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!

Suddenly Seymour!

This is Seymour. He is a neighbor's cat. Other than that he is fairly old and likes to watch the passing people from his porch perch, I don't know much more about him. I bet he has a lot of tales to tell! That face says it all.

A Visit to Walters Gardens Pt. 1 - Tabby

One of the stops of the recent GardenComm annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was to Walters Gardens, a wholesale plant nursery, in Zeeland, MI.

I shared images previously of the garden cats at Walters Gardens here, so I knew there might be some kitties to visit with when we arrived on the tour bus that particular morning. It didn't take long for the cats to find us and I counted 3. I'll be sharing them individually over the next few weeks. Here is kitty #1 -- a very friendly tabby, who reminded me a lot of my own tabby, Fancy.

Fern and the Redbuds

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

Fern is a 3-year-old rescue cat adopted from the Prince Edward Island Humane Society in Canada, whose owners are veterinarians. Fern in leash-trained and, I believe, is a Maine Coon.

We share an Instagram video post of her sister, Maple, a few weeks back. You can see it here. 

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

JoJo Kitty

Jojo is the spoiled kitty of Glenn and Karen Bell who live in the Del Webb Arbors retirement community in North Carolina. Jojo is a rescue and her human parents glassed in the porch so she can admire the gardens year-round. 

Her other favorite activity includes her daily supervised garden walk with her human dad to admire the visitors of the pocket pollinator garden designed by @gardenthoughtfully, Heather Andrews. 

Heather Andrews of The Thoughtful Gardener sent these fun pics.
(See the previous cats in gardens she has shared here.)

Mama Needs a Nap

Sue Hunter, owner of www.heartwoodnurseryinc.com, shared this photo of her cat, Mama. Sue recently shared another one of her cats, Willie. You can view it here.

Sue writes, "This is Mama Sage. She is keeping warm in the greenhouse. No one messes with this Mama."

A Kiss for Kes

Tamara Stoneburner shared this lovely In Memoriam post for her late cat, Kes. "She is officially the oldest person (in terms of human years, and well, cat years) I’ve ever known…"

KES

September 12, 2000 - May 21, 2023 (5pm)

I am not an overt “pet” person, but thank God she was a “human” cat. I was her human — I find myself deeply humbled… and honored.

For 23 years she was my studio companion. A lap cat, she was, with a disconcertingly loud and rumbling purr, not unlike a John Deere tractor. She was fiercely loyal to those people and other cats she accepted (and a bit of a jackass to those she did not suffer, namely Bogart, our 14-year old cat mentioned in prior posts). In later years she mellowed, especially since becoming both blind and deaf. We’d nicknamed her “Roomba” as she navigated the first-floor perimeters, locating food/water, the litter box, our presence, and her personal favorite: the warmth of the sun.

Her last day with us was highlighted by time spent outdoors. Having been an indoor cat, she was introduced to the concept of grass and the essence of most fragrant peonies. She ate of the grass (and an earthworm — I guess she was Flexitarian; there’s no accounting for taste). I believe she became scent-drunk as she rubbed her face vigorously among the peonies. And she experienced the light breezes of this phenomenal late-Spring afternoon.

====================

I cannot recommend enough the concierge hospice/in-home euthanasia services of Lap of Love here in northern Virginia. The calming, informative, and compassionate presence of Dr. Jessica Gibson was most appreciated.

HTTPS://www.lapoflove.com/

Tamara previously shared her cat Bogart with us on the Cats in Gardens blog. You can read that post here: https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2023/05/guardian-of-stoop.html

Protecting Your Houseplants from Your Cats

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A post shared by Chas | Plants and Pets 🪴🐾 (@through.the.lleaves)

through.the.lleaves on Instagram shared these great tips for keeping your houseplants and cats safe from each other. What do you think? Have you tried any of these? Do they work for you? Got any additional ideas?

Guardians of Gibbs Garden

I visited Gibbs Gardens north of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, a couple weeks ago with the Azalea Society of America. While there, I was thrilled to run into a trio of friendly garden cats. They are pictured here. Paisley is the long-haired calico shown at top. Tiger is the male striped kitty shown just below. The two bottom pics are of Spot who greeted our group at the entrance and enjoyed a nice sun bath on a cool spring day.

I found this terrific article about the cats at SmokeSignalsNews.com. In it, Jim Gibbs, owner, designer, and developer of the acclaimed Gibbs Gardens says, "Every garden needs a garden cat. Cats help keep down moles, voles and other pests that eat garden plants. The voles are the worst; they eat plants from the roots up.”

The article details also the origins of the Gibbs Gardens' cats and that at one point there were 11 of them on the property! I highly recommend a visit to the garden and for you to keep an eagle eye out for these friendly felines.

 

Hank in Wheelbarrow

 

This is "Hank in Wheelbarrow" by Edward Weston in 1945. Accirding to Wikipedia, Weston was "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers" and "one of the masters of 20th-century photography." 

He co-published a book titled "The Cats of Wildcat Hill" which is full of wonderful images of the 40 cats that lived on his property in the Carmel Highlands in Monterey County, California. 

Kim Weston follows in his grandfather's photography footsteps and you can see his photos here including one of a cat named Charis. "She has a wonderful soul and loves rolling in the dirt, chasing after anything that moves, and licking your fingers when trying to use the computer." A true garden cat!

Source: Art Institute of Chicago

Introducing Kimba and Fancy

@wdcgardener We grew the grass just for the kitties and they weren’t even that interested! #wdcgardener #cats #gardening ♬ I Think I Like When It Rains - WILLIS

Last March, I lost my beloved Versace. He was THAT CAT -- the one you bond with in such a special way that no one could possible replace him. While I still mourn him terribly, I am consoled by his stepbrother Santino and the two feral kittens that I took in last spring -- Kimba and Fancy. I thought it is high-time now to introduce these two youngsters to you. 

These tabby-mix litter mates look like they have different fathers, but we don't know for sure. They started off the same-size as wee baby kittens. Kimba is a big, muscular boy and has grown to almost 11 pounds! Fancy is a dainty girl and barely 5 pounds now, though she eats like a pig!

They have calmed down a bit as they are approaching their first birthdays, yet still wreak havoc on my house and all the plants inside. We recently grew some cat grass for them and Fancy has enjoyed grazing on it. (See video above.) Kimba though is just thoroughly confused by the cat grass and thinks other plants are much more fun to tip over, dig in, munch on, and otherwise destroy. I am at my wit's end with him and have several barricades up around the house and windows to contain the worst of the damage. We'll see if he outgrows this phase soon.

Here is also a video of them experiencing their first snow from the safety for indoors: 

https://www.tiktok.com/@wdcgardener/video/7204473067429498155?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7122118070726264366

I know I'll be sharing my pics and videos of Kimba and Fancy in coming years 😼.
Here is a recent one of them enjoying a sunny windowsill together.

A Sweet Treat

Toffee shares space with the cacti and tropicals.

 

Louise Clarke shared this pictures of her indoor feline. Toffee is a 6-year-old adopted from Providence Animal Center. She was a birthday present to me. She is an indoor cat that gets along with Mojito, my Havanese puppy. 

Louise is a professional horticulturist and a principal of Verdant Earth Educators LLC (https://www.verdanteartheducators.com/).

Toffee soaking up some sun.

Kitten Break

This holiday season is full of hustle and bustle, so we thought we'd share a little pause in your day to enjoy a cute kitten exploring their outdoor world. Breathe. Relax. Recharge.

Photo credit: Imazite at Pixabay

Dancing in the Indoor Garden

Bowie with Watering Cans

Barbara Ellis of Eastern Shore Gardener shared these photos and wrote: "This is David Bowie, Bowie for short, doing his best watering can impression. His garden is indoors and consists of loads of houseplants plus a large watering can collection."   

   "Bowie, along with his brother and sister, was turned into the local animal shelter as a baby feral kitten. They were already well-socialized when a friend passed the litter of still-tiny kittens on to me so she could take on another unsocialized litter. (Bowie got me started fostering, and I have since fostered nearly 40 kittens for the shelter.) Bowie’s brother and sister went to other forever homes, but he stayed with us. He and his slightly older brother, Mick Jagger (also originally a feral kitten), are 2 1/2 now. They patrol their indoor garden to keep it free of stink bugs and random leaves. Their names were inspired by the Mick Jagger and David Bowie video, “Dancing in the Street.” 

Bowie demonstrating some of the hazards he faces in his indoor life.

Mick didn’t want to be left out, because he is just as handsome as his brother.

Container Bed

Nick Brand of Chevy Chase, MD. shared this photo of one of the many cats he saw on his recent trip to Italy.

He wrote: "Here is one in Pitigliano, Italy, a hill town about 100 miles north of Rome."

This joins our series of several other photos showing cats napping and relaxing in containers: https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/search/label/containers

Smudge Sticks

Mary Curcio & Jon Frandsen shared these photos of their adorable cat and said, "Smudge always likes to check in on us whenever we are in our Takoma Park, MD, garden and to remind us to take a break by demanding head pats and belly rubs. But what she likes best is trying out and picking the perfect spot to watch the world from (and to have her picture taken). When she is inside she enjoys surveying her outdoor domain (sometimes with her buddy Joplin), sitting in boxes, and loudly moving socks from one floor to another. "

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!"