small nibble on a lily flower of foliage can be deadly to cats.
Another plant to be cautious about handling and bringing inside your home is the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) as it is toxic to cats and poisonous to humans. Wash your hands after touching them.
See more about Lilies and Cats at:
Here is a List of SAFE Plants for Cats:
Photo Source: FDA.gov
(This is an updated blog post from Spring 2014 and 2021)
BEWARE of it, if it has "Lilium" in the Latin name.
Similarly, Gloriosa Lily or Flame Lily (Gloriosa sp.) are also very dangerous to have around cats.
Another plant to be cautious about handling and bringing inside your home is the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) as it is toxic to cats and poisonous to humans. Wash your hands after touching them.
Note that some other kinds of lilies are just fine to have around felines -- such as daylilies and waterliles.
See more about Lilies and Cats at:
Read more about Cat-Friendly Gardening here:
Here is a List of SAFE Plants for Cats:
Photo Source: FDA.gov
(This is an updated blog post from Spring 2014 and 2021)
Saturday, April 2, 2022
Memories of Morgan
Steve Moore of Fort Worth, Texas, shared these memories of his late cat, Morgan (pictured above):
July 2, 2013
"Just because you have four legs does not mean that you cannot be a real friend and companion. My four-legged pal has been my fat cat, Morgan. Through fun times and the saddest, she’s been here. Okay, she’s probably more interested in getting fed regularly than any of my needs, but we sustain each other mutually. I’ve often ridiculed those stereotypical people with cats who have become obsessed. My late partner Christian’s Grandfather Bill Kavanaugh worshipped his cat as long as I knew him, but somehow this feels different. Having lost Christian, and having lost Morgan’s companion Kevin as well as our tabby Tiger, she’s just as alone as I’ve been. I’ve tried to add some new companions for us both, Timmie and Linus, but they’ve been more challenging than I’d have hoped."
"When we settle in for the night and Morgan reminds me of happier times, I find myself moved to the tears of an old man lost in memories. I often feel like I’m losing my grip until I realize that I’m still grieving and missing Christian. She’s one of the few close links to Christian that remain, other than those many possessions that the two of us accumulated. Morgan provides me with tremendous joy and companionship. I’m thankful to the vet for helping me to keep her around as long as possible."
December 13, 2021
"Twenty years and 6 months ago this sweet, demonstrative, Type-A animal became part of our Family. Morgan has been an angel, a pill, a lady of the house, ruler of all that she surveys. Today I helped her take that walk over the bridge of life into her next consciousness where she can hear once again, eat all of the ice cream and whipped cream she wants, swat at those she won't like, greet her brother Kevin, and have the very best eternal existence possible. Bye Sweet Girl. You've always been Daddy's sweetheart!"
"Just because you have four legs does not mean that you cannot be a real friend and companion. My four-legged pal has been my fat cat, Morgan. Through fun times and the saddest, she’s been here. Okay, she’s probably more interested in getting fed regularly than any of my needs, but we sustain each other mutually. I’ve often ridiculed those stereotypical people with cats who have become obsessed. My late partner Christian’s Grandfather Bill Kavanaugh worshipped his cat as long as I knew him, but somehow this feels different. Having lost Christian, and having lost Morgan’s companion Kevin as well as our tabby Tiger, she’s just as alone as I’ve been. I’ve tried to add some new companions for us both, Timmie and Linus, but they’ve been more challenging than I’d have hoped."
"When we settle in for the night and Morgan reminds me of happier times, I find myself moved to the tears of an old man lost in memories. I often feel like I’m losing my grip until I realize that I’m still grieving and missing Christian. She’s one of the few close links to Christian that remain, other than those many possessions that the two of us accumulated. Morgan provides me with tremendous joy and companionship. I’m thankful to the vet for helping me to keep her around as long as possible."
December 13, 2021
"Twenty years and 6 months ago this sweet, demonstrative, Type-A animal became part of our Family. Morgan has been an angel, a pill, a lady of the house, ruler of all that she surveys. Today I helped her take that walk over the bridge of life into her next consciousness where she can hear once again, eat all of the ice cream and whipped cream she wants, swat at those she won't like, greet her brother Kevin, and have the very best eternal existence possible. Bye Sweet Girl. You've always been Daddy's sweetheart!"
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