Bob the Cat

Jan Emming shared these amazing photo of a new visitor to his desert garden. Jan is Owner and Cacti Wrangler at Destination Forever Ranch and Gardens in Yucca, Arizona.

Jan writes, "The bobcat wandered down my path and paused to look back in my direction, although I don't think he saw or heard me inside behind the closed window. Judging by his, um, anatomy, this appears to be a male. I took a series of photos of him swishing his short tail back and forth, like cats tend to do. The short, black-tipped tail looks like it has been "bobbed" (meaning cut back artificially), and is why we call them bobcats." Jan asks also to note the white amaryllis in bloom in the background of this photo! 

 

 

"The tufted black-and-white ears of bobcats are quite distinctive, along with the short black-tipped tail I mentioned earlier. They are generally solitary outside of females rearing their young and have home ranges that range from 3 to 20 square miles, depending upon the habitat quality and prey base. The average range of a bobcat is probably around 4 to 5 square miles (12 to 15 square kilometers) in decent habitat with a good prey base and several denning and sheltering spots. Males have larger ranges than females do, and ranges of the sexes do overlap a bit. Wild animals tend to live for not much more than 7 to 8 years. They can weigh from 20 to 50 lbs (9 to 23 kg), with the larger animals living in more northerly and forested habitats and smaller ones living in deserts, dry mountains, prairies, and scrublands. The natural range of bobcats is most of the continental US and southern Canada down to southern Mexico, with a conspicuous gap in many of the most agricultural Midwestern US states."

 

"Bobcats are closely related to the more northerly-living lynx. But they are smaller, live in more types of habitat, and are overall quite tolerant of human activites, unlike lynx. As long as a bobcat can find appropriate food and shelter, they can easily live in suburban regions and on the edges of farmland and forest. Dense urban areas and intensive agricultural regions are not as conducive to their survival needs, but otherwise these are adaptable creatures that seem capable of living with humans in at least low numbers."

 

"The bobcat finished his pre-sunrise drink and wandered back in front of my bedroom window. Before leaving, he paused to spray one of my barrel cacti with his urine. This scent-marking is a clearly territorial behavior to other cats, letting them know that he owns me. Fine with me as long as he eats rabbits and rodents. As a carnivore, I welcome bobcats because they won't show any further interest in my plants. Plus urea is a good fertilizer...."  

 

 

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Black Cats...

Helen Sams of Alpharetta, Georgia, shared this adorable photo of her twin cats, Willie and Waylon. She says they, "enjoy lots of love and adventure."

"Waylon is my hunter and loves to play. Willie is my cuddle bug and talker. It's easy to tell them apart when I'm talking to them. The only distinguishable difference between them is the size of their balls. No joke 😂 they are totally identical otherwise."

They even have their own Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Willie-and-Waylon-1136032213115865/ 

Country Outlaws Hiding in the Hosta

Helping Mom in the Garden with Little Girl

The Twins help keep the pests out of the garden.

Sedimentary Rock

Debbie Brooks of Creative Garden Spaces, is a landscape designer in Oregon. She posted this darling photo (above) recently on her Instagram feed (barefoot_gardener), where she shares gardening pictures. I had to know more about this relaxed feline who looks like he is sculpted in stone.

She wrote: "The grey cat is Rudy, he is such a character - he likes to play with rocks... and the tabby is June..she's just a sweet pea. She and her litter mates (4 other kittens) were found abandon so I took them in. I found homes for two of them. The others were adopted out through CAT Adoption Team. But, this one crept her way into my heart."

 

Pot-head

Fellow garden writer, Wendy Kiang-Spray, shared this photo of her cat, Sassy, planting herself in a pot of grass. I think this look says, "Move along, dear, nothing to see here,"

We previously met Sassy in this blog post at - http://catsingardens.blogspot.com/search?q=sassy
You can read more of Wendy's writing at: www.greenishthumb.net. 

A Romance with Lord Byron

PAUL LEE CANNON, a fellow garden writer, shared this fun feline -

"I met this handsome, green-eyed ginger Tuesday morning. His beautiful coat stood out amongst the dappled shade of a large mimosa tree that anchors our small front garden. Judging by his crouching-tiger stance, I'm certain he was prowling for birds. When I opened the front door, he ran right up and even tried to work his way into the house. The adorable little beast wore a collar with a bell and an ID tag engraved with "Byron" on one side, owner's address and phone number on the other. We hadn't yet met this neighbor, so I thought I'd pay a visit and see if anyone was home. I'll give you one guess who followed me. Turns out no one was home so I walked back to my house, my new furry friend bouncing closely behind. My spouse, Hugo, opened the front door and Lord Byron (slight name change 'cause oh lordy, is he a sweetie!) ran right in – straight to the food bowls of our two indoor flame point Siamese cats. (Fortunately, they were upstairs snoozing!) He was ravenous, devouring the dry food as if he hadn't eaten in days. After we carried him back outside, he returned to crouching-tiger stance, this time behind our breath-of-heaven bush. I had to return to my desk to get some work done, but of course was fully distracted by the yearning to play with this furr-ocious cutie* all day. "

"A couple hours later, I looked out the front window and didn't see Lord Byron anywhere. Still, I walked outside to see if maybe (hopefully!) he was close by. Something told me I should go to the backyard so I did. Sure enough, there he was, pacing back and forth along the top of a high fence. He let out a few whimpering mews because he couldn't figure out an easy way down. Balanced on a narrow patch of retaining wall, I came to the rescue, reaching out and up. He cautiously eased his body into my hands and we both swiftly returned to safer ground."

"That evening, while I was away exercising, Hugo told me the cat's owner had stopped by. He learned that Byron shares living space with several dogs, but has a cat door through which he can come and go as he pleases. Then Wednesday morning, much, MUCH to our delight, Lord Byron returned to the manor (aka our back garden). We fed the little monster some wet food, followed by a few sprigs of kitty crack (aka catmint), which immediately sent him into a possessed state. I had a few gardening tasks to tend to and what pure joy it was to have this precious kitty follow me from plot to plot. I saw my future in that moment ... living my golden years in a more rural space, a loyal, lovable creature keeping me company as I tended the flower and veggie beds."

"That night, as we were about to head out for dinner with friends, Byron's owner was out walking one of his doggies and introduced the pooch and himself. He asked if we'd seen Byron, whom at the moment was nowhere to be seen. 'We love him! He spent the morning in our back yard," I replied. 'He's welcome here any time.' " 

*Loves chin rubs, belly rubs, being held, and being my shadow.

Garden Ornaments

I spotted this gorgeous cat as I toured gardens in Georgetown, Washington, DC. She is the definition of grace and beauty and is a true enhancement. She makes this urban garden seems all the more inviting and relaxing merely with her laid-back attitude. I want to join her in that sun spot, don't you?

Black and Blue

Wendy Kremer is an avid gardener and amateur photographer in Northern Virginia, USA. She recently shared this photo of a neighbor's cat on her Instagram feed. "My garden visitor keeps the bunnies at bay, and as long as she stays away from the birds, we will stay friends."

     You can also view more of her flower photography on Flickr as well at https://www.flickr.com/photos/wnkremer/.