Herman and Vermin

This photo is from the Library of Congress collection and is now in the public domain.

The photo caption reads, "Frances Benjamin Johnston's cats, Herman and Vermin, seated on brick railing of New Orleans house, Louisiana."Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) is the photographer and it was taken around 1945.

If you look closely, you can see a water garden with lily pads behind the cats and what appears to be a coneflower in the foreground.

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/

Feeling Froggy

This charming cat was begging for affection at the plant sale today at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. Apparently, kitty is a regular visitor to the Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) Garden Gate Plant Shop. No one on staff that I asked knows his (her?) name or any other details, but they think kitty wanders over from some nearby houses into the public garden and especially likes all the attention from the plant shop visitors.

Cat Gods

Barb Levisay said, "The cats’ names are Loki (on top) and Isis (we got her before the bad guys besmirched that name). 

"Loki is 11 and thinks he is a dog. He loves Xena, our lab mix, rubs up against her and follows her around. Once, when a deer came wandering up the driveway in the middle of the day, he chased it off single-handedly.

"Isis is 10 and knows she is the boss of all. She is a Torti, so pretty small, but isn’t the least bit intimidated by Xena or Odin (our 2 year old, 70 pound rescue mutt). With people, she is friendly and talkative. She sits on my desk while I am working and follows close behind when I am gardening. She has quite a personality.  

"That’s Isis—probably watching a skink. My husband is an avid photographer and caught this one."

Happy Earth Day!

A belated Happy Earth Day to all cat lovers and garden cats out there! I loved this Instagram spost from Amazinglycat.com and thought you would too.

View this post on Instagram

Happy #EarthDay2019 💚🌎💙😽⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #amazinglycat #catsofinstagram #cataddicted #catsnaps #mycatrocks #cats_of_the_world #catstuff #catloversclub

A post shared by Funny Cats & Cat Lovers (@amazinglycat) on Apr 22, 2019 at 7:01am PDT

1st Annual MEOW DC Benefits DC's Humane Rescue Alliance

I recently received this press release for an exciting new event in the Washington, DC-area cat world. so I thought I'd share it with you here in case any local cat-lovers would like to participate in it:

With the rise of cat celebs like Grumpy Cat and Moshow the Rapper, combined  with cat videos in  every corner of the internet --  it’s about time Washingtonians have an outlet to share their feline fervor with their neighbors. That’s why DC’s animal welfare organization, Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA), is hosting the 1st Annual Meow DC this coming spring.

This event is designed for everyone from the devoted cat lover to the fly-by feline fan. Kitty aficionados from all over the metro area can don their cat ears and themed outfits, purchase kitty-themed goods from the many local vendors, attend talks about everything from community cats to confusing kitty behavior, and even meet internet sensation Sunglass Cat! There also will be adorable kittens and sassy adult cats alike on hand for cuddles and adoption throughout the day. Plus, it doesn’t end there. Keep your cat ears on and attend the Meow DC After Party at The Pub & The People from 5-8pm where a percentage of sales will benefit HRA, as well as $1 from every Tito’s beverage. Oh, and did we mention there will be awesome giveaways!

And if that weren’t enough, the real attraction (the catnip, if you will) is that all proceeds benefit the amazing work HRA does year round for local DC cats, both indoor and outdoor. Each month, HRA helps nearly 400 local homeless animals get adopted and 565 animals get spayed or neutered.  HRA field officers respond to 1,600 calls monthly, and HRA volunteers donate 2,400 hours every month.  While HRA does incredible work for the vulnerable animals in our community, they still rely on the generosity of individuals and organizations throughout the DC metro area.

This event is generously sponsored by Nardi Media, LLC and Design Foundry. A full list of participating booth vendors is available on the event website [nardimediallc.pr-optout.com].

Tickets are $40 and on sale now at www.meowdc.org [nardimediallc.pr-optout.com]. Meet & Greet Tickets for Sunglass Cat are $15 and available at www.meowdc.org.

• WHO: Interviews are available with HRA representatives to discuss the importance of supporting our local furry friends through events like Meow DC.
• WHERE: Dock 5 at Union Market - 1309 5th Street NE, Washington DC 20002
• WHEN: Saturday April 27, 2019 from 10:00AM EST until 5:00PM EST
• AFTER PARTY: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (The Pub & The People; 1648 North Capitol St NW, Washington, DC 20001)
• 
  

Best Friends in the Azaleas

Freelance writer, photographer, and editor R.S. Williams of LaGrange, GA, said, "Rumpled, gray tabby Clark (left) and black-and-white Moo (right) love this sunny patch in the azaleas at the end of the porch. It’s their favorite spot for Caturday naps—and for ignoring me when I call them. [deep sigh]."