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/

Sweet Scents

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A post shared by Maple & Fern 🐱 (@maplexfern)

I was thrilled to see this video on Instagram of this gorgeous kitty named Maple as she explored her home garden and sniffed some white Rhododendron blossoms.

Maple is a 3-year-old rescue cat adopted from the Prince Edward Island Humane Society in Canada, whose owners are veterinarians.

They obviously take great care of their pets and have them leash-trained.

I'll share another video next week featuring her sister, Fern. I believe they are both Maine Coons. 

See more videos and photos featuring Maple at https://www.instagram.com/maplexfern/

Neil the Great Dixter Cat

 

Garden writer Marianne Willburn took this photo of Neil the Great Dixter Cat while she was attended the garden symposium there this past week. She says, "Neil the Dixter cat. Rescued as a kitten from Kabul. He followed us around the garden on the gentlest of evenings."

If you are not familiar with Great Dixter, it is a legendary garden in the UK. It has "an historic house, a garden, a centre of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world. Great Dixter was the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd – it was the focus of his energy and enthusiasm and fuelled over 40 years of books and articles."

And HOW did I not know there is a "Cat Garden" there! Head Gardener, Fergus Garrett describes the Cat Garden: "This area has a damp meadow containing marginals such as Caltha polypetala amongst vigorous perennials such as Ranunculus acris ‘Stevenii’ and Symphythum ‘Romanian Red’. Old fashioned lilacs sit on the higher level amongst meadow cranesbills (Geranium pratense) and Fritillaria meleagris. Ceanothus ‘Puget Blue’ hugs the building opposite a sprawling Tamarix tetrandra."

On top of that there is an illustrated book all about Neil! It is called: "The Journey of Neil The Great Dixter Cat  you can order it via our Amazon link at: https://amzn.to/3a3D1lc (we may get a few pennies, but it will not effect your purchase price). 

The book tell the story of the "loving men who rescued her (Neil means 'champion' in Irish), and brought her to live out her days in the most beautiful wild garden in the world -- the Great Dixter Garden. Honey Moga, the author, plays a role in the story and her introduction is also fully illustrated, including her dream of being an author after her husband walks out and leaves her alone with nine children. Inspiring, uplifting and true, this is a unique history and a beautifully illustrated depiction of the magical garden where the courageous cat Neil now resides happily."

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.

Mango Ripple -- a Truly Delicious Treat!

Lara Kris Watson shared these photos of her kitties and said, "Ripple is the brown one [shown above], he was found outside in 2018 with a cut tail and ear. He was saved by A Cats Life Rescue and I took him in to foster him. One look at him though and I knew I couldn’t give him back! He is now 2 and the light of my life! He loves to wake me up with meows so he can go outside to play!"

"Mango is the orange cat [shown above]. I rescued him when I lived in upstate NY from a friend who had a farm. People kept leaving cats at his farm and Mango had an eye infection, so I took him so I could care for him. I moved back to the area in 2017. I took him to Friendship Hospital for Animals to continue his eye care. but eventually his cornea burst and he had to have his eye removed. Now he is a pirate and much happier to have the painful eye gone! He loves to explore up the streets and greet all the people who come to my Purple Community Bins. Everyone loves Mango and some neighbors come just to visit him! Their favorite spot to lay in the summer is in the cave under a bush in my Gratitude Garden."

"People enjoy my Gratitude Garden in the summer and kids love to look for all the treasures of fairies, gnomes, and statues in the garden. The Purple Community Bins help lots of local families who are experiencing food insecurity and having Mango and Ripple there to greet them makes their day!"

The Backyard Jungle

Eddie Chang, Vice President of the Silver Spring Garden Club, in Silver Spring, MD, shared this photo of Stretch. Eddie wrote, "He belongs to my daughter (and grandson Sebastian) and is a rescue cat. He is actually quite large and strong (the colocasia makes him look small) and a fierce hunter of small rodents, even on a leash. He is quite idiosyncratic in behavior and not like a tame-from-birth type of cat. For some reason, he likes to attack feet when they hover over him..."

A Cat in the Christmas Tree

 

Garden writer and speaker Denise Schreiber aka MrsKnowItAll shared this photo with us. Denise is the author "Eat Your Roses, Pansies and Lavender and 49 Other Delicious Flowers." She wrote, "Here is the picture of Isis in the Christmas tree. She thinks it is her new cat tree. I adopted her after my beloved Bella died. We wanted a companion for Sasha, but Isis is an absolute sweetheart. She was found wandering the streets until she was taken to the rescue. This one is a hunter, because she has shredded most of her toy mice and a few other toys."

Your cat may also be fascinated by your Christmas tree. Some cats and holiday trees get along just fine, but often times curious kitties can create havoc and damage your display. If you want to keep the cat and tree both safe and separated, check out this article that Davey Trees put together on how to cat-proof your holiday decor. Their tips include:

• Keep your tree away from furniture like sofas or tables. 
• Put a scented deterrent near the tree (like orange peels).
• Cover the trunk of your live Christmas tree with aluminum foil.

This Time, Fur-Real

Cris Blackstone, a master gardener and education coordinator with the NH Landscape Association, wrote, "Our cat has been integral to our household for a year and a half, I got her on Valentine’s Day! She’s originally from Puerto Rico, rescued and traveled to Virginia, then to the New Hampshire SPCA, where she chose me when I was on a visit there to see if it would be my lucky day to come home w/a cat. It brings tears to my eyes to remember the look on her face when the vet tech put out my cat carrier to have her climb in. She looked over her shoulder at me with the most endearing face. Earlier in the day, we met and I couldn’t take her at that time, because I had to go home and get the kitty carrier, plus buy litter and food to be ready for her arrival. Since I left without her that time, I think she had her little kitty heart disappointed and wanted to ensure this time, it was For Real. 

"Her name is Zwartje. (Swaaart-cha) which is from the Dutch word for black, and built on the way it’s made diminutive in Dutch, to equate with 'cozy little black fluffy thing.' Interestingly enough, she has some super power which comes to me in the best way. I had a knee replacement, and she’ll sit across my legs when my knee is flaring up and painful, and her warmth plus her weight on my knee is almost like a reiki treatment. 

"I’m happy to know she’s joining the ranks of the cats and plants you share through the site! She’d thank you, too, were it not for the fact she’s busy right now, batting on the door to our cellar which we have converted to our “Plant Lab” where we are sorting and stacking many 72-cell plant trays and she’s eager to go knock those piles over!"

See more photos of Zwartje on Cris' Instagram account at @makescents_nh

Defying Gravity

Mary Lai lives outside of Denver, Colorado, USA, in a townhouse with lots of balcony/deck spaces and container plantings. She wrote, "This is Niko. He is a one-year-old rescue cat. He is constantly in my potted plants and is fearless hanging out there over the balcony in the planter box. He also goes crazy over worm castings. He loves to put his face in it!"

British "Brothers"

Taking a short break from Nick Adam Lawes' cats this week to share with you two personality-filled kitties from Helen Page in Peterborough, UK.

Helen writes, "Charlie and Reggie are both three years old and are not related, but I got them from Peterborough cat rescue when they were kittens."

Not-So-Bitter Rue

I saw Rue featured on Greenstreet Gardens social media channels and had to know more. Tim Williams, Manager of Greenstreet Gardens of Virginia, location on 1721 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA, shared this bio of Rue:

"Prior to the fanfare and notoriety she now enjoys, Rue was born sometime during June or July 2017 either to feral parents or later abandoned as a kitten. She was rescued by the Blue Collar Cat Program, organized by the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC, and was placed with Greenstreet Gardens in April 2018. 

"Our story mirrored those of many who seek to adopt cats through the Blue Collar Cat program. Greenstreet Gardens, a full-service garden supply and plant store, was interested in getting a cat to help prevent mice from damaging products. Customers and employees regularly open the doors as most of our products are outside, and without any physical boundaries, it seemed clear that our environment might not be suitable to a cat used to living inside.We reached out to Blue Collar Cats after being referred to them by several cat-loving individuals because Blue Collar Cats places street cats of varying degrees of socialization with businesses and individuals who need rodent control.

"Rue arrived at Greenstreet small (weighing a mere 6 lbs.) and very shy. She is still petite, but between her rodent dinners and the treats, regularly given her by employees, she has filled in and rounded out quite a bit. More importantly, as the months passed, she became increasingly comfortable with the people she saw every day. We all hoped she would eventually feel comfortable around customers, if not outrightly friendly. Not only has she become a popular member of the team here at the store,  she has managed to find her way to tolerate (as only a cat can), the pets that often accompany their humans to the store; and she recently even allowed a customer hold her.

"When the weather is nice, Rue spends most of the time wandering around the store property; you can often find her observing employees as they work. She is allowed to come and go anywhere she wishes and has learned that by simply sitting near a door she will soon have several customers and employees vying to be the one who opens the door for her to enter or exit. We initially were concerned she might wander too far or try to cross the busy streets that surround the property, but she has shown a remarkable understanding of the areas safe for her to explore. She will occasionally sit on the edge of the parking lot, but she has never ventured out to areas where cars could hit her.

"Like most cats, Rue knows what she wants and uses the people around her to get it. We have had to enforce a “no treats” policy because her appetite was voracious and she knew that begging for more not only earned her more treats, it also brought added attention and showers of compliments: “Oh, she’s so cute!” 

"She still gets plenty of the modern comforts like air conditioning and fleece-lined, padded beds, where she often spends the hottest hours of the day curled up in a sunbeam; she’s also comfortable with being out in cold or damp weather – the one exception being thunderstorms when she seeks refuge in the store’s office underneath (and as far back as she can get) one of the desks. Her favorite seasons are Spring and Fall when the weather is cool and there are new areas to explore as the store’s inventory and design changes for the season: either stocking up on new plants or laying out straw and pumpkins.

"How did we come to name her Rue? We certainly didn’t lack for suggestions – employees at all the Greenstreet stores chimed in, as did customers. Early on we decided that her name would be that of some variety of plant and that it would also reflect her distinctive character.  After much deliberation the decision was made to name her after the herb Ruta graveolens, which aptly translates as “herb of grace.” Rue’s personality has also encouraged a variety of plant-related nicknames including Ruellia and Rutabaga. She has a very round face, so even the latter name is reasonably well-fitting.


"Rue had already become a popular and loved member of the community, but in spring 2019 she gained celebrity status when People Magazine ran a full-page story, which included her picture in their May 20 issue. Now. she finally has the popularity to go with her princess-like bearing and strut. In the months that followed she has also been photographed and ‘interviewed’ by Agence France-Presse and Scripps."

Cats in Gardens blog readers may recall that we featured Rue's "cousin" Patch, adopted by GreenStreet Gardens in Lothian, MD, in this post.

The Grifter

Claudia M. Hosky of Washington, DC, said, "This is Lucian The Grifter. (Yes, his tag actually says that!) He roams the Cathedral Heights neighborhood in search of birds for pouncing and friendly neighbors." 

Heather McGann, the cat's owner, shared, "Regarding my fluffy, white, blue-eyed Persian rascal, who is named Baron von Lucian (BvL), he was dumped on my desk one day when I was working in the Middle East at a university near Dubai. His previous owner, a professor, had bought him for his new bride  But, as so often happens, when dating is not allowed or strictly monitored, they didn't really know each other and it all came out after the wedding. Two months later, she left him. Every time the professor looked at him, BvL broke his heart. And he is not shy. so he wouldn't leave the professor alone to this thoughts. My husband and I intended to find him a home. We thought such a cat would be easy to place, but there are abandoned cats and dogs all over the UAE so it was not to be. When my contract was up, of course I couldn't just leave him so he traveled back to the States with me. " 

"Though we live in a condo, we do have a rather lovely garden/patio. It's actually larger than our condo. I think it might be 600 square feet and of course BvL is a part of what makes it lovely. Alas, he refuses to stay in our condo or even our garden and he roams. He has his rounds of people he visits. And Claudia's parent's home is one of them. He thinks everyone is on this earth to do his considerable bidding. He has become a little famous in our neighborhood and people ask after him all the time. when he has withheld his love and not stopped by. He does not like winter, so he rarely ventures out of the condo in the winter. but come spring he starts his meandering."

"Once he was kidnapped...I am not making this up. My husband got a ransom call. We had to go to the police and they tracked him down for us. He was returned safe and sound. Evidently, the kidnappers wanted to keep him, but he screamed and meowed all night (he knew he was in dire straights and these new servants would be too much to train and he preferred his old servants), so they decided to give him back if we would pay a nominal fee to reimburse them for their expenses...people are incredible! No shame."

Kitty Hair Fertilizer

No garden bed is complete without the liberal application of cat hair.

Nuts about Gardening in Birmingham said: "Simba is four years old and from a shelter. He drinks from the toilet or tap and loves catching mice, moles, and birds."

Simbas about to have the fright of his life as the sprinkler is another to go on

By the way, this is the third Simba we have shared on the Cats in Gardens blog. We love our little lawn lions!

Tribal Quest

Jan Stuhlmacher in Castlebar, Ireland, posted the following to the GoFundMe web site:

"I rescued the then feral Ma-cat some 3 years ago.

I often saw her hunting in my garden. A harsh harsh winter, and she looked scrawny; limping with a broken hip, and she dragged a crooked, broken tail around. What I didn't know at first: she wasn't hunting for herself - she had a litter of 4 kittens to support.

I 'rescued' all 5. They moved into an old caravan on my site, then into a little chalet I built, and now they live in my tiny house. Next followed 2 little feral torties... that's 7!

Next, somebody dumped little Newb in my yard. New Total: 8!!!

Newb arrived with a vicious form of IBS - he required a lot of veterinary attention, and relies forever on a special diet. But he's doing well now.

When I started 'project Ma,' I had 2 jobs. I don't lead a fancy lifestyle; never have. And I thought, why should I involve an over-stretched cat rescue service. Times are tough. I can help, and they can take care of the more needy/desperate cases... I shared 1,000s of photos on Twitter, documenting the trials and tribulations of Ma's little tribe.

The fun times, the joy, and the lessons learned. Meanwhile, I donated to many worthy causes whenever and whatever I could.

Now it's my time... In October 2014, I lost one job. Then in the following January my 2nd 'back-up' job went as well.

For a while, I believed savings could easily bridge me over to a new job. But.... The west of Ireland is not doing so well in the so-called 'economic recovery'. I'm applying for jobs on an almost daily basis.

I've given up all luxuries - including my car, broadband. etc... And now it's crunch time. Unfortunately, almost daily.  At times I can barely feed the 'tribe'. They were all ferals and really rely on the environment they grew up in.

Here is how to contact her, should you be interested in helping out:

The Tribes Twitter is @TribeOfMa 
https://www.gofundme.com/tribeofma