No Food for Remy

A garden tour is a special outting, but made even more so by the presence of a garden cat. Here is Remy. He is the neighbor of The Fuchsietum in Portland, Oregon. The Fuchsietum is a small, urban garden with an exstensive fuchsia collection. We visited there as part of the recent GardenComm Annual Conference. 

Remy popped out onto the sidewalk across the street from Fuchsietum and soon made several new friends as he rolled around in the sun. He certainly seemed to enjoy the petting and attention of several garden communicators.

You'll notice in these photos that Remy is a bit of a chonk and his collar tag advises NOT to feed him. I'm assuming this cat was named for the Disney character who enjoys gourmet cuisine. Alas, his namesake may have been over indulged and now may be on a diet.

The Savannah Cat Garden

Angela Rakis shared these photos of cats in a "cat garden" in Savannah, Georgia, USA, from her recent trip there. She said she saw, "about 10 cats hanging out. All adoptable!"  

The Savannah Cat Garden is in Savannah, Georgia, is a community-run haven for local street felines rather than a commercial business or official non-profit.  Local caretakers (led by community members like Mariela) trap, neuter, and return (TNR) feral cats, find homes for adoptable kittens, and run a food bank that assists cats across low-income neighborhoods. Here is their Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thecatgardensavannah/

Sunflower Guardian

Randy Wells, who gardens in Illinois, posted this photo on Twitter/X with the caption, "The neighbor’s cat, Socks has committed to watching over the Sunflowers and guarding against anything that could damage them ."

Midwest Julie replied: "This cat spends so much time at your place that it’s yours, let’s be honest."

Flinging Felines

Last month, I was touring gardens in and around Buffalo, New York, with the Garden Fling.

I am always on the lookout for garden cats during these events and Buffalo did not disappoint. Here are a few of the kitties I saw along the way.

Pictured at top is Socks, who lives at Murray's Hosta Farm. He was a bit shy, but did pose nicely for this photo.

You know how when you travel, you miss your kitties at home the most. So I was grateful when this one-eyed Jack let me pet him:

This kitty was napping in the shade on a hot afternoon while his owners chatted up all the garden visitors:

There were lots of buffalos in the gardens we saw, of course, but also many flamingos and dragons as well. Not surprisingly, many gardens had cat art, cat sculptures, cat cut-outs, etc. This cat-friendly garden had cat silhouettes on back garden entrance gate:

And it wouldn't be an urban garden tour without some window cats too!

See more garden pics from the Buffalo Fling 2026 at: 

https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine/photos_albums

Cofer's Cats: Oliver and Star

 

Here are two store cats that I met back in April during the Azalea Society of America conference in Athens, Georgia. They live at Cofer's Home & Garden (https://cofers.com/). I believe the female tabby is Star and the male orange is Oliver.

In the bottom picture, Oliver is inspecting my purchases there that day. I planted this trio of strawberries in a basket and have gotten berries -- but not had the chance to eat any! The birds or some other critters are getting to them right as they ripen. My two current kitties (Kimba and Fancy) are both indoor cats, so I'm hoping a neighborhood "Oliver" comes along to protect the berries soon... 

Frannie the Urban Farm Cat

On a recent visit to the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC, I was able to meet Frannie, the resident garden cat and her litter of kittens (three are shown below). 

Frannie is Instagram famous. You can follow her at http://instagram.com/fmgg_farm and learn more about the monastery gardens and urban farm she patrols at http://www.fmgg.org/. She is fed and cared for by the FMGG volunteers.

I asked about the five kittens and they are all spoken for -- thank goodness as I was ready to take one home in each of my pockets that day!

He's Got Moxie!

 

Matthew Von Hendy shared this photo of his cat on LinkedIn.

He wrote, "Moxie is a loveable tuxedo getting into everything. In this case, he got into a bag of produce we had gotten at the farmer's market."

Sweet Pepper

Rich Crider, owner of Three Shovels Farm, shared this garden cat photo that he took while touring daylily gardens.

He writes, "This is Pepper in Peggy Jeffcoat’s South Carolina garden." Peggy is a daylily hybridizer and has an amazing garden, that I'm sure Pepper enjoys exploring,

Rich previously shared a cat photo with us here.

Cat and Magpie

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A post shared by Karin Reber (@cinamonkairbear)

Landscape Designer Karin Reber shared some adorable photos on her Instagram feed from her recent trip to Norway of an orange cat and a magpie interacting.  See the linked post above. The yellow Norwegian poppies are beautiful as well. PS No worries, the bird was just fine.

A Shady Rest

Rich Crider, owner of Three Shovels Farm, shared this garden cat photo that he took while touring daylily gardens.

He writes, "This is Milo. Taken in David and Doris Bishop’s Shady Rest Gardens in Cartersville, GA." 

In their garden description, David and Doris write, "You may be approached by a friendly kitty wanting his/her head petted." Clearly, they are big fans of garden cats!

Milo certainly seems to be taking advantage of that shady rest!

Flinging with Cats

 The Fling (formerly Garden Bloggers Fling) took place in Memphis, TN, this year. As usual, part of my time was spent prowling the tour gardens for cat sitings. 

The first one was at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens of this orange kitty scampering in the shade garden. He (she?) gave me that impish look right before disappearing down a drainage pipe. (If anyone at the Dixon knows anything more about this cat, please do share!)

Next was this faux cat in the private garden of a cat lover who also had an affection for all things blue. She not only had lots of blue garden decor, but also a few blue cats by her front door and a "cats rule" sign that I heartily agree with!

Finally, as I ran around the Cooper-Young neighborhood gardens on our last day of the Fling, this pretty gray boy ran up to me and insisted I stop and pet him. The owner of a nearby house came out and told me his name is Arthur and that he is fed by several households on that block, but not really ownd by any of them. I think Arthur is quite content with that arrangement.

Community of Cats

I visited Community Forklift in Edmonston, MD. It is a "nonprofit reuse center for home improvement supplies" that collects donations of new and gently used building materials and home essentials and make them available to the community at low cost.

I have visited here several times before, but this is the first time I saw the feral cat colony that lives behind their warehouse. They are clearly well cared for andf not afraid of humans, though I still kept my distance so I didn't spook them.

The area is very industrial with lots of nearby warehouses. There is also a railroad nearby. I'm betting these cats are doing a terrific job holding down the local rodent population there.

Living in Kitty Paradise

I'm a big fan of surrealism so was pleased to come across this artist who depicts cats in a surreal way. This painting is "Cats Paradise" by Remedios Varo.

"Remedios Varo Uranga was one of the few acknowledged female surrealist painter," according to her WikiArts entry. "She combined mystical beings and utopic machines together to give birth to her unique and enchanting style. The artist adopted mysticism and the occult as her main theme, and dismissed Christian and religious symbolism"

Varo used cats and cat-like creatures in many of her paintings. What they symbolize is open to interpretation. To me, the cats are happy and relaxed in their own little world. The kittens are having a blast playing with the string toy and you just know that long tower ramp is a hit with all of them too.

What do you think? Does this painting speak to you? Or many your cats enjoys viewing it and can share their thoughts?

Image source: https://www.wikiart.org/en/remedios-varo/cats-paradise-1955

How to (responsibly) let your cat outside

Last April, the Washington Post published an article titled, "How to (responsibly) let your cat outside" -- as you can imagine the comments section was in an uproar and very anti-cat. Few people read past the headline. The article itself was actually very balanced and discussed leash-training your cat (as I have easily done) and featured an image from iStock.

The article's author, Colleen Grablick, writes about her cat’s experience and shares research on outside cats. She discusses:

- Letting your cat choose what it wants. All cats have unique personalities and needs, just as we humans do. Your cat should indicate its interest (or not) in outdoor exploration at its own pace,

- Go gradually. Take your time and be patient. Do as much or as little as your cat wants. Don't rush it or push your own agenda on the cat.

- Take precautions such as surpervising them at all times, checking for fleas and ticks, providing water and shade on hot days, etc.

Grablick also talks about the catio, sunroom-like spaces, or other outdoor enclosures to give the cat a safe taste of outdoors. 

Wear Your Green for St. Gertrude!

Here is an update of one of our most popular posts:

Thank you to the Crazy Cat Ladies Community on Facebook for letting my know about Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, who is the patron saint of Cats AND Gardening. 

This year, we have brand new art depicting St. Gertrude by Washington Gardener Magazine intern Skylar Drew!

The 17th of March is her Saint's Day, which she shares with St. Patrick. "Fine weather on her feast day meant it was time to begin spring planting." This may also explain why we think of St. Patrick's Day as the traditional day for early spring crop sowing -- especially peas and potatoes -- even though St. Pat has nothing to do with gardening.

She lived from 626 to 659. According to Catholics Online, "Gertrude was a mystic, (who was) gifted with visions. She befriended the Irish saints Foillian and Ultan." You can read more about her life here and here.

Let's reclaim the day for St. Gertrude and wear your green proudly in memory of her love for gardening and for cats!

Cats. Gophers. Sweet Peas

Over the years, GreenPrints magazine has published many stories about cats and gardens. One of my faves is "Cats. Gophers. Sweet Peas: A Problem Of Boundaries" by Terilynn Mitchell. It is a "story about what happens when cats and gophers get mixed up in the garden." You can read it here.

ChunkyMonkey by Amina Illustration

I'm so in awe of talented artists who can depict cats and gardens in all their glory.  
Amina is an illustrator who truly knows both of these topics and the Instagram Reel linked below shows her process in creating a commissioned piece of two internet-famous cats -- @kingchunky_spymonkey and @chunkytheclotho. I think my favorite part of the video is seeing her own orange cat watching her paint from a nearby windowsill full of plants.

In her bio, she says, "I am inspired by plants and nature as a whole, and try to inject it into my life and my art as much as I can ! My strengths lie in traditional art, portraiture, narrative illustration, and spoiling my cat."

BTW, postcards and prints of "ChunkyMonkey" are available from just $6! 

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A post shared by Amina Akhmadeeva (@amina.illustration)

Bad to the Bone

@olgaomelianska

♬ Hard rock that fits the battle scene and competition(1441265) - PLACT

This fiesty orange cat on a jade plant was shared on TikTok by Olga Omelianska. Commenters are going nuts pointing out the cuteness of the cat and the strength of this jade plant to put up with this abuse! My jade plants fall apart at the slightest touch, this one is a champion! They also point out that the flowerpot itself must be somehow affixed to the window shelf as it would normally have all come tumbling down at the first cat leap onto the plant.

Top Garden Cats of 2024

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! 

Here are the top 5 posts of 2024 ranked by the highest number of page views (in countdown order):

5. Waldorf the Hard Worker

https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2024/06/waldorf-hard-worker.html
Heather Andrews of The Thoughtful Gardener sent in some fun pics of another "hard-working" garden cat -- Waldorf, the official cat greeter at Stoney Creek Valley Farm

4. A Garden Cat's Holiday Wish List: Gifts for Outdoor-loving Cats and Kittens

https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-garden-cats-holiday-wish-list-gifts.html
Coming in fourth, is another favorite past post updated for this year with new links and garden cat gift ideas.

3. Peek-a-Boo

https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2024/12/peek-boo.html
Kathy Stevens shared this photo of her shy kitty, Spicy P, looking out from under the Japanese Hakone grass in her garden.

2. Poinsettia are NOT Poisonous to Pets

https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2024/12/poinsettia-are-not-poisonous-to-pets.html

This is an updated post that is a perennial favorite as there are so many myths and misinformation about this holiday plant.

1. A Visit to Walters Gardens Pt. 1 - Tabby

https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2024/09/a-visit-to-walters-gardens-pt-1-tabby.html
I posted photos of a super-friendly tabby cat I met while visiting Walters Gardens, a wholesale plant nursery, in Zeeland, MI.

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

Peek-a-Boo

 

Kathy Stevens of Silver Spring, MD, shared this photo of Spicy P. She writes, "Spicy P joined us in March 2024 after my 15 -year-old tortoise shell cat, Camille, crossed the rainbow bridge. Spicy P is about 3 years old. The folks at the Montgomery County shelter aren’t exactly sure. She was part of a group of 30 cats taken from a hoarding situation. She was very shy at the shelter and took a while to get used to us. It turns out she’s pretty social, probably partly because she is used to being around other cats. And people are just big cats, right? 

   "She doesn’t go outside very often and only with supervision. She doesn’t go far and isn’t really comfortable being outside. That Japanese Hakone grass (pictured above) is fairly close to the house and she likes eating it and hiding in it. I liked her wary, but excited, look"

  Kathy previously shared this picture of a container cat.