Bodega Cats

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One of my favorite cat-focused social media accounts to follow is Bodega Cats on Instagram.

I think this image tells it all. These are working cats that keep the rodent population downs at this small. convenience stores, while also providing entertainment and company for the store's employees and customers. I don't know about you, but I love it when I enter a business and a cat is there to greet me or I discover one hidden among the cases of sodas and chips.

I thought this post in particular was a great one to share on the Cats in Gardens blog as it has it all -- a working cat taking a break in the catnip harvest basket. I hope you enjoy it and the many other terrific Bodega Cats on that Instagram feed. I'll just say in advance: "You're welcome!"

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.

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! 

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. "

Catnip ecstasy. . .

Cautiously stalking black snake

Ok Waldo I know you’re in here somewhere.

Not going after those fish and get myself wet!

So handsome. . .

Almost caught Waldo bullfrog that time!

Under the cool of the Japanese maple.

Love these flower deliveries.

Thanksgiving Day under the winter-blooming camellias.

Outdoors looks like a fun place.

Amateur Bot-ann-ist's Cat Crew

The Cat Crew enjoying some catnip.

Fellow garden blogger Ann Amato celebrated her recent blog anniversary (13 years!) by sharing her cat crew. Here is an excerpt from that post.

Mona

Long ago I found Mona under some bushes in a parking lot at a strip mall when she was a kitten. She was alone and it was a dark and rainy night. She was starving. I think she is around 16 now. Up until this year she liked to be outside a lot, but as of a few months ago, she is now a full-time housecat living in the basement with all of my plants and a lot of privacy. We used to keep her apart from the other 3 because she’s part-feral but she is no longer upset by the younger 3 cats and they all seem to get along.

Her best friend was the cat I named the garden after, Maurice, and he passed away several years ago now. Just before he passed away here at home, they spent his last few hours together in the garden. I’m still too sad to post the photo, but the garden is no longer hers. She has passed it on to the younger three. [She previously shared her memories of her cat Maurice with us here.]

LuLu

LuLu is 5 now. I bought her off of the internet. She’s part small ferocious barn cat, part Turkish Angora, part linebacker, and part diva. She rules with an iron paw, will beat up the boys for treats, and she likes to have her lion cuts done at the cat spa. She has very soft hair and it gets into knots easily. She hates to be combed, she dislikes being held, she hates this, she won’t tolerate that, but overall, she knows she’s incredibly pretty so that’s all that matters.

Did I mention that Piggy is difficult? Did that come through clearly? She loves to snap her tail around and catnip makes her go psycho, but each night she grooms my chin and curls up under the blankets right next to me or above my head on her pillow. She’s our angel.

Felix 

It feels odd introducing Felix. He is 4 and has a huge personality. He was hand raised and this makes him different. He loves attacking dogs that go by the house, he likes car rides, and he loves attention. He loves people. He wants to be in the action, on the go, in the middle of the noise. He likes to knock things over, eat my food, and keep an eye on me at all times. If I work too much away from home, he pouts. He wants each day to go his way and he will let me know that from the moment when I wake up and put on my pants for the day. He has a huge vocabulary. When he hears the word “work”, you can see his irritation. “I have to go to work today Felix.” Big eyes stare back at me and I can read in them, “Didn’t you do that yesterday? How dare you.”

Oliver

The baby cat is the baby of the bunch. Oliver is now 3 and he is huge. Beneath the fur he’s rather skinny but he’s huge because he is fluffy and full of love. Oliver is nothing but love. He has a huge heart. First and foremost he loves Felix, but Felix does not return the love, mostly he picks on Oliver. Their relationship is complicated though. The dudes or the boys as we call them are buddies in the garden. Outside they protect the palace. Oliver does most of the protecting though while Felix wanders around his territory. Oliver doesn’t attack though. He flies at things. He has never been in a fight. All he has to do is run at another cat and they run away. His speed and size are intimidating and he is very fast.

In the house he is Snuggie. He loves to snuggle and is an aggressive snuggler. We call him Yoda Bear too. When he was a kitten his ears were so big he could barely hold them up. He looked like baby Yoda and a bear. He even knows that name. I love that cat.

The Mouthpiece (Meow-piece?)

This is the Sustainable Spokescat. He speaks for himself.
Haym says, "I'm a cat with a career, official spokescat for Sustainability Matters @smattersva. I birdwatch, I garden, I pose tirelessly for SM's Facebook and the local pawparazzi. My eco-commitment is real, as long as the treats keep coming.
"As a feral drifting from farm to farm, I was shot by a jerk who got off on hurting cats. It hurt so much, and the bullet's still in my leg."

"Here's me and a friend. #Amphibians are the best form of natural pest control in the garden, so I do my best to watch over them and keep them from harm. Very non-cat of me."

"So I didn't attend the @smattersva Plant Swap in purrson today, but one of my fans sent me a gift, a very special #catnip plant!! I love getting fan mail."

"Me in a jungle of stiltgrass, one of the worst #InvasiveSpecies. Now's the time to weed whack it, down to bare earth, before it goes to seed. Just don't weed whack any frogs or felines who might be lurking."

"Me, the eco-spokescat, leading the fight against #InvasivePlants. This one, mile-a-minute, grows at roughly that speed. Be careful when pulling; I stick to root chewing as the vine is barbed. It's edible, though, and potassium rich. I prefer it to bananas."

"Me starting seeds (in repurposed containers, naturally...) ;)"

"And me helping NRCS check out a hayfield that had just been converted to pollinator habitat. It was fascinating seeing all the native seeds germinating...though they didn't taste as good as they looked, sadly."

You can follow Haym, the Sustainable Spokescat at: https://twitter.com/spokescat

Why Do Cats Go Nuts Over Weigela?

My garden writer friend, Larry Hodgson, over at the Laidback Gardener blog (https://laidbackgardener.blog/) posted this q-and-a on a topic I had never heard of before -- some cats love weigela. I grow many kinds of weigela shrubs in my garden and have not seen any of my cats or other cats interacting with it, but I am going to keep an eye out for it now.

Here is Larry's blog post about it:

Question: My 7-year-old cat has discovered my weigela bush. During flowering, he climbs into the shrub to grab the flowers, rolls around in it and meows happily. Honestly, he seems to be high! I have many other plants, but he leaves them alone. It’s really very funny. Do you know why this happens? ~ H. Filteau

Answer: You’ve hit upon a situation that is fairly well known to cat-lovers, but one that has not yet, to my knowledge, been studied. Some cats (a small minority) do indeed seem to adore weigelas, but others are completely indifferent to these shrubs.

I think it’s safe to presume that weigelas (or at least some weigelas) give off a chemical compound of the same type as nepetalactone, the terpene that makes catnip (Nepeta cataria) so attractive to many kitties. Other nepetas (Nepeta spp.) also give off this product, but to a lesser degree. In fact, protecting ornamental nepetas against overenthusiastic kitties was the subject of a recent blog: Protecting Nepetas From Cats.

A Repellent With a Feline Side Effect

If the catnip produces nepetalactone, it’s as a protection from predatory insects. Nepetalactone is a recognized insect repellent and few six-legged pests will attack catnip plants. Its side effect, that is, attracting cats, is less desirable … for the plant at least. But cat owners have a lot of fun watching their tabbies interact with dried catnip leaves, often added to cat toys.

Similarly, some cats avidly rub up against and roll around in honeysuckles (Lonicera spp), including Tatarian honeysuckle (L. tataricum), and it also produces nepetalactone. In fact, honeysuckle shavings too are sometimes added to cat toys.

Kiwis (Actinidia spp.) produce a different product that attracts and intoxicates cats in the same way: actinidine. The silver vine kiwi or matatabi (A. polygama) is particularly rich in actinidine. In fact, in the Orient, silver vine sticks are more often used in cat toys than catnip.  

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In my own garden, a brown and white cat often rubs against and scratches my female arctic kiwi (A. kolomikta), obviously in ecstasy. Oddly, she never touches the male vine. Maybe my female cultivar, ‘Ananasnaya’, is richer in actinidine than the male? Curiously, other cats in the neighborhood seem indifferent to both.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), an ornamental perennial, medicinal plant and, in many areas, noxious weed, also produces actinidine and will also attract cats.

Finally, cat thyme (Teucrium marum) produces another component that makes cats go a bit nuts: dolicholactone, chemically very close to nepetalactone. It’s occasionally grown as a cat plant.

How cats respond to these various products differs from one individual to another. Some only react to nepetalactone, others only to actinidine and others only to dolicholactone, others to two or all three and finally, some cats simply don’t gain any euphoric effect from plants of any kind. Also, the reaction can also vary depending on the conditions: for example, some female cats don’t react to these products during pregnancy, but resume once their kittens are born.

Now what we need is a scientific study of exactly what compound in weigelas attract cats… and then I’ll have an appropriate answer to your question!

Protecting Newly Planted Catmint from Kitties

Too much catmint photo by Teresa Stanton at Flickr.com.

My garden writer friend Larry, the LaidbackGardener, up in Quebec, Canada, recommends that you place barriers around newly planted Catmint plants until they get established as the kitties can get a bit enthusiastic and kill them with love before they get a chance to be send out their roots.

Larry writes, "You only need a temporary cat barrier,, while nepetas settle in and stop giving off their cat-enticing aroma. The problem is not with well-established plants, but freshly planted ones. During planting, some roots are inevitably broken or leaves are damaged, leading to the emission of nepetalactone and the resulting cat attraction. So, cover freshly planted nepetas with some sort of barrier (a cut-off gallon milk jug, for example) to keep the cats away. After 4 or 5 days, the aroma accidentally released during planting will have disappeared and cats will no longer be a bother. 

See his full blog post here:
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2019/06/02/protecting-nepetas-from-cats/amp/

Garden Patch

Patch is a very purr-suasive garden center cat. Who could resist buying some of his personally curated hydrangrea selections?

Patch Adams was adopted by GreenStreet Gardens in Lothian, MD, from the SPCA of Anne Arundel County. You can read his full adoption story here.

Stacy Greenstreet, Lothian, MD, shared that, "Patch is AWESOME! And he's also huge! We are hoping he'll slim down at least a little bit while cavorting with our customers. He's also super friendly.  

   "We've also learned that Patches likes to sit ON the plants we have growing, and it didn't take him long to find the catnip.  Whoops!"

Best Plants to Grow for Cats

Here is a new video by Sun Gro Horticulture on Best Plants to Grow for Cats featuring lots of gorgeous Garden Cats. Enjoy!

Alternatives to Cat Nip

A research study covered recently in Wired shows that 3 plants can cause similar reactions in some cats to catnip. They are Silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis).
Most cat owners will know Valerian as "kitty valium" and that vets recommend it as a natural way to sedate kitties that have anxiety issues.

From the study results: "Nearly all domestic cats responded positively to olfactory enrichment. In agreement with previous studies, one out of every three cats did not respond to catnip. Almost 80% of the domestic cats responded to silver vine and about 50% to Tatarian honeysuckle and valerian root. Although cats predominantly responded to fruit galls of the silver vine plant, some also responded positively to its wood. Of the cats that did not respond to catnip, almost 75% did respond to silver vine and about one out of three to Tatarian honeysuckle. Unlike domestic cats, tigers were either not interested in silver vine or responded disapprovingly."

Best quote in the Wired article: "Cats love novelty, and spending part of their day blissed out on plant matter might help them cope with the sensation of living with a hairless, erratic ape."

Image Source: 
By derivative work: Mr.Z-man (talk)Micas.jpg: Carlos Botelho (Micas.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Going Back to Cali

Last week Tony Sarmiento of Silver Spring, MD, USA, shared pics of his late cat, Doris. Here is his current cat, Cali. "She adopted us a few years ago. She used to live with another family down the block, but for some reason she decided to move." Both Tony and Cali are big fans of garlic, but Cali seems to be even more partial to catnip.

bunny hunter