Welcome to my Catio

Apparently, "Catios" are a thing now. A Catio is basically a screened-in area where cats can experience the outdoors and still be safe indoors. (In other words, a cat's patio.) I wonder though why you would build such a retreat just for your cats and not also for you and your fellow humans to enjoy as well?

One of the first addition I put on my house when I moved in almost 15 years ago was a screened-in sun room. It is unheated, so I only open up the kitchen door to it when the weather gets about 60 degrees -- usually from about April to October. I don't use air-conditioning, so the sun room's open windows are a vital part of my house's air-flow in the heat of summer. It is also where I hang my laundry to dry each week -- a very convenient way to have fresh, crisp towels and sheets in the city and not have them out in the elements or letting my undergarments be exposed to my neighborhoods' prying eyes. The sun room is also where I collect, dry, and save seeds from my garden as well cure my garden harvests such as garlic and sweet potatoes. Of course, I also use it for relaxing on a summer evening free from annoying mosquitoes and a place for having guests over to chat and relax.

For my cats though, it is Xanadu. They run to the door out to the sun room when I come down to make breakfast in the morning and they spend practically the whole day in there watching my water garden out one side window and all the rest of the gardens through the other two sides of the sun room. It provides a panoramic view on an endless parade of bird visitors, flying insects, and other wildlife that keeps them absorbed all day. Before I go to bed each night, I have to kick the cats out of this paradise and lock up. They don't object too badly, but occasionally, Santino, my big Maine Coon, throws a fit and refuses to come "in." If I let him, he'd live out there 24-7 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Do you have an indoor/outdoor area that you and your cats enjoy together?

Here is the Country Living article on the catios trend:
http://www.countryliving.com/life/kids-pets/a35760/catios-trend/?src=spr_FBPAGE&spr_id=1453_200226585

(Image from Pinterest.com -- uncredited -- source being sought.)

Feathers Appear when Angels are Near

This is Feather, a 20-year-old kitty who lives in Shelley Rockwell's garden in Cleveland Park Washington, DC. Shelley reports that Feather is half-feral, but friendly enough. Her she is enjoying the shade on a hot and humid summer day.

Toasted Bulbs

Sarah O'Neil, also known as Sarah the Gardener, submitted this photo of her cat: Toast.

 

"We live near Waiuku in New Zealand I have a blog: https://gardeningkiwi.wordpress.com/ and a YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/gardeningkiwi/  where Toast is a frequent star (when she chooses to be!) She also appears on my Facebook page from time to time."

"Toast is 12-years-old and she loves to hang out in the garden, and is often not far away from where I'm gardening." 

Shadow Dancer

Laura Livengood of the InterLeafings blogs says, "Haku is a 12-year-old Tabby who, for the last four years, has been an indoor cat and is just getting used to the freedom of being outside again. Since we moved to a 100-year-old farmhouse in Ben Lomond, CA. At his age he's less into chasing squirrels and more into surveying his domain from the porch."

Laura writes on her blog that: "Haku's sister, Zen, has always been good at tucking herself picturesquely into the garden, preferring to observe her domain from the safety of a leafy bower. Evergreen shrubs, trimmed up and well mulched, are natural shelters year-round."

Read more about Lauren's garden cats here: http://interleafings.blogspot.com/2009/07/cats-in-garden.html.

Toilet Humor

 Garden writer and humorist, David Hobson, shares his thoughts on cats and gardens in this blog post:
http://home.golden.net/~dhobson/catpoll.htm. David shares that, "I like gardening and I like cats, but not necessarily in the same place..." How do YOU feel about cats in gardens?

Capitol Cat

I stumbled upon this lovely kitty at the Church of St. Monica and St. James, an Episcopal church on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. USA. The rectory and church grounds include a beautiful garden that was part of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's House and Graden Tour earlier this month.

I took these photos right at dusk so the cat's eyes really stood out amongst the shade foliage. The kitty had no visible name tag, but by the collar and bell and her gentle demeanor, I assume she lives happily at the rectory -- welcoming one and all.

A Ticking Time-Bomb

Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries took this picture of a pretty kitty at a nursery in Seaside, OR. His name is Smokey. In bloom behind him is a Dogwood (Cornus venus) tree.

The cat is one of those ticking time-bombs that will let you know when it is DONE being petted. They love the attention and then, when it becomes too much for them, they lash out.

Dan says he had cats for 30+ years, now he has furniture.