And there is pansies, that's for thoughts....

Joyce Grigonis a landscape designer in Southold, NY, shared this magnificent cat on her Facebook page recently. He is a Maine Coon beauty deep in reverie in her garden.

BTW, if you don't recognize the quote in the headline above -- it is from Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

The Cats of Disneyland Mews

I was alerted to these feral cats by friend of the blog, Adrienne B., who posted this link to TheAnimalRescueSite.com. The video above shows two different cats, who appear to be Maine Coons, roaming in the gardens of Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. What a terrific idea and a safe, happy environment for outdoor cats!

According to the LA Times, "Years ago � no one seems to know when � feral cats began to sneak into the park, living among the park's trees and shrubs during the day. At night, they venture out, and an estimated 200 cats now prowl through Disneyland and neighboring California Adventure Park."

And then I did some sleuthing and found this fabulous site, The Cats of Disneyland!

They also have a Facebook page, Instagram feed, and Twitter account. I could spend days just browsing their cat profiles...  Cannot wait for my next Disney vacation to see if I can spot some of these working garden cats!

Violets make the Best Pillows

Of all the plants I have on my windowsills, my big cat Santino prefers violets the best for napping on. I have to regularly de-hair the poor plants with a cat brush -- that is just from the leaves that are left after a long winter of window napping!

wake up, sleepyhead!

Senior Love

Guest Post by Susan Glimcher <sglimcher1@yahoo.com>

Love is Special!Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County (AWLMC) 

celebrates senior/special cat adoptions on May 2

The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, MD, (AWLMC) is celebrating special cats � cats that are over 8 years old or in need of a little extra love. The AWLMC is reaching out to pet lovers in the Maryland and DC area who are ready to save a life by adopting a shelter pet.

�Think of a pet that is a little calmer, doesn�t climb the curtains or race around like an adorable, typical kitten.... but  who will love you unconditionally,� said Posey Fox, AWLMC president. �An older cat can be easier to deal with, that�s one of the benefits of adopting a senior cat.� Some people worry that a senior pet comes with problems, but according to many adopters, there tend to be mostly advantages.

The Love is Special May 2 adoption event will also feature �special� cats, like Snowball, an 8-year-old cat, returned to the shelter after being adopted as a kitten. Recently diagnosed with Retinal Degeneration, a congenital condition, Snowball is blind, but that doesn�t hold her back from enjoying life. �Snowball is filled with love and can�t get enough of being held, petted and brushed, says Jeanne App, AWLMC Board member and former president. �She gets around well � she just needs a quiet home where there is consistency in where her things are � like her food bowl. She has no hesitation jumping up and down from her cat tree, she just has to know where it is,� App adds.  

The AWLMC hopes to increase awareness about the importance of adopting shelter pets who are excellent candidates for adoption, but are older, or require special care. At animal shelters everywhere, there are wonderful older animals like Snowball, looking for special people who will cherish them for the rest of their life.  

Take the opportunity to get acquainted with all the cats available during �Love is Special,� May 2, at the AWLMC.  Visit the shelter online at www.awlmc.org.

Visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AWLMC.

The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, MD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer animal welfare organization founded in 2005. The AWLMC has operated a no-kill cat adoption shelter, funded by private donations and small grants, in Gaithersburg, MD, since 2007. The AWLMC serves Montgomery County residents� pets by offering low-cost spay/neuter services for cats and dogs, and operating the Chompers Pet Food Bank. We are at 12 Park Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. 

Pictured here are:

Snowball (Gray) is a 9 year old female.  She  recently was diagnosed with Retinal Degeneration, a congenital condition and is now blind. She was adopted from AWLMC as a kitten but returned after nearly 8 years. She may spend a few days learning her away around, but she  will thrive in a consistent, loving home. Snowball needs a special, patient person, who will help her adjust to her new world. She is extremely sweet and loving, and adores being petted and brushed.  She uses her sense  of smell, her hearing and touch (whiskers and vibrissae hairs on her feet and my face) to compensate for her vision loss. She has a lot of love to give. Snowball enjoys the fragrance of a pink rose.  

Rudy Toodles (orange) is just plain adorable. He is a lovable, soft, cuddly and expressive orange fellow. He is 10 years old, and we all hope both of these cats have many happy, healthy years ahead of them. Rudy was left behind when a family moved to Fla and things didn't work out well for him in his new home. Now that he is with the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, we will find him the kind of place he deserves�wonderful. He is a true lap cat, and will sit and let you rub his chin and worship his beauty as long as you can manage. Rudy Toodles believes that the sunny and cheerful nature of the sunflower shows him off to his best advantage. 

Photos by Marsha Liebl of  http://www.marshalieblphotography.smugmug.com

Shady Character

I spotted this kitty on a Facebook page of  Abdellah Farmer - Boudhira Abdellah.

He wrote: "When I'm working at the farm he follows me around all the day. I worked today weeding the squash while he is sought out the shade so he can stay close and watch me. He found no better place other than the shade of squash leaves."

He is also a good garden hunter, reported Abdellah. "He catches mice, he killed a snake last year, and I saw him climb the olive tree to get to the nest of the crow."

Pink Dreams

 

I saw this image entitled, "Pink Dreams" on Google+ a while ago and then tracked it down to a Pinterest post by another person and finally, finally, finally found the link to the original photographer, Alina Shevelina (https://500px.com/photo/72418679/pink-dreams-by-alina-shevelina?from=user). This gray cat in purple phlox groundcover is indeed sweetly dreaming away...

"Cut Your Own" Cats

Maxwell and cut flowers

Josh Flynn of Wollam Gardens, an 11-acre, commercial cut flower farm in Jeffersonton, VA, submitted these two flower farm kitties:

Maxwell - orange, 14/15 years old, adopted, he was picked up as a friend for another cat that was currently living at the farm and the farm had a problem with turning away cats in need of a home.

    Max loves to sleep in our rooting chambers and is generally pretty lazy/lounging around all the time. The trick with him is that he absolutely loves to be pet and when we are seeding flats or doing cuttings he just won't leave you alone, walks on the flats, etc. Yet, if you pet him, sometimes if you stop before he wanted you to he'll give you a slap � claws and all. Also, Max loves crates!

Lyla - black, 5-6 years old, adopted, she was found at a local junkyard and definitely needed a home. Lyla previously couldn't be picked up or even pet, but has since come around. She tries to sneak into the house, but if she ever gets in the house, she panics and runs around looking for a way out. Lyla will also follow us around the farm and lay on the beds when we're planting them or jumping between tall flowers when we're cutting them. She is head mouser and is some variety of miniature cat where she always has the appearance of a kitten.  

Both of them are very sweet and do a great job on the farm. They live in the greenhouse during the winter and can be found anywhere when the weather is nice. The only problem we have with them is they like to use our lily and bulb crates that we're forcing as a bathroom. There have been many cats on the farm over the years, but Max and Lyla make a good pair. 

Max and Lyla on greenhouse bench

Max in a crate

Lyla on weed cloth and seedlings