Snake Charmer

This is Lilly. She is part Maine Coon and about 4 years old. We picked her up at the Fairfax Animal Shelter after out last cat, Rascal, passed away (He was 15) last September. She is finally warming up. Funny thing is she follows us around all over the house and yard, loves to play, but hates to be picked up. We’ve seen big improvements and she is just as cute as she can be. In this photo she is eyeing a big black snake that was perched on top of an Autumn Joy plant. Fortunately, she was smart enough to know to keep away.

Owners: Mike, Cindy and Sarah Whalen

Kitty Name: Lilly

Taken: In our yard in Fairfax Station, VA, lounging under the decorative grasses in the bed next to the garage.

Killer in the Garden

This is Killer, Susan Hamilton's cat. They live in Middleton, OH. Susan says, "Killer is always near by when we are working in the garden. Sometimes she's a willing subject.... and sometimes she gets a little 'testy' about the camera shoved in her face."


Susan and her husband run Redbud Hill, a small-scale daylily hybridizing venture.


Susan's "winter passion" is crafting, and I make fabric [mostly fleece and felt] toys and beds for dogs, cats, and occasionally novelty items for children and adults. My work can be seen on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/justsue,

Rain in the Garden

This is Rain, a beautiful Maine Coon, owned by Phil Normandy of Kensington, MD. Like many of her breed, Rain loves to play with water and is also a real people cat. Here she is welcoming garden tour visitors and showing off Phil's latest plant acquisitions.

Getting Squirrely

John Boggan of Washington, DC, says: "Butler is a sweet cat but pretty much useless at keeping the rodents out of the garden. The one time we saw him try to chase one, it turned around and went after HIM. He didn't go after any squirrels after that."

Bathing Beauty

From Kylee Baumle at "Our Little Acre" (http://www.ourlittleacre.com/) blog:

"Bandit is a feral cat that started showing up here last year, sneaking in to eat from our kitties' food dishes whenever he could. Once he got his fill, he took off for the safety of the trees and growth around the creek that runs behind our house. Lately, he's been getting a little more brave and no longer runs away when we walk outside the door. We still can't get close to him, but last week, we found him taking a nap in the bird bath on the patio. Obviously, he considers this his home away from wherever his real home is."

Cat-Napping

Janet Campbell of Lifestyle Photography (www.LSphotography.com) in Minneapolis, MN, submitted this napping cat photo. She says, " I have been selling it in my photo greeting card line for 9 years.  It’s actually my best selling card."

Potted Cat 2

Racquel Stair of Newport News, Virginia, blogs at http://perennialgardener.wordpress.com/.

She submitted this charmer and wrote, "My cat Mooch loves to lay in my potted plants.  Here he is taking a nap.  Looks pretty comfortable huh? lol"